China is a country, much like Japan, that dedicates much of their time to caring for the elderly. China believes that respecting your elders is most important. The elderly in China are placed on the highest pinnacle.
Confucius was a Chinese teacher, editor, and professor whose view on old age was described as: "Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable seat as spectator."
Much like Japan, sending the elderly to nursing homes or retirement homes stamps a seal of dishonour on the family. Even in serious cases of illness such as Alzheimer'rs disease, many families would rather hire a caretaker than put their parents in a home. All their lives, children are reminded that the sole responsibility of caring for their parents is on them.
Holidays such as Spring Festival and National Day are ones in which people come from all over China to visit their parents. In America, dedicating a holiday to visiting your parents exclusively, is not a norm.
Although China represents a unity between generations, that unity may be jeopardized due to two factors. The first factor being China's one child policy, leaving all the responsibility on one person. Also, since families could only have one child, they were often spoiled to a point where taking care of their parents was not in their best interests. These children don't respect tradition and prefer to build their own paths.
The second factor is the fact that the elderly are living longer in Chinese society. In 2005, a report showed that eleven percent of China's population was over the age of 60 (144 million). The increase in longer life-spans now causes strain on both the economy and society. Families will have to compensate for extra expenses as well as extra time.
With China's growing elderly population, they are also lacking in geriatric care, broad knowledge of illnesssss such as Alzheimer's disease, as well as psychological conditions of the elderly.
Despite China's reluctance to send their elderly to nursing homes, but with the harsh reality of the growing population, nursing homes are becoming more of a necessity and safe haven.
The Zhangulanhu Community Home is a prime example of the importance of sursing homes in China. The home is run by retired kindergarten teacher, Tang Xiuim who is 70 years old herself. She has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of her residents, as well as the general understanding of what a retirement home can provide.
Clearly, China truly values their elderly, enough to refrain from their values and put them in a nursing home to benefit their mental and physical health. The Chinese sacrificed their values to their elderly's needs. Let's take some lessons from them!
1. I wrote a post about this topic in particular because Inwanted to remind people that the elderly are treated differently in other countries. I also wanted to show that the treatment of elderly is an aspect of many countries values and cultures. 2. I had a difficult time knowing what information to add on this post that would both inform and interest people. 3. The rhetorical purpose of this post was to make them consider acting differently toward the elderly. Also, I just wanted to inform people and remind them that the elderly population means so much more than people seem to realize.
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