Threat or Opportunity?

(http://programme.rthk.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?p=6677&e=314738&d=2015-07-28&m=episode)

Ageing can be a cause of anxiety and even a serious threat to society. If, however, the threat can be turned into an opportunity, it will be more than a blessing. And I am delighted to have learned from a recent TV program called “銀齡設計@台灣” how Taiwan is blessed this way. 

In Taiwan 11% of the population is above the age of 65, lower than Hong Kong’s 15%. 

However, by 2005, Taiwan’s ageing population is expected to be 20%, ranking among what the WHO defines as a “Super Ageing Society”. To welcome this ageing population, Taiwan is resorting to designs, ranging from designs for seniors’ products, to designs for daily life and for society. 

Taiwanese who are gradually approaching old age were among the postwar baby boomers; the majority are educated and materially well provided, thus having certain expectations about life. Therefore, the local government does not see the ageing population as a threat. On the contrary, they are ready to turn it into an opportunity for the aged to enjoy consumption of goods and services, thus leading to an economic take-off. 

To enable the youth to have close contact with the seniors, Taiwan University has established the ‘Age of Wisdom Association’, focusing on concern for the aged, establishing interdisciplinary colleges and interdisciplinary curriculum. 

Professor Kong She Jong, coordinator of the ‘Age of Wisdom Association’, had himself been a student of civil engineering. He thinks that it is important to integrate the important elements of the designs for the seniors into the minds of students of various academic fields to enable them to establish an ideal dwelling place for the aged. 

One attraction of the course is that the university and a care centre for the aged will jointly establish a daily life laboratory. There students can have the opportunity to communicate with the seniors, who can also try their designs : chairs for seniors when putting on the shoes, hanging walking sticks, TOUCH GAMEs, etc. 

In 2010, all counties in Taiwan advocated the “Senior Friendly Project” initiated by the WHO: flattening and smoothening the roads, purchasing low-platform buses, providing more leisure seats on roadsides; encouraging both state-run and private eateries and shops to join the “Senior Friendly Station”, where the seniors to go in for a rest, a drink and for the use of the washroom. 

Chan Hui Chee, Ex-Associate Professor, Department of Nursing at Fu Jen Catholic University, who is enjoying her retirement, said, “Ageing is a natural process, but we must find out how we can enjoy greater convenience of the external environment and the products we are using without feeling being socially excluded and how we can enable ourselves to live very well. ”

The Benefit is for life!

The past week has seen a sequence of closing and graduation ceremonies in primary and secondary schools. Pictures of school kids with trophies and medals in hand occupy pages on facebook. Parents of the award winners cannot hide their joy and pride. What is more delightful than seeing their own children enjoying the sweet fruit of their effort?

I share the joy of these parents. They well deserve the honour as they have dedicated intense attention to monitoring and guiding their children’s learning. I have heard of parents who decline an invitation to a feast just because their kids are having a test on the following day. I have also seen kids practising spelling on the bus, their parents beside them prompting and urging them to do better. Parents’ anxiety about their children’s achievement is understandable. Their support is an important incentive for their children’s academic pursuit. In fact, these children owe much to their parents’ effort for their success.

Among these caring parents there are some I admire more than the rest. They are those who see the need for their children to develop the ability of independence and self-management. They will not get too much involved in their school work lest it should undermine their ability of self-care and self-learning. This does not mean they will leave the children entirely on their own. Instead, they still keep a close watch on their learning progress. While giving them the chance to solve problems and overcome challenges by themselves, they assure them of support and encouragement where needed. This way, the children still feel cared for while gradually developing a sense of self-reliance and responsibility.

Nevertheless, this must not be confused with negligence and inattention on the part of the parents. There are parents who do not care the least about their kids’ academic performance. Some are speechless when asked what class their kids are attending. For them, it suffices just to pay the tuition fees. They may even boast of their excessive spending on a tutorial class for their kids. It is doubted how much these kids can amount to. Of course, there are kids who really learn to be self-reliant just because they lack parental care. But these are very rare cases, I must say.

Therefore, parents ought to nurture among their kids the ability of self-management and self-learning. Winning an award for academic performance may bring only momentary joy. But the benefit from the ability of self-learning is for life.