Ageing in Asia, societal and family support

An unprecedented number of baby-boomers will enter retirement in the coming decades without adequate resources. The present study is to investigate the factors determining Subjective Wellbeing of baby-boomers. A national survey with a random sample which selected those born between 1955 and 1963 and maintained employment status. Herarchical regression analysis was used to examine the the suggested hypothetical model with mental health status, social relations, and the preparedness for retirement were significant predictors of subjective wellbeing of the baby-boomers in Korea. However, unlike the researcher's anticipation, health status, marital satisfaction and socio-demographics variables (gender, age, and education) showed a weak association (p>.05). The findings have important implications for how emotional stability and social activities should be maintained or developed for individuals who are reaching the retirement and ageing. A recommendation for a further study and policy implications were discussed.

Traditionally the progress in the demographic transition is studied by the indicators CBR and CDR. Attempts were made later on to represent the demographic transition by means of an index called the demographic transition index. Total fertility rate (TFR) and Life Expectancy at Birth (LEB) were used in constructing the above index. In the present paper an attempt has been made to develop new indices for studying the inter-linkages between the demographic transition and the ageing of the population by using the age specific fertility rates (ASFRs), natural log of Age specific death rates (ASDRs) and age distribution of population. The present indices have been developed using the statistical concept the index of qualitative variation (IQV) given in Chava and Anna (2011) "Social Statistics for Diverse Society." It is realised that this IQV helps in understanding the diversity taking place in the phenomena of fertility, mortality and overall population distribution over time. Data reported by the Sample Registration System (SRS) of India and its States over the years 1970s to 2010 has been used in understanding the inter-linkages among the above three phenomena. The indices seems to give acceptable results; and also easy to compute and understand.

Using data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging, this study sought to evaluate whether National Health Insurance (NHI) produces a longitudinal beneficial effect on life satisfaction of older Taiwanese adults. Results from growth curve models indicated a significant decline in life satisfaction after the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake and no significant increase after 2003 SARAS; however, a significant increase in this after 12-year NHI establishment. In addition, the pre-NHI uninsured had a significantly lower level of life satisfaction before NHI establishment in comparison to the pre-NHI insured through Government Employee insurance (β=-1.38, p<0.05), even controlling for concurrent medical care utilization and health status. And, NHI significantly reduced gaps in life satisfaction between the pre-NHI uninsured and the pre-NHI insured over time. These findings suggest a long-term effect of the NHI policy on life satisfaction among older adults. The NHI efforts to promote life satisfaction among older adults should be recognized.

Chinese society is experiencing a stage of rapid aging. Compared with the young elderly, the older and the oldest elderly care have a greater need in daily life, their care needs mainly by family members. For sick or disabled elderly, long-term care/nursing will cause higher demand for the expenditure of caregiver’s time, physical, economic and psychological undertaking. If not to be supported from outside the family, it will cause two aspects of the problem for a care provider and the care receiver. For younger care givers, too much family care burden might affect their quality of life and career. Under the situation of women being caregivers, it is in particularly disadvantaged for women’s development. For older caregivers, they are already older, care may be limited to the elderly, so as to reduce the quality of care. Therefore, understanding the characters of the caregivers groups, is helpful for formulating family support policies.

This article will use the 2010 national survey on Chinese womem’s social status survey data and apply multivariate statistical methods to describe and analyze the demographic characteristics of family caregivers, estimate the burden of caregivers of different features, discussion the related family support policy implications.

This research will be done based on the 'Korean Retirement and Income Study' Panel Data compiled by National Pension Research Institute. It will focus on the issues relative to the preparation for the post-retirement era of baby boomers, for example, what kind of life they want to live in a financial and non-financial aspects, how different are their ideal life and the reality and how they have to re-allocate their resources to obtain desirable result in preparing for their retirement and so on. The result of these analyzes is expected to give implications in regard to the changes in Korean asset market structure in the future, practicable preparatory measures for the retirement and desirable tools to form a new culture relative to the retirement.

Traditionally the progress in the demographic transition is studied by the indicators CBR and CDR. Attempts were made later on to represent the demographic transition by means of an index called the demographic transition index. Total fertility rate (TFR) and Life Expectancy at Birth (LEB) were used in constructing the above index. In the present paper an attempt has been made to develop new indices for studying the inter-linkages between the demographic transition and the ageing of the population by using the age specific fertility rates (ASFRs), natural log of Age specific death rates (ASDRs) and age distribution of population. The present indices have been developed using the statistical concept the index of qualitative variation (IQV) given in Chava and Anna (2011) "Social Statistics for Diverse Society." It is realised that this IQV helps in understanding the diversity taking place in the phenomena of fertility, mortality and overall population distribution over time. Data reported by the Sample Registration System (SRS) of India and its States over the years 1970s to 2010 has been used in understanding the inter-linkages among the above three phenomena. The indices seems to GIVE acceptable results and easy to compute and understand.

Indonesia is facing demographic revolution, changed in age structure as well as rapid urbanization. The percentage of aging population rises to13.9 % in 2030. The Indonesia urbanization rise to level over than 70%. The data is from special assessment study of age friendly city in 14 cities of Indonesia which interviewed 2100 males and females of pre ageing and ageing population in 14 cities, and over than 250 multisectors informants. In addition to descriptive analysis of each indicator, a composite index of total and by each aspect are created using 95 WHO indicators of age friendly cities to make it easier convey the message to policy makers and stakeholders. The study provides a baseline assessment toward age friendly cities in 2030 and addition recommend on the step and alternative policy that could be adopted by policy makers and the other stakeholders. The study found that, the level of readiness of the all the 14 cities in Indonesia towards age friendly cities is only 43%. Among 8 aspects, two are leading: social participation and communication support & health services. On the other hand, the most weak aspect of the age friendly cities is civil participation & employment. Comparing all cities, small cities are more progressive in the fulfillment of the age friendly city indicators compared to the big cities.

Using census data this paper aims to: 1) compare the trends and patterns of living arrangements of the older persons in Southeast Asia to see if there are significant similarities and differences that transcend the diversity of this region; and 2) examine the factors affecting their living arrangements. Living arrangement is a good indicator of family support to the older persons because with whom the older persons live reflects the residential dimension of their family life and is an important social context of their day to day lives. This was categorised into: (1) one person household; (2) nuclear household; (3) extended household; and (4) other household classification.

Living in an extended household remains the most predominant type of living arrangement among older persons in Southeast Asia, although the trend has been declining over time. In contrast, the proportion living in a one-person and nuclear household has been on the rise in these Southeast Asian countries. Moreover, more women than men live in a one-person and extended household while more of the latter than the former reside in a nuclear household. Finally the proportion living in an extended household varies by age, marital status, level of education and place of residence.

Theories and common sense both suggest that elderly poverty is severe worldwide nowadays, including in US and elsewhere that had experienced poverty reduction in the second half of 20C with improving elderly social welfare. This is so even in Taiwan, a traditionally low-inequality society, where family supports is still crucial, though under change.
Other events work toward the opposite direction. First, the baby-boomers are now aging, with much larger wealth than their parents, and are better in self support. Moreover, new elders enjoy better social welfare in Taiwan, and Korea as well, with recent implementation of old-age pension, which is an important anti-poverty instrument: in Japan, pension reduces elderly poverty rate from 64% to 17% in 2010.
This paper asks whether these new developments in Taiwan, which many countries have experienced or will experience, make differences in elderly poverty. Beyond fact finding of who and how much, we go deeper and ask how do public and private transfers help to reduce poverty for the elderly.
We present an integrated framework to discuss elderly poverty and how public and private transfers reduce such poverty. In particular, we provide a method to estimate intrafamilial transfers that are not available by other methods.

This study aims to investigate the situation of social supports for elderly person aged 60 years and over in Thailand. Data used in this study are secondary for the 2011 Surveys of Elderly in Thailand which was conducted by NSO.
It is found that place of residence does not have effect for the monetary support among the elderly whose children living in the same household. Child(ren) who lived in urban area were more likely to receive money from their parents than the child(ren) who live in rural area. Elderly who had child(ren) living outside household were more likely to receive material support once a year from their children especially elderly who lived in urban area. The result also shows that there are more skipped generation pattern in rural area than urban area. Elderly and their children visited each other only once in a year especially those elderly who lived in urban area. However, children still had other social network to contact their parent. Most elderly were more likely to contact with their children by mobile phone often (everyday/ weekly/ monthly).
Family support is still a norm of Thailand but the pattern of social support has changed. Elderly can act as both “givers” and “receivers.” Thus, the government should develop policy for elderly in form of welfare such as healthcare, social, and housing welfare.