Elderly parents in China no longer need to fear that their families might abandon them with a new law passed that requires children to regularly visit their ageing parents.
"The law that went into force Monday requires family members to "often" visit relatives over 60 years old, in addition to caring for their "psychological needs."
www.voanews.com/content/new-chinese-law-requires-children-to-visit-aging-parents/1693310.html It does not specify how often visits must take place and does not say what punishment will be given to those who who break the law. But in the first ruling under the new law Monday, a Chinese court ordered a woman and her husband to visit her 77-year-old mother at least once every two months and on holidays, or face possible fines and detention.
The new law comes amid increasing reports of elderly parents being neglected or mistreated by their children in China. In recent decades, China's rapid development has challenged its typically close traditional extended family unit.
The problem has only grown worse as China's population continues to rapidly age. The United Nations says 30 percent of Chinese will be over 60 years old by 2050 - a rate much higher than the worldwide average of 20 percent.
But many Chinese have criticized the legislation, saying it will be hard to enforce and is unreasonable for many who have moved away from their homes looking for work."
Is this something Western countries should be considering?
The UK National Health Service (NHS) highlights the negative impact of loneliness: "Older people are especially vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation – and it can have a serious effect on health. In England, 51% of all people over 75 live alone and 5 million older people say the television is their main form of company.
People can become socially isolated for a variety of reasons such as getting older, weaker, no longer being the hub of their family, leaving the workplace, disability or illness, and the deaths of spouses and friends."
www.nhs.uk/livewell/women60-plus/pages/loneliness-in-older-people.aspx Caroline Abrahams, from the British charity Age UK, says "loneliness can have a devastating impact. Loneliness not only makes life miserable for older people. It is also really bad for their health making them more vulnerable to illness and disease."
www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27247418 With the numbers of elderly set to rise is it time to be considering measures that will help them maintain good health as well as ensuring that the younger generations remain connected with those who bore and raised them?
Image:
www.monitorforelderly.comIt is proposed that children should be required by law to regularly visit their elderly parents