Prevention of Suicide in Older Adults in Hong Kong

Suicide is overrepresented among older adults in Hong Kong. The suicide rate of persons aged 70+ yrs rose from 40.73/100,000 to 51.98/100,000 during the period 1988–1992. The existing preventive service, the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, has been limited in its effectiveness with this population. Its primary channel of service delivery, the telephone, is inaccessible and/or unfamiliar to older persons. Counseling, its primary service, does not address the multiple psychosocial, economic, and health problems faced by the elderly in Hong Kong. The author examines these problems and suggests principles for planning more effective suicide prevention measures. The latter entail reaching out vs a center-based approach, face-to-face vs telephone or written contact, multiple interventions vs specialization, and use of about-to-retire or newly-retired volunteers.