Understanding the aging population
<p><span word="One">One</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pressing">pressing</span> <span word="issues">issues</span> <span word="facing">facing</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="nations">nations</span> <span word="today">today</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="tomorrow">tomorrow</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="concerning">concerning</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="aging">aging</span> <span word="population">population</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="government">government</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="health">health</span> <span word="sector">sector</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="rates">rates</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="national">national</span> <span word="priority">priority</span> <span word="list">list</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="students">students</span> <span word="trying">trying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="pass">pass</span> <span word="English">English</span> <span word="language">language</span> <span word="tests">tests</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="useful">useful</span> <span word="topic">topic</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="grounding">grounding</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="appears">appears</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="reading">reading</span>, <span word="writing">writing</span>, <span word="speaking">speaking</span> <span word="and">and</span>/<span word="or">or</span> <span word="listening">listening</span> <span word="sections">sections</span>.</p><p><span word="So">So</span> <span word="let">let</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="not">not</span> '<span word="rest">rest</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="laurels">laurels</span>' <span word="let">let</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="action">action</span>...</p><p><span word="Late">Late</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="week">week</span> <span word="came">came</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="news">news</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="Shanghai">Shanghai</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="demand">demand</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="retirement">retirement</span> <span word="homes">homes</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="outpacing">outpacing</span> <span word="supply">supply</span>. <span word="Shanghai">Shanghai</span>, <span word="one">one</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="places">places</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="China">China</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="seeing">seeing</span> <span word="negative">negative</span> <span word="population">population</span> <span word="growth">growth</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="aging">aging</span> <span word="fast">fast</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="trying">trying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="address">address</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="problems">problems</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="worrying">worrying</span> <span word="trend">trend</span>.</p><p><span word="By">By</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="end">end</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="year">year</span>, <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> 20 <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Shanghai">Shanghai</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="permanent">permanent</span> <span word="residents">residents</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="aged">aged</span> <span word="above">above</span> 60, <span word="official">official</span> <span word="figures">figures</span> <span word="showed">showed</span>. <span word="By">By</span> 2030, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="expected">expected</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="increase">increase</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> 33 <span word="percent">percent</span>. <span word="Senior">Senior</span> <span word="citizens">citizens</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="life">life</span> <span word="span">span</span> <span word="of">of</span> 81.</p><p><span word="Now">Now</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="phenomenon">phenomenon</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="increasingly">increasingly</span> <span word="common">common</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="developed">developed</span> <span word="nations">nations</span> <span word="though">though</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="China">China</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="situation">situation</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="complex">complex</span>.</p><p><span word="Particularly">Particularly</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="number">number</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="working">working</span> <span word="age">age</span> - 15 <span word="to">to</span> 59 - <span word="is">is</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="decline">decline</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="result">result</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="one">one</span>-<span word="child">child</span> <span word="policy">policy</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="addition">addition</span>, <span word="many">many</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="seek">seek</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="independence">independence</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="tend">tend</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="live">live</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="own">own</span> <span word="family">family</span>, <span word="instead">instead</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="staying">staying</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="parents">parents</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="grandparents">grandparents</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="problem">problem</span> <span word="today">today</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Shanghai">Shanghai</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="enough">enough</span> <span word="beds">beds</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="retirement">retirement</span> <span word="homes">homes</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="growing">growing</span> <span word="numbers">numbers</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="elderly">elderly</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="appear">appear</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="marginalized">marginalized</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="today">today</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="society">society</span>.</p>
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