As its population ages, meals designed for sufferers of dysphagia are making their way onto menus across the city
Eight years ago, when her mother’s stroke stripped her of the ability to swallow, Pearl Chuin Pui-yee, then 50, had no idea what dysphagia was. She would watch her once sprightly mother wither away from refusing the vomit-coloured goop of blended congee, protein and vegetables served daily at her care home.
“I’d visit with my own food so we could share meals together. She’d point at my plate to signal that she wanted mine instead,” says Chuin. “She rarely ate the food the home gave her. It was heartbreaking.”
Hong Kong is home to more than 1.6 million people over the age of 65. According to authorities, spending by people aged 60 and above reached about HK$342 billion in 2024, accounting for roughly 11 per cent of the city’s GDP. This demographic is set to increase by more than 80 per cent by 2043, according to the 2021 census report. A 2015 study by the University of Hong Kong, meanwhile, estimated that about 60 per cent of local care home residents suffer from dysphagia.
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