The Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences of Saint Francis University (SFU) and the Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service jointly conducted a survey on Elderly Retirement Adaptation from March to April 2025. 297 respondents, included individuals who are retired and will retire soon, were interviewed through online questionnaires, which covered their physical and psychological conditions such as their financial status, reasons for retirement, retirement resources, as well as their sense of hope and happiness.
With a full score of 175, the average score of the respondents on retirement resources was 108.05, reflecting that there is still room for improvement in the quality of retirement life. The score for females was 106.78, which was lower than that of males (111), and the scores for female caregivers in terms of overall retirement resources, hope, quality of life and happiness were also below average, reflecting that the physical and mental conditions of retired female caregivers should be concerned. In addition, the average depression score among the respondents was 5.45, reflecting mild symptoms of depression.
Ａt the press conference on 28 July, Dr Joey SIU, Assistant Professor of the Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences, SFU, pointed out that other than health and financial resources, social resources such as people with similar interests and good interaction with friends and family members, are equally important to the life of the elderly, and impacts their physical and mental health significantly. He believed that health and financial resources alone are not enough to cope with the stress of retirement, and comprehensive retirement resources should be built up. Continuous development of social, emotional, cognitive and motivational resources can effectively enhance the sense of hope and help elders face the challenges of their later life, thus reducing the risk of depression.
The related media coverage is in Chinese version only