Hong Kong authorities should step up support for elderly at risk of suicide across all social classes, analysts have said, after a 73-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of murdering her husband in a hotel before taking sleeping pills and losing consciousness.
They added that officials should broaden efforts to educate frontline workers on identifying socially isolated elders – who lack connections to social services or resources – and refer them to social workers for early intervention.
“The key is how to identify these elders and link them up with services that match their needs,” said Ted Liu Chi-ho, community organiser of the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO).
The case of the elderly couple is among a rising number of elders in Hong Kong considered to be socially isolated – a phenomenon that has been linked to a spate of tragedies and suicides.
These elderly people often live by themselves and become slowly disconnected from their social circles and face chronic illness, health deterioration and economic hardships alone, Liu said.
Eventually, they tend to die in isolation and loneliness, he added.
