The story appears on

Page A5

January 31, 2015

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Nation

Caring for the elderly now the law

PEOPLE with elderly parents in Beijing will soon be legally obliged to care for them.

The country’s first local legislation on the issue is scheduled to take effect on May 1.

Under the new rules, sons, daughters and other caregivers should offer economic and practical support, as well as “spiritual consolation.”

Also, the government should provide subsidies and services for aged people with special needs, such as the disabled, those living on low incomes, and people who have lost their only child.

The legislation defines the scope of responsibilities for families and the government, and includes provisions for such things as the construction of facilities in communities and medical and health services.

About 96 percent of the elderly people living in Beijing rely on home-based care, and the rest live in nursing institutions.

Liu Jigang, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, said the city’s home-based elderly care suffers from numerous problems, including a lack of facilities and trained personnel, and inadequate pension services.

The city has become an increasingly aging society since 1990, with the number of people over 60 expanding by 6 percent a year.

The total passed 3 million at the end of last year and is set to reach 4 million by 2020.

China now has about 200 million people aged 60-plus, or about 14 percent of the total population. The figure is expected to grow to 400 million by 2050.

More than 90 percent of China’s elderly choose home-based pension support.




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend