As young people who are still working, perhaps few people will think about what our old life will be like. If you see this problem, what emerges in your mind is the kind of life scene of filial piety, family reunion, peaceful life, food and clothing, and happiness, then you must be too idealistic. In fact, the reality may be much more cruel than this. The documentary of "Bankruptcy after Old Age-A Nightmare of Longevity" by NHK program group in Japan shows us another living condition of middle-aged and elderly people in an aging society.
According to the definition of the World Health Organization and the United Nations, if the elderly over 65 account for more than 21% of the total population, it will be a super-aging society. According to official data, Japan reached this standard in 27 and officially entered a super-aging society, which is a very profound and significant change.
"In the rapid evolution of old age and fewer children, social security expenditures such as pension, medical care and nursing have accounted for more than 3% of the national income. Judging from the proportion of the labor force raising the elderly population over 65 years old, in 199, 5.1 people raised one person, in 21, 2.6 people raised one person, and in 23, 1.7 people raised one person, that is, the pension structure of raising one elderly person by one labor force is approaching. "
"Bankruptcy after old age" refers to the fact that the elderly have no income and can only live on pensions, and their lives are very tight. Once you get sick or need medical care, the pension is simply not enough, and you will spend all your savings and fall into bankruptcy.
In fact, apart from living in poverty and even trying to save money for basic food problems every day, there is another problem that may be more important: mental dilemma.
Many old people live alone, especially those who are widowed, and their children and friends are often away. Because of the inconvenience of walking and walking, it is difficult to contact friends and participate in any social activities. Because of financial embarrassment, I can't attend the wedding ceremony of relatives and friends, and there are no more activities such as going out to play and having dinner. Slowly, they lost their "social connection". They stay at home all day, have no activities, don't have much interest, and pass the time boring day by day. So many people will feel that life is meaningless and they might as well die.
We often think that only old people living in cities will go bankrupt when they are old. In fact, it is not only in cities, but also in rural areas where people think they can be self-sufficient. Under the impact of imported goods, the prices of agricultural products are falling, while the prices of chemical fertilizers are rising year after year, and farming is a loss. Rural pensions are less than those in cities, but the difficulties they face are the same, and medical expenses are also big. Young and middle-aged people have gone to work in the city, and more and more elderly people live alone. This trend has become more and more obvious.
From the trend, there are also many people who are beginning to become the reserve army for bankruptcy when they are old. Their income is meager, or it is difficult to find employment after they lose their jobs. The situation of bankruptcy when they are old is almost doomed.
The book thinks that the institutional reason of old-age bankruptcy is mainly Japan's social security system. Of course, there are also many people who are not clear about their rights, their family's scruples and so on.
Japan has national pension and social pension. People who work pay social pensions, which are also paid by companies and individuals. If they don't pay, they can only receive national pensions, and the treatment will be less. In addition, there is social protection, that is, in order to ensure the minimum healthy and educated life of the people, the system of protective assistance is implemented for those who need it. This is only received under very bad circumstances, and there are also conditions for receiving it. The most important thing is that you can't have personal property to receive social protection, such as your own house and deposits, stocks, fields, etc. In fact, you basically have no money to apply for social protection. In other words, if you want to apply for social protection, you must spend all your property first. This is the embarrassing place. For example, there is no need to pay rent for a house now, but after selling the house as an asset, we have to rent another house, which has increased the expenditure. Enjoy social protection, that is, penniless, without any savings, can only rely on a meager pension, lost any ability to use money to cope with other situations, and have no psychological protection.
strictly speaking, actually, this can't be completely regarded as a system defect. Social protection is the minimum living guarantee. If you still have deposits and other property, of course, it can't be regarded as basic protection at all. This is not completely unreasonable, although it is really not perfect. Because it can't be prevented in advance, we can only intervene when we have fallen into the precursor of bankruptcy after old age.
actually, bankruptcy should be analyzed from the economic aspect. The entrance to bankruptcy is that there is a problem with cash flow, and it is impossible to make ends meet. As a result, it is empty. Then the solution is two aspects: increasing income and reducing expenditure. It is not enough to rely solely on pension income. When the elderly don't have a job, they lose their source of income, but work is not the only source of income. It is too late to realize this when you are old, because you can't find another job at that time. In terms of expenditure, all the examples tell us that medical expenses are absolutely the last straw to crush the economic situation of the elderly (illness will inevitably have a great impact on the spirit in addition to physical and economic problems).
many and complicated.
1) Old age may not be an idyllic life as we imagined, and it may be very cruel.
2) In the long run, price increases are almost inevitable, while economic and income growth cannot last forever.
3) The aging trend in China is already obvious. With the advancement of urbanization, this trend is accelerating, and the country's pension burden will be very heavy in the future. The government has been taking some measures, such as setting up a social security fund with strategic reserves, opening the second child policy, delaying retirement, increasing the construction and support of the nursing industry, and exploring the modes of community pension, etc., which are all very good. But as far as the trend is concerned, it is difficult for everyone, whether in urban or rural areas, to be "immune".
4) Old-age insurance is very important, whether it is residential insurance or job insurance, but it can only be used as a minimum guarantee. Commercial old-age insurance is another option (some commercial insurances can also be tax deductible now).
5) Whether now or in the future, a healthy body is definitely your most precious wealth. Poverty caused by illness is very common, so we should make good use of the lever of insurance.
6) Be considerate of the elderly. There is an example in the book. It takes normal people half a minute to walk from the living room to the kitchen, but it takes more than 2 minutes for an old man with legs and feet to walk with the help of walking equipment. It is their greatest wish to go out every day. I finally understand why many parents would rather live in the garage than in their home on the third floor. It turns out that I think it's because they don't have perseverance, because as long as they are willing to go, how can they get on the third floor? Now I know that more than ten steps are really insurmountable obstacles for them.
7) Have a good attitude. I really appreciate a guiding principle mentioned by the government in providing for the aged: "Have fun, have a sense of security and be productive". Compared with a sense of security for the elderly, it is difficult to be happy and productive for the elderly.
In the final analysis, providing for the aged is not something to be considered until you really get old. I'm afraid you should be prepared now.
I sighed at the thought of this, feeling that it's really not easy for people to live, especially the old and the young, and I have to consider my future pension. Can't I really be anxious? .
finally, let's go back to the book. I think we will go through the process of Japanese economic and social development, and many social problems are inevitable, but the China government and ourselves can have new choices and ways to solve these problems.
The shortcoming of this book is that it only focuses on the problem and shows us the old people who are going bankrupt. In fact, there must be old people who are happy in their later years, and their experience is worth learning from.