China amends law to boost care for elderly

 BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Friday adopted a bill to amend¹ the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly in order to improve care for people ages 60 and up.

The bill to amend the 16-year-old law was passed following a vote by lawmakers at the conclusion of a five-day bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing² Committee.

President Hu Jintao issued an order to publicize the amended³ law containing 85 articles, which will replace a version of the law from 1996 and take effect from July 1, 2013.

The legislation came amid government efforts to find comprehensive solutions to issues facing the elderly population, as the number of Chinese senior citizens has grown rapidly in recent years.

The amended law says China considers it a long-term strategic task to actively⁴ confront the challenges posed by an aging society.

Efforts shall be made to boost people's awareness⁵ on adapting to an aging society and urge the public to care for and help the elderly, it says.

"These clauses carry significance for China in devising and carrying forward a national agenda on the aging population on strategic fronts," legislator Yu Jianwei told reporters.

China was home to over 184 million people over the age of 60 by the end of 2011, who accounted for 13.7 percent of the population, according to official figures.

Yu said China's elderly population is expected to exceed 200 million in 2013.

Statistics also show that China has more than 33 million disabled or partially⁶ disabled elderly citizens, and caring for them will be an increasingly pressing issue.

The amended law says governments at all levels should incorporate work regarding the aging population into the overall economic and social development plan and ensure that funds are available.

In addition to urging family members to care for the elderly, the law stipulates⁷ that the government will ensure a basic living and basic medical care for the elderly through the pension mechanism⁸ and healthcare scheme.

The government shall provide basic living, healthcare, housing and other services to poverty-stricken elderly, and it will support those elderly who are disabled but have no supporters to rely on.

The amended law says local governments will roll out measures that encourage organizations or individuals to offer elderly-care services, while improving supervision⁹ over nursing homes for the aging population.

Moreover, government authorities should thoroughly¹⁰ consider the needs of the elderly in urban and rural development project plans, with an aim of creating a safe, convenient and comfortable environment for them, according to the law.

Many of China's current development projects are designed based on the needs of the young population and are inconvenient¹¹ for the elderly, said Dang Junwu, deputy chief of the China Research Center on Aging.

"Some six- or seven-story apartment buildings in cities just have no elevators," he said, offering an example.

China should move to make its public facilities more elderly-friendly, according to experts.

1 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

4 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

5 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

6 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

7 stipulates   

n.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的名词复数 )；规定，明确要求v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的第三人称单数 )；规定，明确要求

参考例句：

• The trade contract stipulates for the settlement of balances in RMB. 贸易合同规定余额以人民币结算。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The contract stipulates for the use of seasoned timber. 合同上订明用干透的木料。 来自辞典例句

8 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

9 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

10 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

11 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？