Hard times are here, and they get harder by the day. Jobs are scarce and money is even scarcer. For the elderly with no family and no financial support, it is a daily struggle to stay alive. Some have lost their contract jobs due to months of business shutdown. They are desperate to look for […]
A DAILY STRUGGLE FOR THE CITY’S DESTITUTE ELDERLY Read More »
I grew up barely knowing my father. I only saw him during weekends. But every year when Qing Ming comes around, I am reminded of him. I was nine when he passed away. For many years after his demise, I dutifully joined the family to pay our respects at his graveside during Qing Ming. But
IS QING MING A DYING TRADITION? Read More »
The Chinese character is made up of thecharacters for ‘old’ and ‘children’. After writing about amazing super seniors in the previous blog post, it is depressing to have to highlight the plight of seniors who are frail and decrepit, and left to live in squalor and neglect. This picture (see below) on the front page
IS FILIAL PIETY NO LONGER VALUED AND TAUGHT? Read More »
Headlines like the one above makes one wonder how children are brought up these days. Are they taught the right values at home and in school? Are their parents leading by good example? In many countries parent or elder abuse is on the rise. In Singapore, the number of reported cases of abusive adult children
WHEN ADULT CHILDREN ABUSE AND EXPLOIT THEIR PARENTS Read More »
Last Wednesday (10 July), I was a guest on Capital fm88.9 Morning Show. I had been invited to give my views on recent headline news about adult children abandoning their elderly parents. This interest was prompted by the new “Elderly Rights Law” introduced in China last month to deal with the growing problem of lonely
OLD, LONELY AND FORGOTTEN Read More »
I came across the above in the New Straits Times a while back. It got me thinking. If it costs RM317,000 to raise a child from the day he was born to the day he celebrates his 17th birthday, how much would it cost to care for an elderly parent, say, from the age of
OLD AND ABANDONED BY THEIR CHILDREN Read More »
A checklist of 24 things to do for filial sons and daughters. What is your score? While the Confucian virtue of filial piety is not quite buried along with our ancestors from China, it is at risk of becoming as antiquated as foot-binding for young Chinese ladies from good families. The Straits Times today published an
ARE WE FILIAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS? Read More »
You might have seen this Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development ad in the papers over the Chinese New Year. Sure, it’s just an ad but it made me think. CNY or any festivals for that matter is a time for family reunion and celebration. Unfortunately, this tradition of family get-togethers to welcome the
WAITING IN VAIN FOR VISITORS DURING CHINESE NEW YEAR Read More »
Photo: AUTORR I first visited the AUTORR centre in February 2009 after reading about it in The Star. Now three years down the road, what is the latest progress on Asia’s first rest and recreation centre for senior citizens? Lin Chua (Photo: AUTORR) A small group of us decided to make a trip there
A CENTRE LIKE NO OTHER FOR SENIORS Read More »
Source: Straits Times 8 Jan Is filial piety is a fading value in our Asian culture? It would appear to be so according to these headlines. If you are a baby boomer, you would have parents in their 80s or 90s. How often do we make time to visit them? Or call them up on
DO WE NEED A LAW TO GET US TO VISIT OUR ELDERLY PARENTS? Read More »
