Daniel Lai

Experiences of Older South Asian Migrants in Hong Kong: From Qualitative Research to Movie Creation

Dr. Daniel W. L. Lai is Chair Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Hong Kong Baptist University. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. Currently, he is Vice President of the Hong Kong Association of Gerontology and sits on various journal editorial boards. Before moving to Hong Kong in 2016, Daniel was Associate Dean (Research & Partnerships) of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. He served on the Institute Advisory Board of Aging of CIHR, Board of Directors of CAG, and the American Society on Aging. His research expertise includes health and aging, migration, ethnicity, caregiving, and mental health issues related to the aging populations.

In this presentation, Dr. Lai will highlight the experiences of Older South Asian migrants in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is predominantly populated by ethnic Chinese. South Asians are one of the largest ethnic minority groups. The genuine needs of this ethnic minority group are generally ignored due to the lack of attention to the systemic inequities, barriers in service delivery systems, and the erroneous assumptions that families provide all the needs and older people will eventually return to their home country. Qualitative interview data were obtained from 46 South Asians at 55 years and older in Hong Kong. The findings revealed were used to create a short movie illustrating snapshots of the lived experience of this ethnic minority group. In addition to reporting the key themes identifies in the qualitative research findings, this presentation will share the short movie which illustrates the motivation of migration, challenges, and strengths of the aging South Asian populations.

Please find the recording of the lecture through this link.