Asia: Does an Adult Child Have a Legal Obligation to Parents?

I read an interesting article about filial piety throughout Asia explaining that although this respect for elders is an integral part of the culture of many Asian countries, financial realities are causing major changes.

For example, as young people from China's interior move to coastal areas for jobs, the elderly are being abandoned. And, because China has had a one-child rule since 1979, an adult child has to care for both parents alone.

China now has laws delineating the actions adult children should take. Chinese companies are supposed to provide vacation time so employees can visit their parents. These laws, however, do not provide punishment for failure to obey, unlike Indian law, which provides for the imprisonment of children who fail to care for their parents.

Singapore law has provided parents with legal recourse to sue their children for money and caregiving since 1999.

This thought provoking article, When Filial Piety is a Legal Obligation, was written by Winnie Chwang, a Senior Research Analyst with Matthews Asia, an investment company, for the week of August 16, 2013. The full article can be seen here:

http://us.matthewsasia.com/perspectives-on-asia/asia-weekly/article-648/default.fs

TOO OLD OR TOO ILL TO DRIVE?

I felt it was time for my dad to give up driving. He was in his late 80's but not senile. His eyesight was good but he was becoming quite deaf even with a hearing aid. I wasn't concerned about his ability to operate the car but rather how he could cope with traffic and with the crazy drivers that are sometimes out there.

It also happened to be the time for him to renew his license. I took him to the facility to take the road test.

The examiner rode with Dad and then came back to me and said hesitantly, "I don't feel comfortable passing him." 

"Then don't!" I replied.

He looked relieved. I was relieved. 

The first thing Dad had done in the test was to try to start the car -- even though the engine was already running. He couldn't hear it.

Dad was okay with not being able to drive anymore; at least he acted as if he were okay about it.

The Alzheimer's Association has resources to assist caregivers in initiating a conversation about giving up driving. http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-and-driving.asp

A postscript to Dad's story:

A few months after giving up driving, Dad and I went to a nearby strip mall. When we came out of the store, I found that someone had parked illegally and had our car boxed in. I tried to maneuver the car out of the space but I wasn't getting anywhere.

Dad suggested we trade places. He got behind the wheel and quickly and deftly pulled the car out of the space. Then we traded back…and I humbly drove home.