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Who should take care of our old?
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Winton Dong
ACCORDING to concerned statistics, Shenzhen now has nearly 100,000 permanent residents who are above 60 years old. It is predicted that the city, which is famous for its youth and vitality, will join the ranks of aged cities by the year 2005. By then, seven per cent of the city's total population will be over 60.
Zhang Ying'er, Shenzhen Welfare Centre
The Shenzhen Retirement Home, under the leadership of the city's social welfare centre, was established in April 1999.
At present, the home possesses a six-storey building and 200 beds, of which 50 beds are for self-care residents, 90 for part-time nursing and 60 for full-time nursing.
It is an unavoidable tendency for all aged persons to be cared by the social welfare system and more and more elderly in the city will choose to spend their remaining years in retirement homes in the near future.
While improving existing social welfare facilities, still more retirement homes should be set up in the city's districts and townships.
Meanwhile, government measures to assure good living standards among the aged does not mean younger people can avoid responsibility for taking care of their parents.
Yang Hui, 67-year-old
I once worked in a city in Sichuan Province as a public servant.
I came to live with my son in Shenzhen several years ago after the passing of my husband and daughter.
But because I did not get on well with my daughter-in-law, I was sent to a retirement home.
As a traditional Chinese, I was reluctant to live in the home. I had no kin to rely on, like I did in my hometown.
Most aged persons in China regard family union as their primary concern and after retirement, they would like to live with their children if possible.
Unlike the situation in other Chinese cities, many aged persons in Shenzhen cannot live with their offspring.
I was accustomed to life at the retirement home and had made a lot of good friends here.
Lin Ling
I think that old people, especially those who cannot look after themselves, should be cared for by their children.
Different nations have different cultures and it is a common practice in China for the aged to live with their children.
With three generations of a family sitting around a table and eating together, we can really get a strong sense of family.
If the aged can help by doing odd jobs at home, young people will be relieved from these trivial things, pay more attention to their work, and contribute to our social welfare system.
At present, the social welfare coverage in China is limited and it is virtually impossible for governments to shoulder all the responsibilities of taking care of the aged.
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