Old, alone and barely getting by: the plight of Hong Kong’s poorest seniors

Auntie Ha left her village in mainland China and moved to Hong Kong to join her son and his family. But not long after, they emigrated and left her alone in the city.

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To support herself, she got a job as a cleaner and she rents a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong’s poorest neighbourhood.

Although in her 70s, Auntie Ha is unable to retire, because Hong Kong’s basic old age allowance and social assistance are not enough for her to live on.

Her story is one example of the lack of support and services for elderly people in the city, who live alone and must continue to work just to get by.

  

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