How old people support their lives in your county?
By dandan07
@dandan07 (1906)
China
August 25, 2011 2:36am CST
With the aging problem become more severe than before, now how many ways can support our old life is a hot topic now.
In old times, people live on their children when they are old. The situation does not change much in rural area in China now, but in the city, more and more people can have pension, so they have the ability to live away form their children.
Now government tried to make people in rural area have pension. I think the idea is very good, but there is a lot of problems with it. You know now in China, there is fewer children, it means there will be fewer young people in the next 30 years. While the pension means use the young people's money to support the old ones. If in the future, there are not enough young men to support the pensions, we can not get enough money to support our old life.
If we want to use the traditional way, rising children for the future, we have to have more than 2 children. But you know, China has "one child policy", that means more children is impossible.
I want to know how old people support their lives in your country?
Is there any better way to solve the problem?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@huilichan8 (1378)
• Singapore
25 Aug 11
In my country, many old people still work until they are in their seventies. For those who don't, they would probably still have some savings. In my country, it is compulsory for salaried workers and their employers to contribute a certain amount of money to their CPF accounts, which are basically compulsory savings implemented by the government many years ago. When they reach the age of 55, they could withdraw a lump sum but would have to keep the rest in their CPF accounts for future monthly withdrawals. For those who are odd-job labourers, etc, it's not compulsory to have CPF contributions. So when they grow old and if they could not support themselves (and if they have no children, etc), they could apply for monthly financial assistance. There are a lot of charitable organisations in my country and so it's not difficult for these old folks to get some kind of financial help.
1 person likes this
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
26 Aug 11
The retire age in China, is 50 to women and 60 to man.
But to many laid-off people, they lose their job at their 40s, and then can hardly get a job before their retire age. So to many people here, you have to make sure that you can earn enough before the age of 40, then try to keep your job until retired. To many retired workers, though live is very hard, they can not get a job or part-time job to help their lives. If the government put the retire age to 65 or maybe 70, it cannot help any more but make life harder here.
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
27 Aug 11
People now live longer than before, in one side it means they should save more money for their old days, and on the other side they can work longer than before.
But 30 years ago in China, there were a lot of young people in the country, while there were not enough jobs for them. So the government set the retire age at 50 for women and 60 for men. So old people retired and young people can get job. To the factory, young people were better education than the old and can work faster with low wages. At that time, all the housework was done by women, so let women retired earlier than men was a good thing in some degree.
Now as the factory still can easily get young workers with low pay. If a woman lost her job after 40s, it is almost impossible for her to get a new job here. So people here do not want to improve the retire age. For they can get retire income after 50 or 60.
But as we now, there are fewer young people than before, and we will live longer than parents, so we should think out a solution for our old live.
@huilichan8 (1378)
• Singapore
26 Aug 11
With longer life expectancy, people are living longer these days and so it's puzzling why the retirement age in China is set at 50 for women? Why is there a difference between the retirement age of women and that of men?
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230349)
• Chile
27 Aug 11
It seems that all over the world, old people have problems supporting their lives. Retiring pensions are low and an old person needs is higher due to different ailments.
THere are some government helps in my country for seniors, but they are not enough to provide them with a decent life after a lifetime of working. Part of the problem in my country (shared by many countries) is that most of the money is in the hands of few. So the great part of the population has problems (differnt ones) all thir lives.
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
27 Aug 11
Old people usually do not like to spend a lot of money on entertainment things and most of them do not waste money on any impossible things. But as they are old, they can not stop spending money on their health and suffer the uncomfortable brought by disease.
The pension sometimes can keep them from hungry. But it is really far from let them lead a good life. Most of them are missing their family members. They prefer spend more time with their kids and grandchildren. But now young people are very busy, busy in making money, busing in working for a improvement.
So loneness and lack of care is the biggest problem for them.
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
28 Aug 11
Most rich old man here will spend money on traveling. They will go to visit other countries like Japan, Greece and so on, for they now have enough time and money to do what they want. While those from middle class, would spend time with their friends in the park or in a Cafe and talk with each other and play games, or spend time on learning something new, like painting, singing and so on.
While to the poor old, they should get up early in the morning, so they may can get cheaper food on sale in the supermarket, and some of them will collect things from dustbin to exchange for money.
@marguicha (230349)
• Chile
28 Aug 11
WE do not know for sure what old people would do (as entertainment, for instance) if they had money to do it. Lonliness has to do a lot with lack of means and in many cases old people could work in many places if they would just let them.
1 person likes this
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
25 Aug 11
In Australia we have a means-tested pension from the government which is borderline poverty level, but which at least keeps us from starving. In our case, my partner supplements our income through on-line surveys and makes maybe an extra $30 a week, and I am a fairly successful gambler on greyhound races, and that pulls a fair bit more, so we can actually afford some luxuries now. Add in the compulsory superannuation schemes, which provide a lump sum payment when you reach retiring age (in our case a bit small, but still enough to pay for the house renovations we need and invest a bit), so we are doing well, but many others really struggle.
The real issue arises when we get too old to look after ourselves, as private nursing homes are horrendously expensive. We would have to sell our house to manage, otherwise it would be some public old age home, which is the absolute pits.
Lash
1 person likes this
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
25 Aug 11
Life is good in Australia.
As now, China come into an aging time, there is no enough beds in the nursing house for old people. And to say the truth, the cost of nursing room is not cheap here, in most time, it is much more than pension.
Several month ago, some news reported that old people are abused in the nursing home. They do not give enough food to the old people, or beated them for their disable. Now in China, many couple can only have a child. So we can see that when we are old, our child can not have enough time to take care of us. Going to the nursing house may be the best choice. But how can we suffer abuse during that time.
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
25 Aug 11
In the United States there is a number of ways older people support themselves. They can collect some social sercuity as early as 62. Some older people have pensions they live off of. Some people work past 65 or older! Sometimes to keep them busy and in some other cases they can't afford not to retire! At my place of employment I work with a 75 and a 80. Both men. Both could retire but don't want to right now! It keeps them busy and they like that! I probaly will not be able to reitr at 65. I have no idea if social security will be around when I retire. I do put money in a retirment fund but right now I have no idea if that will be enough to retire on with social security! So with me I have no idea what will retirment will hold. At least that is like 20 years from now!
1 person likes this
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
26 Aug 11
I am still a student now, and retire may happen at least 30 years later, but I think I need to consider about how to make sure for my old time.
Some economists say that we have to collect at least 5 million dollars to make sure that we can have a normal life after retire. You know in China, the gross national product per capita is only $4800, so making a better old life is a very hard work here. Even thinking about the number makes me can not sleep well in the night.
But if we can find out some new way to solve the problem, it may be a little better.
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
Here in the Philippines, old people rely on their meager pensions. Although some have big pensions, it's still not enough to cover their maintained medicines for ailments such as diabetes, hypertension among the rest.
The government gave them the 20% discount on medicines, fares and on restaurants, but i think to some, it's still not enough. Lucky ,for those whose grown children are giving them support.
1 person likes this
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
25 Aug 11
Now, the pension here almost cover the urban area, and some people in rural can also have it. But the money is not enough for them to make two ends meet.
The old people in the city can have $200 or more every month, it can make them away from hungry, but if they have illness or some disease, the money is far from enough. while I think most of the old people have some uncomfortable in their body. Compared with the olds living in the city, the people in the rural area can only have $10 per month. If you use the month to buy rice here, you can only eat for about a week. So the pension can not help the old people.
If the old men turn to their children for support, as they do not have more children, their children can not give them enough for a good life.
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
26 Aug 11
No matter life is hard or not, government can not help us solve all the problems. When we get old, health problem will become more severe than more. Government may give us some financial support like pension, but they can not help us if we lose the ability to take care of ourselves. I think may be having more children is a better way to solve the problem.
So when I am too old to take care of myself, I can go to my children's home for dinner and spend time with my grandchild.
