Elderly

Elderly’s Children Emigration

I don’t want to leave my parents in Hong Kong, so I decided to emigrate overseas with them. How can I help them adapt to the new life?

If the place emigrating to a place with unfamiliar environment, different language and lack close relatives or friends, the elderly parents need to spend much time and efforts to adjust to the new environment. To reduce their anxiety, let them know the following:

• Where will they live? What kind of facilities are close to their new living place? such as supermarkets, banks, parks, churches, etc.
• Is the public transportation convenient? If they do not know how to drive and do not have enough public transportation, they will be easily isolated socially.
• What is the language and cultural environment? If the elderly parents do not understand the local language, they will become very lonely. You can check out whether there are Chinese communities, groups in their new living place.
• What is the medical arrangement? To keep enough medicine for them which enables them to use for 3 to 6 months, it is recommended to ask family doctors to provide you a detailed medical report in which you would know what chronic illnesses they have, and what kinds of medical treatment they have received. Some countries may need you to purchase medical insurance before emigration.
• What can they do after immigration? After immigration, the culture and pace of life will become completely different. It is advisable to assist them to plan daily schedule first and set some goals in their new life.

There are a lot of online information that can be shown to the elderly in advance. If you have relatives living overseas, you can arrange a video call to let them understand the situation overseas with your elderly parents. In short, be as specific as possible so that they can easily grasp the real situation and plan their future.

Source: Ms. Yip, Elderly Services Social Worker, Hong Kong Family Welfare Society

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