SCMP's story on 'BEIJING BRAINS WESTLE WITH GREY MATTER" about the 'greying population' reminded me of a story I read in Straits Times' about the Singapore's "Maintenance of Parents Act".
The Singapore's "Maintenance of Parents Act" demands children to support their aging parents. Taking care of our elderly is a social virtue that ought to be nurtured and be encouraged. We should dutifully support our elderly parents without having to be forced to do so. It would be a shame if we need to force our Government to make this an 'Act'.
I fully support this Act and hope China and HK would implement this Act if the people do not help support their elderly parents. "Parental Support" need not be only 'money' but 'loving care' and 'visits'.
The cause for the lack of respect for the elders is due to the decline of social and family values caused by the poor education system and daily diet of degrading irresponsible television program content.
To stay healthy one needs to eat healthy food which need not be expensive. A TV Show should be produced with abandoned parents, social workers and doctors discussing and advising the elderly on their health care (eg: maximize their choice of food despite little money and stay clean, etc) and interact with viewers to allow those who had abandoned their parents realize how their elderly parents would feel - often 'love' alone can replace the need to give 'money' if there is no money to give. This will encourage viewers to make more effort to visit their elderly parents instead of abandoning them. RTHK and HK Cable are best at producing such 'socially responsible' programs unlike our 'free-to-air' TV channels. Hope one of them will produce this TV series?
If we abandon our parents it will set a bad example for our children to abandon us when we grow old! Why did our parents not put us in foster home or abandon us in the street when we were a child? Why do we abandon them when they are old?
http://wwww.singapedia.com.sg/entries/m/maintenance_of_parents_act.html