{"id":74003,"date":"2026-05-04T12:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T04:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/?p=74003"},"modified":"2026-05-04T12:14:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T04:14:51","slug":"hsuhk-study-shows-digital-technology-empowers-older-adults-in-navigating-transnational-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/hsuhk-study-shows-digital-technology-empowers-older-adults-in-navigating-transnational-living\/","title":{"rendered":"HSUHK study shows digital technology empowers older adults in navigating transnational living"},"content":{"rendered":"
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3 May 2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

A study by a scholar from The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) reveals that many older adults in Hong Kong whose\u00a0children and close relatives have relocated\u00a0overseas are no longer limited\u00a0by physical distance. Instead, they proactively embrace\u00a0a wide range of digital tools\u00a0to maintain\u00a0family bonds, engage in transnational caregiving, and foster\u00a0greater autonomy and fulfilment, challenging the persistent\u00a0stereotype that older people are resistant to new technologies.
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Led by Professor Lucille Ngan of the Department of Social Science at HSUHK, the study\u00a0titled\u00a0\u201cThe Impact of Digital Technologies on the Transnational Ageing Experience of Older Hong Kongers<\/em>\u201d\u00a0drew on\u00a0in-depth interviews with 47 Hong Kong residents aged 60 or above. All participants held foreign residency status and had at least one child living overseas. The\u00a0research examined\u00a0how older adults use smartphones, instant messaging applications, video calls and smart home devices to manage daily life, maintain social connections\u00a0and meet care\u2011related needs, thereby enhancing their quality of life and overall well\u2011being.
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The findings challenge two long\u2011standing assumptions: that elder care depends\u00a0primarily on in-person, local support;\u00a0and that older adults generally lack the interest or ability\u00a0to adopt digital technologies. The study shows\u00a0that participants in transnational families actively\u00a0use digital tools to bridge geographical distances\u00a0and maintain close relationships\u00a0with family members abroad. Through smart home systems and online platforms, children living overseas can remotely\u00a0monitor home safety, book medical appointments, track health metrics,\u00a0and provide\u00a0practical daily support. Such forms of long\u2011distance care enhance effectiveness while offering\u00a0older adults a stronger\u00a0sense of security.
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On the social front, the study found that participants actively join\u00a0online communities, share daily experiences with friends who have migrated, help\u00a0one another with online shopping, and organise virtual gatherings. These interactions help sustain friendships, which remain\u00a0an important pillar of later life. Beyond strengthening family bonds, digital technologies enable\u00a0older adults to maintain transnational social networks, effectively reducing\u00a0feelings of loneliness and enhancing\u00a0psychological well\u2011being and life satisfaction.
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The research also reveals a strong enthusiasm among older adults for digital learning, which has become an important\u00a0source of self\u2011worth and achievement. Through online courses, participants\u00a0acquire skills such as\u00a0photo and video editing, online shopping and electronic payment. Many not only share what they have learnt\u00a0with family and friends\u00a0but also\u00a0pass on their knowledge to peers. Rich digital learning experiences not only add enjoyment to later life, but also help older adults recognise their learning abilities and the value of social participation, fostering confidence and a sense of achievement. The study underscores that technology is not merely a communication tool, but a key factor in enhancing\u00a0older adults\u2019 subjective well\u2011being and sense of meaning\u00a0in later life.
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Professor Ngan notes that transnational families are increasingly common, bringing both challenges and opportunities for older adults. Digital technologies have become\u00a0integral to\u00a0transnational caregiving and the social lives of seniors. She recommends that the government and community organisations expand digital training for older adults, while offering\u00a0better technical support to\u00a0family caregivers to reduce\u00a0their burden. She also stresses\u00a0the importance of addressing\u00a0disparities related to age, income,\u00a0and digital access to prevent the digital divide from widening.
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Looking ahead, future ageing policies and social services should fully integrate digital technology, respond to the diverse needs of different groups of older adults, strengthen support for transnational families, and help sustain\u00a0robust social networks. Such efforts are essential to enhancing\u00a0life satisfaction and better equipping society to respond to\u00a0the combined challenges\u00a0of population ageing and globalisation.
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The study was supported by funding from the University Grants Committee and was\u00a0published in the international academic journal\u00a0Global Networks<\/em>.<\/p>

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Professor Ngan believes that future ageing policies and service design should integrate digital technology to strengthen support for transnational family caregiving, stabilise older adults\u2019 social networks, and enhance overall life satisfaction.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":74000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[70,78,10,167],"tags":[],"topics":[230],"month":[455],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74003"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74003"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74008,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74003\/revisions\/74008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74003"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=74003"},{"taxonomy":"month","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hsu.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/month?post=74003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}