In what can only be called a real whirlwind I am taking off for Beijing tomorrow. A new colleague, with whom I was planning to meet for the first time at the upcoming Leading Age conference, emailed from China last week urging me to make a quick trip. How can I say ‘no’?
China, like so many countries around the world, has an enormous growing population of older residents. They also have one problem no place else has. The ‘one child’ rule. Where you may share caregiving duties with your siblings, that will not happen in China. This compounds enormous and rapid changes in industrialization, modernization and urbanization. My colleague, Min Cole, has education, experience and the right background to make connections. I am heading over for a quick guided tour of senior housing and care situations (and some standard tourist sites). We hope to bring Aging in Place 2.0 to China.
More soon.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, “the 1-2-4 dilemma” (one child might have to care for two parents and four grandparents) makes aging in place China a BIG problem as well as a BIG opportunity!
One-child policy has been for thirty-odds years, which especialy taken place in towns and cities rather than the countryside.
double-edged sword, And Time for change. OK