Research Seminar: Projected Costs of Long-term Care in England: Evaluating the Impacts of Policy Reforms and Interventions

As societies age, the demand for long-term care among older adults is climbing, challenging governments in resource allocation and service delivery. It is essential to understand the future economic costs of long-term care for advance planning. In view of this, two research units at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies (RCGFS) and the Centre for Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship (CSPSE), organised a research seminar on this topic on 30 October, 2024. Dr. Hu Bo was invited to share his invaluable insights.

Dr. Hu Bo is an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow from the Care and Policy Evaluation Centre, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His research focuses on professional and unpaid caregiving for older people, long-term care financing, and unmet care needs. Dr. Hu’s work has been published in the world’s leading journals such as Social Science and Medicine, European Journal of Health Economics, and the Journals of Gerontology.

The seminar started with a welcoming speech from Prof. Bai Xue, Director of RCGFS. Dr. Hu presented his research on the projected long-term care costs of older people in England. Analysing the data from two national surveys via statistical and simulation methods, Dr. Hu and his colleagues considered demographic and economic factors and older adults’ care needs, and estimated that the costs are projected to increase substantially by 2039. Dr. Hu’s in-depth investigation benefits researchers and policymakers in better understanding the long-term impacts of policy reforms and health interventions, offering implications for enhancing economic efficiency and social equity. At the end of the seminar, Dr. Nie Lin, Director of CSPSE, extended her gratitude to Dr. Hu for his sharing.

This research seminar achieved great success. It attracted students, researchers, and practitioners from PolyU as well as other local universities (e.g., The University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).