As Hong Kong confronts rapid population ageing alongside sustained outward migration, new research from The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) offers a timely and evidence-based rethinking of how care, family and technology intersect across borders. Led by Professor Lucille Ngan Lok-sun of the School of Humanities and Social Science, the research demonstrates that older adults are not passive recipients of care, but active agents who use digital technologies to sustain family life, autonomy and wellbeing in transnational contexts.
From Distance to Connection: Rethinking Care in Mobile Society
Hong Kong's demographic trajectory is stark – by the mid-2040s, one in three residents is projected to be aged 65 or above. At the same time, many adult children have settled overseas, giving rise to a growing number of transnational families. Conventional models of eldercare, which build on assumptions of geographic proximity and face-to-face support, are increasingly misaligned with these realities.
Professor Ngan's multi-year research programme addresses this gap head-on. Integrating a Faculty Development Scheme (FDS)-funded project on navigating caregiving in transnational families with internationally peer-reviewed scholarship on digital technologies and transnational ageing, the research offers a coherent and forward-looking account of how families adapt care practices across borders.
Key Findings: Ageing, Technology and Shared Responsibility
Drawing on in-depth qualitative research with older Hong Kong adults whose children live abroad, the studies reveal several critical insights:
- Older adults as active decision-makers: Far from being dependent or disengaged, many seniors take an active role in shaping their own care arrangements – e.g., coordinating support, making informed choices, and negotiating responsibilities within extended family networks.
- Digital tools as caregiving infrastructure: Everyday technologies, such as video calls, messaging platforms, online services and smart home applications, now function as practical and emotional bridges. They enable remote monitoring, healthcare coordination and sustained intimacy, mitigating the constraints of physical distance.
- Learning as empowering: Continuous engagement with digital learning enhances seniors' confidence, sense of purpose and social participation. Many older adults not only acquire new skills but also support peers, reinforcing community resilience.
- Care as a shared, cross-border practice: Caregiving emerges not as a one-way flow, but as a negotiated, collaborative process involving older adults, overseas family members and local support systems.
Collectively, these findings challenge entrenched assumptions that quality eldercare must be local and that older people are resistant to technology. Instead, they present a more nuanced picture of capability, adaptability and shared responsibility.
Academic Impact with Public Relevance
Published in leading international journals and supported by competitive external funding, Professor Ngan's research advances scholarship in migration studies, gerontology and digital sociology. Equally important, it has resonated beyond academia, informing public debate on ageing, digital inclusion and family policy, underscoring the public value of university‑led research.
Policy Implications – Towards Digital Inclusion and Age-Friendly Futures
The research carries clear implications for policymakers and service providers. Targeted digital literacy initiatives, age‑friendly technology design and support for long‑distance caregivers can help narrow digital divides and strengthen transnational care arrangements. As Hong Kong plans for an ageing future, integrating digital inclusion into social and eldercare policy will be essential.
HSUHK's Role: Research for Social Transformation
This work exemplifies HSUHK's commitment to "research with impact, impact with care" that responds to pressing societal challenges. By connecting rigorous scholarship with lived experience, Professor Ngan's research contributes actionable insights to one of Hong Kong's most urgent questions – how to ensure dignity, connection and care in later life amid mobility and change.