Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 6;19(15):9691. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159691.
The older adult population in Hong Kong is large and diverse. The "Cardboard Grannies" in Hong Kong are informal waste pickers (IWPs) who represent a unique sub-group that is often forgotten in society. This group has unique social and economic conditions and contributions that are not monitored and recognized. Leaving no one behind in healthy ageing requires an understanding of the needs and contributions of those on the margins of society, like older adult IWPs. This study answers two main research questions: (i) what are the service needs of the older adult IWPs and (ii) what are their contributions (social impact)? Qualitative methods were used to collect data from the older adult IWPs and key informants. Thematic analysis and word clouds were used to analyse the data. Nine themes were identified, providing relevant and significant insight into the service needs of the older adult IWPs. Two themes were identified, providing insight into the contributions (social impact) of the older adult IWPs. These themes inform recommendations that cover a range of individual, family, and community service responses to address healthy ageing of this unique sub-group.
香港的老年人口众多且多样化。香港的“纸板奶奶”是非正式的拾荒者（IWPs），他们代表了一个独特的亚群体，这个群体在社会中经常被遗忘。这个群体有着独特的社会和经济条件以及贡献，但这些贡献并没有得到监测和认可。要实现健康老龄化，不能落下任何一个人，这就需要了解社会边缘人群（如老年拾荒者）的需求和贡献。本研究回答了两个主要的研究问题：（i）老年拾荒者的服务需求是什么；（ii）他们的贡献（社会影响）是什么。研究采用定性方法从老年拾荒者和关键知情人那里收集数据。采用主题分析和词云分析对数据进行分析。确定了九个主题，为老年拾荒者的服务需求提供了相关和有意义的见解。确定了两个主题，为老年拾荒者的贡献（社会影响）提供了见解。这些主题为一系列针对这个独特亚群体的个人、家庭和社区服务响应提供了建议，以实现这一群体的健康老龄化。
