| 广东的养老机构床位不足的状况日益严重。解决出路摆在眼前，然而经费不足仍是瓶颈所在。 |
Elderly people in Guangdong Province are facing a growing shortage of nursing home beds, and the problem is expected to only grow worse as the nursing care industry remains underfunded. |
| 广东现有60岁以上老人1014万，各类养老机构所能提供的养老床位却只有9万张，仅为老年人口总数的1%。更严重的问题是，到2008年年底，全省60岁以上的老人已占户籍总人口的12.27%，“平均12个人中就有一个老年人”，并以每年3.5%的速度递增。 |
The population of people aged 60 and over now numbers 10.14 million. In contrast, nursing homes provide 90 thousand beds, covering only one percent of the elderly population. The demand is increasing as the aged population accelerates over the next few years. At the end of 2008, people over 60 in the province occupied 12.27 percent of the registered population, and that number is climbing at an annual rate of 3.5 percent. |
| 据统计，目前广州全市共有各类养老服务机构163间，总床位22817张，每百名老人拥有床位数2.3张。目前全市民办老年福利机构床位数的平均入住率达到70%以上。而民政部门预期，近年养老机构床位年增长率要在2,500张/年以上，才能基本满足需求。 |
Statistics show that of the 163 nursing homes across Guangzhou, the capital of the province, there are 22,817 beds. That makes 2.3 beds available for every 100 people in the aged category. The average occupancy rate for private nursing homes is more than 70 percent. The civil affairs department estimates that at least 2,500 more beds are needed each year to meet the demand. |
| 就在广东快速进入老龄化社会的同时，全国上下也面对同一社会难题。同时，随着劳动力的相互转移、生活习惯的变更，全国大中城市中，老年空巢家庭已达49.7%。在广东省，这个数字已达51.9%。而广州市是广东养老问题最为突出的一个城市。有数据表明，未来一段时间，老人数量将以每年4%左右的速度递增，也就是说，将来每4个人中就有一位老人。 |
The rapidly aging population in Guangdong presents a common problem seen across China. With greater population mobility and ever-changing habits, more old people are being left behind at home. Empty nests have reached 49.7 percent of families across major cities in China. In Guangdong, the figure is 51.9 percent. The aging problem is more notable in Guangzhou, as the elderly are expected to increase four percent annually, meaning there will be one old person out of every four people in the future. |
| 今年83岁的李婆婆认为，她不得不住进老人院的原因是她没有女儿，“5个儿子都成家了，平日要上班，没人照顾我。”李婆婆的眼睛里充满伤感。 |
Mrs. Li, an 83-year-old lady, said she has to move into a nursing home because she has no one to care for her. “I have five sons. They have work to do. Nobody can take care of me.” |
| 据省老年公共事务研究中心等调查显示，绝大多数老人喜欢居家养老,但现实中与子女孙辈同住的老人只有41.7%。 |
A report conducted by the Guangdong Public Affairs of Old People Research Center found that the majority of the old prefer living with family to nursing homes, but only 41.7 percent of them can actually live together with their children. |
| 除兴办养老机构外，广州想方设法探索“社区养老”和“居家养老”，老人在家可以得到护理，由政府向护工直接支付工资。在试点的基础上，2008年全省推行。为此，有关专家估计，到2012年全省城乡居家养老服务将覆盖老年人口三成以上。 |
In Guangzhou, the local government encourages community and family care as alternatives to nursing homes and foots the bill. A provincial pilot program of home nursing, which took place in 2008, will cover 30 percent of the elderly population by the year 2012, experts estimate. |
| 目前，全省各级财政预算中还没设“社会福利”的专项科目，每年没有稳定的养老服务经费预算，开展养老服务的经费主要依靠福利彩票公益金。社区养老服务设施投入不足，如大部分的“星光老年之家”因缺乏经费被闲置或被挪作他用。 |
Yet, not all government levels in Guangdong Province earmark money for social welfare, and the current nursing care is operated via the welfare lottery’s public fund. With insufficient funding, some community nursing facilities sit idle or are diverted to other purposes. |
从国际上看，日本老年社会福利服务开支占国民总支出的10%左右，香港占6%左右。
(广州日报) |
Globally, Japan spends about 10 percent of the national expenditure on welfare services for the elderly; Hong Kong spends about six percent.
(China.org.cn translated by He Shan) |
