Half of China's population of 167 million senior citizens above the age of 60 live alone and have lower than normal standards of living, The People's Daily reported.

A Chinese Academy of Social Sciences survey of more than 2,000 families including seniors indicated that most senior citizens who lived alone were bored and often did not engage in any social or physical activities. The seniors said they felt lonelier than their peers who lived with their children.

Another survey conducted by the School of Medicine at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai indicated that seniors who lived alone had a lower quality of life. The survey also indicated that 7.8 percent of seniors who lived alone suffered from anxiety versus only 2.7 percent of those who lived with their children. It also indicated that 15.6 percent of seniors who lived by themselves suffered from depression versus 9.4 percent of those who did not live alone.

"Because their children don't stay with them and they have nobody to talk to, seniors who live alone feel lonely and start to doubt the value of their existence, resulting in helpless and dull feelings," an unnamed psychologist told The People's Daily. "In the long run, it will create an empty nest syndrome which causes diseases such as coronary heart disease, hypertension and age-related dementia. Families, society and government should pay more attention to the physical and mental health of seniors."

The news report also noted that most communities in Shanghai, which has 922-thousand seniors who reside alone, have started social assistance programs where volunteers provide meals, medication and personal living assistance to the elderly.

(CRIENGLISH.com December 9, 2010)