Hong Kong carer influencers share experiences on social media to support fellow carers
Carers in Hong Kong are using social media to share their experiences, offer advice, review products and information, and lift up others
For seven years, Merida Cheung has been a secondary carer to her 101-year-old grandmother, Stella, who was diagnosed with mid- to late-stage dementia in 2018.
Cheung’s parents and domestic helper are her grandmother’s primary carers. The family lives in Yuen Long, in Hong Kong’s New Territories.
There is a great deal of satisfaction in taking care of someone in need, but there are also many struggles. In 2019, Cheung started a private Facebook page, facebook.com/babegranny, dedicated to her caring experience. Its Chinese name translates to “my family has a big baby”.
When a friend asked to share specific posts with someone who might find her caring advice helpful, she made it public.
“I never expected that the page would attract more than 4,000 followers, or that I’d make so many new friends from it,” says Cheung, who is known as “Man-man” in local carer circles.
“People enjoy reading my posts about my grandma – not just the positive stories but also the challenges that my parents and I face as carers.
