“Of people aged 80 and over, almost 20 per cent of Australians were living in institutions compared to 14.6 per cent in New Zealand, 7.4 per cent in Japan and just 6.1 per cent in the US.”
Many eastern countries, such as China, practice “filial piety”, an ancient Confucian tradition that prioritises the family unit above all else and honours the elderly more as they age.
Proving even Confucius is no match for greed, the rise of capitalist industrialisation and low pay is impacting heavily on the care of their elderly, too.
The Week noted: “China’s rapid industrialisation has forced people to flock to urban areas for work, causing many adult children to move farther away from their parents, who often remain in rural areas and are unfit to pick up and move.”