WHAT TO
KNOW
The elderly population in China is considered 60 years of age and older.
Population Description:
Population of older persons in Mainland China is estimated at 264 million
~67% percent live in rural areas
~33% live in urban area
(National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2020)
Nationwide, an estimated 41 million Chinese over age sixty have limitations in handling activities of daily living, and almost a third of these individuals are dependent on others for assistance (China National Committee on Aging, 2016).
Under current national and social developmental conditions of China, the Chinese government encourages a ‘90/7/3′ pattern of the eldercare system, namely:
90% of all older people are cared for at home,
7% are cared for in communities, and
3% are cared for in institutions.
(Fang et al., 2015)
China’s one-child policy (1980–2015) has weakened the family-based elderly care model in China and thus has resulted in older persons not receiving the amount of care they need from their families (Fang et al., 2015).
Brief
Background:
China has the largest aging population in the world with 264 million older adults aged 60 years and older with continued growth four times higher than the aging older adult population in the United States (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2020).
With an increase in the aging population, there is also an increase in elder abuse, the most common being from caregivers. Despite its common existence, elder abuse remains under-recognized among Chinese older adults for a variety of reasons such as high cultural sensitivity, low level of awareness, and reluctance to reveal the abuse to maintain family harmony and the family’s privacy (Chang & Dong, 2014).
Important
Terms:
Abuse: Behaviors that an individual uses repeatedly to gain power and control over another human being.
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Physical Abuse
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Sexual Abuse
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Verbal & Emotional Abuse
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Mental & Psychological Abuse
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Financial Abuse
(REACH TEAM, 2017)
Recognizing Signs of Abuse & Neglect:
Although cultural standards may differ between China and the United States, there are common signs of abuse and neglect. Abuse and neglect includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, neglect by caregivers, self-neglect, and abandonment (U.S. Department of Health and Human services, 2017).
These warning signs may indicate abuse or neglect of elders, especially if changes are sudden or unusual for an individual:
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unexplained injuries, especially multiple injuries
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poor hygiene
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lack of access to medical care or devices
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social withdrawal
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depression or anxiety (especially sudden onset)
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unexplained disappearance of items or money
What leads to abuse?
Older persons in China are experiencing the effects of the urban migration of their children.
Social and economic transitions are changing traditional care arrangements for older people in China.
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The new 4:2:1 Chinese family structure, brought about by the Chinese population and family planning policy, places an enormous burden on younger generations (Hou, 2019). In the 4:2:1 family, a couple is responsible for supporting four elderly parents and one child or one child is responsible for the care of two parents and four grandparents. In either scenario, the burden of care is palpable.
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Many couples must stretch their resources, making it impossible for them to provide more than the most basic level of care for their elders. In rural areas, the fulfillment of filial piety by adult children is increasingly difficult, aggravated by the massive migration of young people to cities for work (Wu et al., 2016).
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Rural China has experienced the largest outward migration in human history and there are now as many as 253 million rural residents working in towns and cities (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2015). This movement has geographically separated the younger and more mobile generation from their stay-behind parents and grandparents, leading to reduced family contact, neglect, and straining the familial support system (Jieyu, 2017).
Why is abuse
under reported?
Although studies have shown that abuse and neglect of elders is common in China, any statistics may not represent the true number of victims as abuse and neglect is widely under-reported. According to the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, underreported abuse of Chinese elders in the United States and in China may be due to the following factors (Chang & Dong, 2014):
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a sense of family loyalty - the elderly in China often are reluctant to be truthful with other family members present
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low level of awareness
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social or cultural reasons
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perceived fear and concerns of negative outcomes, or futility of leading to no desirable outcomes
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perception of abuse as a private matter
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a sense of societal hierarchy
Did you know?
June 15 - World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
China has the largest national population in the world, despite being the third largest country. It is four times the population of the United States (Bryan, 2020).
The red flag with five gold stars was first approved for the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The large star represents the “golden rays” of the Chinese Communist Party leading the nation, the smaller stars represent unity, and the red base represents the revolution (Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of India, n.d.). This revolution ended the Civil war between the Communist Party and the Nationalist Party in China, and resulted in a long-term suspension of diplomatic ties between the People’s Republic of China and The United States (United States Office of the Historian, n.d.).