Hung Maria Shuk Yu, Li Michael Man Ho, Ho Ken Hok Man
S.K. Yee School of Health Sciences, Saint Francis University, Hong Kong, China.
School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Aug 23;13(17):2101. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13172101.
Loneliness and social isolation among older people are currently widespread and recognized as the foremost public health problems globally and locally. Hong Kong, which exhibits a rapid aging trend and an expanding elderly population, is inevitably facing these issues. This study explored the lived experiences of loneliness among older adults in Hong Kong.
Qualitative interviews were conducted among older adults in the community aged 60 or above who were cared for by migrant domestic workers and presented varying levels of loneliness. Purposive sampling was used to select subjects for face-to-face, semi-structured individual interviews, with consent for audio recording, which led to the inclusion of 19 older adults, among whom five were male, nine lived with a spouse, and three lived with their children. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was adopted.
We identified a core theme, "Should I stay at home alone?", and the following four interrelated themes: (1) experience of inadequate social support and networks, (2) altered family dynamics and support, (3) deterioration in physical functions and mobility limitations, and (4) experience of negative and complex emotions.
Based on our investigation into the lived experience of loneliness among older adults locally, we recommend that the government, non-governmental organizations, and healthcare institutions establish appropriate strategies and integrated services to address the social, physical, familial, and emotional issues in this population to foster healthy aging, improve their quality of life, and encourage support from families and communities.
老年人的孤独感和社会隔离现象目前普遍存在，被公认为全球和本地首要的公共卫生问题。香港呈现出快速老龄化趋势且老年人口不断增加，不可避免地面临着这些问题。本研究探讨了香港老年人孤独感的生活经历。
对社区中年龄在60岁及以上、由外籍家庭佣工照顾且孤独程度各异的老年人进行了定性访谈。采用目的抽样法选取受试者进行面对面的半结构化个人访谈，并征得其同意进行录音，共纳入19名老年人，其中男性5名，9人与配偶同住，3人与子女同住。采用解释现象学分析方法。
我们确定了一个核心主题，即“我应该独自待在家里吗？”，以及以下四个相互关联的主题：（1）社会支持和网络不足的经历；（2）家庭动态和支持的改变；（3）身体功能恶化和行动受限；（4）负面和复杂情绪的体验。
基于我们对本地老年人孤独感生活经历的调查，我们建议政府、非政府组织和医疗机构制定适当的策略并提供综合服务，以解决该人群的社会、身体、家庭和情感问题，促进健康老龄化，提高他们的生活质量，并鼓励家庭和社区提供支持。
