Letters | Let the elderly enjoy mahjong as a sport – with all its benefits
Readers discuss promoting the game as a way to improve health, and Hong Kong’s advantages as an education hub
Mahjong is a game that delivers holistic benefits to the elderly, such as a sense of youthfulness, self-esteem and social connection, so as to mitigate geriatric depression and suicide risk. The game also enhances cognitive functioning and eye-hand coordination, helping to reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
I propose establishing more regulated mahjong parlours – not as gambling dens, but as health facilities for the elderly in Hong Kong.
These parlours should be run by NGOs with non-profit licences and be accessible only to senior citizens who are not in nursing homes and do not readily enjoy amenities elsewhere.
Each elderly player would pay for admission in cash and receive tokens which can only be redeemed for daily necessities (for example, tissue paper, cooking oil and rice) after mahjong. Each session could last, say, two hours. After one session, the player can enjoy another one – the last one for the day – if he or she works out in an on-site gym for half an hour. The gym should not only be equipped with fitness machines but also offer light refreshments for breaks between mahjong sessions.