As our parents grow old, and we grow old too...
(Baonghean.vn) - My grandmother is 97 years old this year. My father, her only son, is also 72 years old and has many underlying diseases. My mother, her daughter-in-law, is 70 years old. My aunts, living in many distant provinces and districts in the province, some are over 75 years old, some are also close to 70 years old. That is the "general context". As for the "individual context", each family has a different situation, each person has a different situation.
My grandparents used to live in the countryside. In the poor countryside on the banks of the Lam River, all year round, people here almost always carry a heavy worry - worry about "lụt" (floods): "lụt" fields and gardens, "lụt" houses, "lụt" people... My parents brought my grandparents from the countryside to the city 30 years ago, living in my family's old house, the former apartment building that was later converted into a state-owned one. My grandparents lived together, took care of each other, their children and grandchildren ran back and forth. 7 years ago, my grandfather passed away, leaving my grandmother alone. She was at an age where she needed to be taken care of by her children and grandchildren. My parents' health was declining, and they also needed care and support. Many times at the same time, my grandmother was in the hospital, my father was in the hospital, the aunts were running around, my mother was in a state of disarray... This situation is not only in my family, but is becoming more and more common in today's society...
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72 year old son takes care of 97 year old mother. |
According to statistics and general assessments, Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest population aging rate in the world. The rate of increase in the proportion of the population aged 60 and over is getting faster and faster. Specifically, according to the latest population forecast of the General Statistics Office, the proportion of the population aged 60 and over will increase to 16.53% in 2029; 20.67% in 2039; 24.88% in 2049; 27.01% in 2059 and up to 27.11% in 2069. According to this forecast, after the "aging" period, Vietnam's population will enter the "old" period around the end of 2037 and the beginning of 2038 (according to the document "2019 Population and Housing Census - Population Aging and the Elderly in Vietnam"). Thus, the transition period from the "aging" stage to "old" in our country, about 23 years, is too short compared to the speed of many countries in the world.
From a macro perspective, population aging clearly has many impacts on social life. The labor force is lacking. The need for social security increases, while the reality is not enough to meet the need, caring for the elderly and supporting the elderly is increasingly difficult, especially in urban areas. There has even been abuse of the elderly. Caring for the material and spiritual life of the elderly is not only a long-standing moral tradition of the Vietnamese people, but is also consistently expressed in the policies of the Party and the State.
In each family, the organization and arrangement of life must ensure a balance, both meeting the needs of the elderly and creating the best conditions for the remaining members to study and work for a living. Elderly people in rural or urban areas have their own difficulties. In rural areas, young people almost always work far from home, and the elderly do not have much support. Many elderly people live a precarious life, struggling to make ends meet.
In the city, living space is cramped, prices are high, and there are many additional costs. Work pressure also partly prevents children from paying close attention to their grandparents and parents. Hiring someone to support the elderly is not easy, for many different reasons. Therefore, each person needs to be aware and responsible for caring for, helping, and promoting the role of the elderly. Sympathy and sharing with the elderly must first come from the love of family members. No one wants to become a burden to their relatives or to society. Each person's efforts to improve in daily life are the basis for overcoming difficulties, both immediate and long-term.
One of the wishes of many people today is that there will be more and more models of elderly care, adapting to the reality of population aging. In addition to public social protection facilities, it is necessary to promote socialization so that organizations and individuals can join hands to build quality elderly care centers and nursing homes, and replicate effective models in the future.
