Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Hong Kong, one of the most dynamic finance and business metropolis in the world, faces a demographic tsunami. In 2064, the projected elderly population will reach to more than one-third of the total population, whilst the number of young people will drop given the declining fertility trends below replacement rate. Numerous issues with an increasing elderly population include the rise of geriatric mental health problems and lower quality of life satisfaction. Literature indicates strong correlations between good social relations, having meaning/purpose in life, sense of community, social inclusion, creativity and participation in active learning, having protective effects against geriatric mental and physical illness and also contributing to predicting positive mental and physical health in elderly populations, as well as increasing quality of life (QOL) benchmarks in the elderly. The maker movement, a creative social-cultural employing do-it-yourself (DIY) and do-it-with-others (DIWO) trend amplified with a technological slant and makerspaces, collaborative workspaces for participants in the maker movement are ideal to engender and harness the power of the elderly and infuse them with purpose and creativity. The aim of this paper is directed towards policymakers as well as social entrepreneurs and warranting for the provision and support for a policy of implementing makerspaces to facilitate maker activities for the elderly population in Hong Kong and advocating for the beneficial effects of cultivating the ethos of maker culture amongst the elderly.