published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Master / Master of Science in Audiology

published_or_final_version / Gerontology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The Best PhD Thesis in the Faculties of Architecture, Arts, Business & Economics, Education, Law and Social Sciences (University of Hong Kong), Li Ka Shing Prize, 2010-11. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The population of Hong Kong is getting aged which causes a number of social problem and increasing government expenses. These include decline of workforce, increase demand in health care & social facilities. For individual elderly, the longer life expectancy implied an increasing retirement life and subsequent expenditures. One of the ways to solve the problem is reverse mortgage. It is a financial scheme that helps liquidate the home asset of the elderly homeowner in return of a stable cash stream; by using the self-occupied home as collateral while the elderly are still allowed to line in this home. The objective of this study aims at evaluation the performance of the Hong Kong Reverse Mortgage scheme on improving the standard of living of elderly. The quality of life was adopted as object of value of the standard of living while four dimensions: Life Satisfaction, Self-Esteem, General Health Care & Functional Status and Socioeconomic Status were adopted for measuring quality of life of the elderly. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain the opinion on the Hong Kong Reverse Mortgage Scheme. As a whole, the respondents provide a positive feedback and tend to agreed that the Hong Kong Reverse Mortgage scheme help improving the standard of living. In addition, respondents were found particular positive towards the special feature of the Hong Kong Reverse Mortgage scheme: the flexible bequest arrangement and the deferred payment arrangement. Moreover, it was also observed that Tenure Choice was negatively associated with the Age of respondents while the evaluation of effectiveness of the scheme was positively associated with the income change after engaged in the Hong Kong Reverse Mortgage scheme. In depth interviews were also conducted to obtain the opinions of other persons that closely related the Hong Kong Reverse Mortgage scheme. Result suggested that the first reverse mortgage product in Hong Kong is on the right track and more effort should be spend to promote the scheme to the local elderly homeowners. The direction of future study may include other object of values and the corresponding measurement dimensions. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Objective: To investigate the denture care practices, denture-related problems, and denture-related quality of life of elderly denture wearers in Hong Kong. Method: The study population was elders aged 60 or above, living in the community, had self-care ability, and no serious systemic diseases. Elders attending elderly social centres in different districts in Hong Kong were recruited and face-to-face interviews were conducted by three trained interviewers using a pilot-tested structured questionnaire. Result: 216 elders (45 men and 171 women) with a mean age of 77.2±7.6 years were interviewed in the survey. Most (54%) of them had worn denture for more than 10 years, and most elders were satisfied with the denture they were wearing. The vast majority (92%) wore denture to improve mastication; and among them, 71% thought their denture was of great help. Over 85% wore their denture for a whole day but removed it before sleep. Only 13% had used denture adhesive and nearly half (45%) of these elders found it not helpful. They usually used a toothbrush (70%) and toothpaste (58%) to clean their denture. Proportionally more female than male denture wearers cleaned their denture more than twice daily (50% vs. 24%, p<0.001). Half of the elders also used denture cleansing agent. Poor denture stability and compromised chewing ability were the two most common problems (around 55%) which affected these elders. However, most of them either did not tackle the problem or just changed their diet. Two thirds or more (66-82%) of the elderly reported no negative denture-related impacts on their quality of life. Conclusion: Most of the community-dwelling elderly denture wearers in Hong Kong are satisfied with their denture and their quality of life is seldom negatively affected by their denture. Their dental care practices are satisfactory but they should seek professional care when denture problems arise. / published_or_final_version / Community Dentistry / Master / Master of Science in Community Dentistry

Hong Kong is facing an ageing population and increased life expectancy. However, Hong Kong does not have a universal pension system and the income security of older people is therefore increasingly discussed. The main income sources of older people are earnings from employment and from savings and investments, as well as government welfare, and financial support from their families. However, income from employment, savings and investments are limited. Also, social policy in Hong Kong follows the residual model that it is the duty of a family to provide support to their family members, and government financial support plays a minor role. In other words, since the structure of the population is changing and limited support from other income sources, it is important to take a closer look at upward financial support. The major objective of this study is to examine which model of motivation best explains upward financial transfer in the Hong Kong context. Three theories of motivation of intergenerational support are selected to explore which model(s) could be suitable for use in Hong Kong. These are the Power and Bargaining Model, the Mutual Aid Model and the Altruism Model. Cross-sectional data was collected from surveys of 200 older people in elderly centers. Respondents were asked whether they received financial support from their children or not. The primary aim was to discover the dominant motivation for upward financial support. The dominant model was found to be the Altruism Model. The Altruism Model is based on parents’ economic needs. In other words, this study reveals that supporting parents’ needs is a crucial motivation for intergenerational financial support in HK. Meanwhile, the findings also reveal that having more children, living together with children, having a closer relationship with children, and children with higher education are significantly associated with upward financial support. These findings have valuable implications. The findings enrich our theoretical understanding of the motivation of upward financial support in Hong Kong. Also, the findings contribute some suggestions for elderly social policy making. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Gerontology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences