'You did not grow up drinking dew': China judge orders sons to care for paralysed mum
South China Morning Post
A court in China orders three men to care for their recently paralysed mother after they refused to look after the bedridden woman.
A bedridden elderly woman in central China has sued her three sons after they refused to care for her following an accident that left her paralysed, local media reported.
The three brothers were ordered to take turns looking after their mother, who’s nearly 80, a court in Taoyuan county, Hunan province, recently decided, according to a video report by Fast News Plus last Thursday.
The unnamed woman, who lives alone, has been unable to move and confined to her bed since she accidentally fell over in June, the court heard.
She initially tried to work out a plan with her sons to provide care for her but went to court after they failed to reach an agreement.
PHOTO: Weibo
The hearing was held at the woman’s home as she is confined to her bed.
“Whatever wrong your mother may have done to you, you three did not grow up by drinking dew,” the judge told the trio, reminding them that their mother had raised and cared for them when they were young.
The siblings agreed to abide by the court’s ruling and will provide care in rotation.
Taoyuan county has had a slew of similar cases come before the courts over the past couple of years as an increasing number of elderly people report neglect by their adult children.
PHOTO: Weibo
Last December, a couple in their eighties from a village in the same county took their four children to court after they refused to support them. They asked each of their children to pay 300 yuan (S$58) per month, with the total amount less than half the average monthly expenditure in the county.
An increasing number of isolated elderly people, especially in rural areas, has become a serious public concern in China amid rapid population ageing and urbanisation.
PHOTO: Weibo
Official data suggested that 267 million Chinese people, or nearly 19 per cent of the total population, were aged 60 or above at the end of last year.
More than half of them are empty nesters who live apart from their children as the latter have mostly moved to the cities for work.
In response, Chinese lawmakers made visiting elderly family members a mandatory obligation for adult children last July.
