Introduction: Aging in Asia—Perennial Concerns on Support and Caring for the Old

Abstract

This introductory article provides background to an understanding of "Aging in Asia," focusing on the demographics of population aging in Asia. It discusses the differences in the magnitude of the aged population in different parts of Asia and highlights the perennial concerns of care and support facing the aged and their families as Asian societies grapple with the graying population. Globalization is one important factor presenting new challenges as well as opportunities to aging Asia. The introduction substantiates the discussions in this special issue, which range from an examination of broad issues of support for the aged and policy directions in East and Southeast Asia, to specific concerns relating to activity and elderly in Singapore, intergenerational relationships in Korea, and issues concerning caregiving of the old in Singapore.

Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka

“…As Sri Lanka's population lives longer, a larger proportion of the elderly will require help and care, either from formal (paid) or informal (family and friends) care-givers. Like other resource-poor Asian countries, institutional care is very limited in Sri Lanka (De Silva 1994), and the provision of elder-care is not only considered, but is in fact also legally, the responsibility of family members, especially adult children (Chan 2005; De Silva 1994; Knodel, Chayovan and Siriboon 1992; Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms in Sri Lanka 2000; Ministry of Law and Justice 2007; Yap, Thang and Traphagan 2005). Sri Lanka, like many Asian countries, boasts a strong family social support system, and this system of intergenerational care is widely believed to be acceptable to all members of the family, including the elderly.…”

Care-givers’ perspectives of occupational engagement of persons with dementia

“…Informal care-giving, mostly provided by family members, has continued to be a key pattern of care-giving in many Asian countries including China, Korea, Japan and the ethnic Chinese groups of Singapore. These countries share a common Confucian thinking and consider filial piety as one of the greatest virtues (Lee and Kwok 2005; Yap, Thang and Traphagan 2006). In present days, filial piety has been broadly defined as showing respect to elderly family members and taking care of them whenever in need (Zhan 2004).…”

Leisure and religious activity participation and mental health: gender analysis of older adults in Nepal

“…In western societies, research on social activities have focused on engagement in activities after retirement from the labour force. There has been minimal research, however, conducted on how social participation affects the mental health status of older adults in a developing country [ 34 , 35 ]. An ethnographic study in Singapore found that extra-familial social support and opportunities for new experiences in learning and leisure contribute to positive and active living for older adults [ 34 ].…”