Proposed China law mandates elder care

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Chinese leaders proposed legislation requiring adult children to visit regularly and care for the emotional needs of their elderly parents, an official said.

Wang Shichuan, a news analyst, said in Beijing although taking care of parents is traditional in Chinese culture, migration and time-consuming jobs have taken their toll on family bonds, Beijing's Crienglish.com and the BBC reported Wednesday.

China has 167 million elderly people, half of whom live alone, Crienglish and the BBC reported.

Wu Ming, a Ministry of Civil Affairs official, said the elderly will be able to invoke the law if their children do not often go home to take care of them, but Wang said the law would be difficult to enforce.

Wang said China must strengthen its elderly support system.

Wang's position is reflected in the draft of the amendment to the 1996 Law on Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Aged, which includes encouragement of volunteers, community workers and social institutions to provide more door-to-door services for the elderly.

Decades of China's one-child policy means fewer workers must support more and more aging relatives, Crienglish and the BBC said.

"For a typical Chinese family in which two adults have to take care of four old people and one child, adult children indeed have difficulties to take care of their elderly parents. Therefore, more social supports are required," Wu said.

Wu said the proposed legislation encourages local government to offer free medical and other health services to those 80 years old and older.