Is China Ready to be Old? 老龄化社会，中国准备好了么？| ABC News In-depth 澳大利亚广播公司深度报道

An intimate and moving story of families stretched to the limit. In China, as people live longer, dementia is on the rise. With few government services, ordinary people are sacrificing everything to care for their own.

本节目是澳洲广播公司ABC新闻评论国际记者发回的一个报道，讲述的是辛苦的中国家庭的感人故事。在中国，人们的寿命越来越长，失智老人的数量也在上升。但是政府的服务有限，所以普通人牺牲了所有的一切，服务自己的家人。

Zhen remembers her wedding day well. When her father gave his speech, he urged her to have two children. But now Zhen is unsure whether she even wants to have one. Not long after her wedding, Zhen’s father Liang was diagnosed with dementia. He was in his 50s. Now Zhen and her mother are caring for Liang full time.

桢清楚的记得自己婚礼的那天，当他的父亲演说的时候，催促她去生两个小孩。但是现在桢都不知道她是不是要一个孩子。在她婚礼之后不久，她的父亲查出了失智症，当时他只有50多岁。现在桢和她的母亲需要全职来照顾她的父亲。

And Zhen doesn’t want to impose that burden on her children. “The way I see it,” Zhen explains, “without kids, if I develop the same condition as my dad, with what I know now, I can just send myself off to a nursing home and it’s done. I won’t put any extra pressure on my kids, and they won’t have to endure any depression or anything like that.” It’s a problem many families in China are grappling with.

桢不希望自己给孩子造成很多的负担。她说：“我觉得没有孩子的话，如果我出现了和父亲一样的症状，我可以把自己送到养老院，然后就好了。我不会给孩子额外的压力，他们不用有像我一样的抑郁。” 这是很多中国家庭面临的状况。

As the population ages, dementia is on the rise. But there’s little awareness of the disease and few services. In China, more than 96% of people with the condition are looked after by their families. The obligation to care for your elders is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. “That’s probably the traditional Chinese concept of filial piety, but the reality is you can’t fulfill your duty,” says Zhen.

随着中国人口老龄化，失智症的数量也在上升。但是这方面疾病的宣传提醒和服务都是很少的，但是失智症如果查出的早，是可以预防和治疗的。在中国有超过96%的遇到这种情况是家人照看的。照顾老年人是中国文化的一部分。“这可能是中国传统文化中孝的观念，但是在现实中有时候很难去完成自己的任务，”桢说。

ABC reporter Lydia Feng presents this intimate and moving program about China’s hidden epidemic. Working with local filmmakers, we take you inside three families stretched to the limit as they do their best to look after a loved one with dementia. We meet a widow and her daughter living in the countryside, where there are even fewer services for the elderly and their families.

澳广新闻台记者莉迪亚·冯拍摄了这个中国潜在的疾病大流行的真诚和感人的节目。和当地的摄像师一起，介绍了三个家庭的状况，他们尽自己最大的努力照顾患有失智症心爱的家人。我们遇到一个和女儿住在一起的农村女士，那边在养老方面的服务更不好。

We spend time with a blind couple in Beijing, where despite all hardships, Uncle Xing is still utterly devoted to his wife of nearly 50 years. “I’ve looked after only one woman my whole life. She needs special care,” says Uncle Xing. “I feel bad if she suffers.” “We’re not ready. We’re not even prepared for the challenge of aged care as a whole, let alone dementia care.” says social worker Wang Shihong, whose organization helps support the elderly.

节目组也采访了北京的一对盲人夫妇，经过所有的艰难，鑫叔叔依然照顾患病的妻子长达50年。“我这一辈子只照顾了一个女士，她需要特殊的关照。如果她受苦的话，我就会很难受。” 社工王石红，在一个关爱老人的组织工作，她说：“我们国家是没有准备好的，我们在养老问题方面都没有准备好，更别说照顾失智老人了。”

Shihong believes the public needs to be educated about the problem. “The symptoms are showing up but they’re not taken as something that needs medical attention,” she says. “If it can be spotted early in its development, through screening, for example, more can be done to slow the patient’s deterioration before it’s too late.” This film is a rare insight into the struggle of ordinary families in China to deal with a debilitating but little-understood condition.

石红认为公众需要了解这方面更多的信息。“症状出现之后，公众没有注意到问题，而且也没有发现这个需要治疗。比如说在这之前，通过药物治疗可以减缓症状的发生。” 本片是关注了中国普通家庭在应对这种情况的挣扎。

编后语：政府是不是可以在这方面做得更多呢，有很多方面大撒钱，不然在给人民的生活方面做得更多，不要让为人民服务只是一句口号。海外投资建设的百亿资金，能不能仔细审核一下作用，而不要流于白象工程。其实建设成福利国家，并不是为了光纳税或者光花钱，而是把人民的生活照顾的更好。而且在专业的健康教育方面和医疗人员的培训方面可以做的更多，真正做成一个专业的产业才是最好的。

*China Now, keep you updated on China

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