[中文]

Left-behind Elderly Parents

The Theology and Social Role of Christian Organizations in Supporting Older Adults in Hong Kong whose Adult Children Migrated through the British National (Overseas) Visa Scheme

Abstract

Since the announcement of the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa from 22 July 2020, to 1 February 2023, many young Hong Kong families, aiming for a different lifestyle, education, and opportunities, moved to Britain. However, for various reasons (language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of community), the elderly parents of these young couples remained in Hong Kong. Various organizations have since released statistical analyses of increasing cases of loneliness, family disconnection, and suicide in the older adult population. Many of Hong Kong’s non-profit organizations have religious affiliations, because Hong Kong, as a British crown colony before 1997, had many faith-based social welfare programs, since social welfare remained a weak branch of the colonial regimes across the British Empire. While the Hong Kong SAR government has a well-developed social welfare department, due to historical reasons, faith-based social services continue to be an integral part of Hong Kong society. As such, this project will explore four key questions: (1) How do left-behind elderly parents understand their relationship with God? (2) Through their Christian faith and Chinese cultural identity, how do left-behind elderly parents understand their relationship with their children? (3) How do left-behind elderly parents experience and deal with the trauma of their children migrating without them? And (4) how do Hong Kong Christian organizations support these left-behind elderly parents? By employing an ethnographic method through on-site fieldwork augmented with semi-structured interviews, this project will provide a timely and in-depth analysis of these questions that will allow us to better understand how the left-behind elderly parents live their lives. The project aims to inform policymakers and non-profit organizations in Hong Kong regarding how to better support older adults. This project has the potential for a significant social impact on families and the community. Hong Kong has an increasingly ageing population, with older adults living alone making up over 550,000 of Hong Kong’s population. As such, physical and mental health issues will have significant costs to the government and society. By understanding the role Christian organizations can play in this arena, this project will inform policymakers on how these organizations can contribute to reducing such societal costs.

Keywords: Lived Theology, Hong Kong Studies, Migration Studies, Trauma Theory, Gerontology

Supported by: Psychology Cross-training Fellowship Programme for Theologians (University of Birmingham, John Templeton Foundation)