China gets to grips with its ageing population

I first read about this issue a couple of months ago. This morning I read that Aging in Place Technology Watch has picked up on the subject and quoted a very interesting article with more details.

I quote:

As authorities combat a growing aging problem, legislators have proposed an amendment to the 1996 law protecting elderly rights that would make it mandatory for children to visit their aging parents “often" — though just how "often" that is has yet to be determined.
The legislation states that "supporters" of seniors — including sons, daughters and those legally obligated — will be made to “pay medical expenses for the elderly suffering from illnesses and provide them with nursing care.”

Just imagine trying to introduce similar legislation in the West.

What it does show is the pressure that China is under to find ways of ameliorating the issues of its ageing population. Unlike the West it has a few more levers of control that it can manipulate.

I suspect that we would prefer to decry/ridicule the measure yet provide no workable alternatives and just hope the state will sort the problem out which it won't. Dick Stroud