Persistence and challenges to filial piety and informal support of older persons in a modern Chinese society: A case study in Tuen Mun,Hong Kong

Social support networks, consisting principally of family members, neighbors, and friends, can provide various support functions to older persons. As societies modernize, changes in family structure might alter this supportive ability, and changes in traditional values affect the nature of the network and support provided. This may especially be so in rapidly modernizing societies as in the Asia–Pacific region where the traditional role of the family and especially children's duty of care for parents (“filial piety”) may be weakening. This proposition was investigated by a qualitative study in a modern new town (Tuen Mun) in Hong Kong. In-depth interviews with 50 older persons in public housing estates were triangulated with data from focus groups and key informants. Living arrangements, geographical proximity, and the quality of relationships between potential caregivers and receivers affected needs for and provision of support, and there were interactions between various components of informal support. An important finding, which also has policy implications, is that traditional Confucian filial piety may be undergoing modification, perhaps erosion, implying ongoing changes in intergenerational relations in this modernizing Asian society.     

Hong Kong Chinese aging adults voice financial care expectations in changing family and sociocultural contexts: implications for policy and services

Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest cities, approximately one-third of Hong Kong older adults live below the poverty line. Innovatively using the Photovoice research method, this study invited 36 Hong Kong Chinese aging adults to photograph images and voice their concerns and expectations regarding financial care. Insufficient government support, diminishing family support, insecurity and fear regarding future finances, and strong desire for self-sufficiency through early preparation and bridge employment were recurring themes observed in the participants’ photographs and narratives. The shifting of the participants’ financial care expectations from informal to formal sources in changing family and sociocultural contexts indicated that older people are in urgent need of policy reform from a needs-based to rights-based approach to foster empowerment and fulfill older people’s rights of financial security, dignity and participation. Improving the retirement protection system should go hand in hand with encouraging family support and caregiving and creating age-friendly working environment for older residents. The findings of this study may have crucial policy implications for Hong Kong and other aging societies, especially those that share similar filial piety values and have seemingly ungenerous welfare systems.     

Family Support for the Elderly in Korea

Abstract

This article discusses major issues and concerns regarding family support for parents and elderly people in industrialized and urbanized Korea. It summarizes new trends in family support for elderly members, continuing influences of the traditional value of family support (filial piety), growing needs for public services for elderly people and their families, urgent calls for the state to assume greater responsibilities for providing social security and services for the elderly, needs for cross-cultural studies of family support, and certain cultural similarities and differences to be considered. The article concludes with some suggestions for future research.     

农村家庭养老中的孝文化缺失解析

孝文化是维系农村家庭养老的重要因素。由于社会变迁、农民价值观多元化和家庭结构变化等原因，致使现今农村孝文化缺失，家庭养老功能日趋弱化。加强青少年孝文化教育与法制建设，发挥政府的主导作用和社会舆论的导向作用，大力弘扬传统孝文化，赋予孝文化时代新内涵，积极倡导孝亲敬老之美德，对有效解决日益突出的农村家庭养老问题具有深远的现实意义。     

Community Care in Taiwan

SUMMARY

This article explores the policy definitions and the funder roles of central and local governments in community care in Taiwan. The notion of community care has been adopted in Taiwan following the model of Hong Kong but the main question of the article is whether this has resulted in actual service provisions at the community level, forming an alternative to institutional care. The data has been collected from several sources: policy documents, official statistics, surveys, general reports, funding provision reports, and empirical studies. The results show that neither central nor local authorities are seriously involved in caring for elderly people or persons with disabilities in Taiwan's communities. In Taiwan, community care for these groups of people still means, in practice, informal care provided by female family members without any support from public policies.     

Changing Needs and Changing Service Delivery for Long-Term Care in Hong Kong

Summary

Both the need for and delivery of long-term care in Hong Kong are shaped by the interaction of the traditional and modern. Rapid social change is affecting traditional family structures and roles in care of the elderly, resulting in increased demand for formal care, which to date has been provided mainly by way of residential care. This growth of demand will escalate with rapid population aging in coming decades. In response to this burgeoning demand, current planning is seeking to reshape the established service system and tackle problems in service delivery in ways that will address the bias towards residential care and improve quality of care.     

Issues of Elder Care and Elder Abuse in the Indian Context

Summary

With 7% of the population of India being elderly, two-thirds of whom live in villages and nearly a half of them in poor conditions, the care of the elderly is a difficult problem to be tackled. The dwindling of the joint family, the rise of dual-career families, a possible shift in filial piety values, the increasing life expectancy with greater chances of a prolonged old age characterized by poverty, degeneration, more empty-nest years, and dependency, have all added to the seriousness of the problem and made the elderly more susceptible than ever to abusive treatment. This paper examines these issues as well as the issue of elder abuse in light of available data and suggests some strategies to meet the problem. Also discussed are the problems, stresses, and strains of caregivers of the elderly. A greater role is envisaged for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) than the state in the care of the elderly, particularly in providing support services to family caregivers.     

A review of private residential care in Hong Kong: implications for policy and practice

Hong Kong government policy encourages and facilitates families to care for their older members as long as possible by providing families and their older relatives with community support services. Residential care for the elderly is viewed as a last resort. Due to the inadequate supply of community support services, the long period of care required, and the gradual breakdown of values of filial support, families may increasingly give up their caring roles and seek residential care for their dependent elderly relatives. A shortfall in subsidized residential care may lead to needy elderly persons' being cared for in private residential facilities. The demand for private residential care is projected to increase, despite criticism about the standard of care provided. Although an Ordinance, a Regulation, and a Code of Practice for residential care homes are in place to control, monitor, and upgrade private residential care in Hong Kong, problems remain that put the elderly at risk of receiving substandard services. These include the existence of substandard private aged care homes operating either with or without a license; the provision of substandard "places" to the elderly under the government's "bought place" scheme and "enhanced bought place" scheme; ineffective inspection; a lack of grading to indicate the quality of private aged care homes; and a general neglect of the quality of care. We provide recommendations to address these concerns. This requires paying attention to both the quality of care, as well as to the physical environment of homes.     

Family support for the elderly in Korea: continuity, change, future directions, and cross-cultural concerns.

This article discusses major issues and concerns regarding family support for parents and elderly people in industrialized and urbanized Korea. It summarizes new trends in family support for elderly members, continuing influences of the traditional value of family support (filial piety), growing needs for public services for elderly people and their families, urgent calls for the state to assume greater responsibilities for providing social security and services for the elderly, needs for cross-cultural studies of family support, and certain cultural similarities and differences to be considered. The article concludes with some suggestions for future research.     

The changing responsibilities of the state and family toward elders in Hong Kong

With a predominantly Chinese population and a cultural tradition of respecting the old, Hong Kong has long relied on the family to support its elderly members. Economic success has, however, not spared Hong Kong from encountering the same problems as other industrial societies, such as the loosening of its traditional values. This article examines the changing responsibilities of the state and the family in Hong Kong in supporting the old, and in particular, the effectiveness of the "care in community" policy, which the Hong Kong Government has adopted since the mid-1970s. The examination concludes that the responsibility must now be shared between the state and the family.     

Correlated factors with filial piety expectations of older Koreans and Korean-Americans

ABSTRACT

Changing filial piety expectations have been examined from the viewpoint of younger generations. However, research on older adults’ perspective of this cultural phenomenon is virtually absent from the empirical literature. In an effort to address the changing family life circumstances of Korean and Korean-American families, this study explores older adults’ filial expectations from their own children and correlated factors associated with the expectation. The cross-sectional survey study with 449 older adults found that the majority of respondents still believe that adult children should assume responsibility for the care of their parents. Several factors such as age, education, income, living arrangements, self-rated health, year of immigration, and social support were significantly correlated with filial expectations among older Korean-Americans. Only satisfaction with social support received from family and friends was significantly related to older Koreans’ expectations. Implications for social work practice are discussed and further research directions are suggested.     

Does filial piety exist under Chinese communism?

China has been known for centuries for its traditions of respecting the old. While this tradition has been weakened in the modern era, it still remains as the most important value underlying the practice of supporting the old in present-day China. This article looks into the meaning of filial piety, or xiao, and examines how it has been observed both in the old and modern times. It argues that though the Chinese communists have found filial piety ideologically repulsive, they have nevertheless tolerated it and even used it as the basis for a welfare network to support the elderly in the villages. However, in order to be truthful to their socialist ideology, they have also provided for urban workers the most sophisticated state-financed retirement benefits. Two different kinds of systems to support the elderly hence exist in China. The tensions resulting from this dichotomous situation are examined.     

Does Filial Piety Exist Under Chinese Communism?

China has been known for centuries for its traditions of respecting the old. While this tradition has been weakened in the modern era, it still remains as the most important value underlying the practice of supporting the old in present-day China. This article looks into the meaning of filial piety, or xiao, and examines how it has been observed both in the old and modern times. It argues that though the Chinese communists have found filial piety ideologically repulsive, they have nevertheless tolerated it and even used it as the basis for a welfare network to support the elderly in the villages. However, in order to be truthful to their socialist ideology, they have also provided for urban workers the most sophisticated state-financed retirement benefits. Two different kinds of systems to support the elderly hence exist in China. The tensions resulting from this dichotomous situation are examined.     

Injustice in family care of the Chinese elderly in Hong Kong

With increasing longevity, family care of the Chinese elderly in Hong Kong is evolving as a "caring trap" for female caregivers, especially unmarried daughters. Despite this, as Hong Kong is still a patriarchal Chinese society, most of the major decisions affecting the destiny of frail elders are made by sons or other male members of the family. The unequal gender roles, obligations, and division of caregiving responsibilities within the Chinese family and their effects on the caring relationship are discussed. Implications of this injustice based on gender regarding family care of the elderly and the possibility of its elimination are examined.     

Injustice in Family Care of the Chinese Elderly in Hong Kong

With increasing longevity, family care of the Chinese elderly in Hong Kong is evolving as a "caring trap" for female caregivers, especially unmarried daughters. Despite this, as Hong Kong is still a patriarchal Chinese society, most of the major decisions affecting the destiny of frail elders are made by sons or other male members of the family. The unequal gender roles, obligations, and division of caregiving responsibilities within the Chinese family and their effects on the caring relationship are discussed. Implications of this injustice based on gender regarding family care of the elderly and the possibility of its elimination are examined.     

Changing needs and changing service delivery for long-term care in Hong Kong

Both the need for and delivery of long-term care in Hong Kong are shaped by the interaction of the traditional and modern. Rapid social change is affecting traditional family structures and roles in care of the elderly, resulting in increased demand for formal care, which to date has been provided mainly by way of residential care. This growth of demand will escalate with rapid population aging in coming decades. In response to this burgeoning demand, current planning is seeking to reshape the established service system and tackle problems in service delivery in ways that will address the bias towards residential care and improve quality of care.     

Assessing Tradition in Chinese Elders Living in a Changing Social Environment

SUMMARY

Social workers are increasingly challenged to provide culturally sensitive services to older immigrants from diverse backgrounds. Assessment tools developed in the elder's own cultural context can maximize appropriate assessment and planning. This article describes the development of a tool for measuring adherence to tradition in Chinese elders. In Chinese tradition, an elder's purpose, meaning, and self-worth are derived, in large part, from their contribution to family, relatives, and the community. Existing measures of filial piety and acculturation do not capture this dimension. Filial piety involves being on the receiving end of care, honor, and obedience from younger generations. Acculturation is the opposite of adherence to tradition. One thousand five-hundred and two Chinese elders in China were asked questions on mutual aid and intergenerational exchange. Factor analysis extracted nine items loading into two factors reflective of traditional exchange. This measure could prove useful in understanding the effect of traditional beliefs upon various psychosocial outcomes.     

Private Lives and Public Programs

Abstract

Major late life events, reported in the Dubbo longitudinal study of older Australians, are used to examine the interaction of private lives with public programs. First, the data indicate strong supportive effects of publicly funded income, health, and aged care programs in reducing family burdens from major life changes. In particular, financial crises were rarely mentioned, directly or indirectly, as major threats. Next, the central role of informal social support in these events is demonstrated, first, as in previous studies, family support was responsive to risky events and to aging itself. Also, in new findings, one-third of surviving elderly respondents coped with the burdens of family crises as a substantial proportion of the “major” life changes that occurred over 13 years of the study. Within the security and support provided by the Australian welfare system, and with strong social networks, families with older persons in the Dubbo study manage multiple, major life changes. With rapid population aging, the development of more, and more easily accessible, services for a growing population of older people is a priority. The critical challenge will be to harmoniously grow public financing, private funding, and informal caregiving to deal with the growing burden arising from an aging society.