“It is a taboo to talk about it” Promoting expressive arts intervention for Life – Death Education in Hong Kong

Abstract

Recent advancement in medical technology extends life expectancy, yet concurrently introduces challenges in quality of life maintenance. This phenomenon shadows positive aspects of retired life and solicits various negative emotional reactions that undermine wellbeing in the elderly. It is documented that without the proper care, elderly people might experience hardship in searching for or consolidating meaning of life (Singh & Misra, 2009), and it is no diff erent for elderly in the context of Hong Kong society (Wu, Tang, & Kwok, 2012). Hence, rediscovering positivity, regenerating meaningfulness in life, and providing emotional support are vital for Life-Death Education (LDE) for the elderly, in assisting them to pursue a healthy end stage of life in the face of rapid decline in physical capabilities (Wong 1998; Wijk & Grimby, 2008). For healthy elderly, LDE can be something more active and positive that can involve family; something that is fun, interesting, and relationship reconciling. However, breaking the silence brought forth by the death taboo is not an easy task.