Grandparenting and Volunteering Among Older Adults in Hong Kong: A Dilemma

Abstract

Hong Kong became an aging society in the early 1990s, and it has been estimated that the percentage of older people will exceed 33 % in 2041. While Chinese tradition emphasizes the contribution of older adults to family and society in providing support to their children by serving as grandparents, opportunities for volunteering have been established and promoted by the government of Hong Kong over the past few decades. This chapter begins with a brief discussion of grandparenting and volunteering among older adults in the context of population aging and social change in Hong Kong, followed by an examination of their associations with psychological well-being. Finally, it pointed out a dilemmatic pictures of both grandparenting and volunteering among older adults in Hong Kong with service and policy implications.