Taking care of the aged

We must find ways to deal with the aging population problem, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

The problem is confronting many countries in the world. And, as the most populous country in the world, China faces an even greater challenge.

China has a huge number of senior citizens. According to statistics, people aged over 60 totaled 143 million in 2004 and that number will be 200 million by 2014. Rural areas have more elderly people than urban ones, and there are more elderly females than males. Another challenge is that the aging problem in China has come at a time of modernization.