Mandarin-Speaking Aged Chinese in the Los Angeles Area

For centuries, care of the aged was not a major social problem in China, because the Confucian teaching the HSIAO CHING of family responsibility was deeply ingrained in the Chinese culture. In this Los Angeles study, it was noted that Mandarin-speaking elderly are the victims of political, social, economic, and cultural changes, including the change in the concept of filial piety. Inability to speak or understand English has been the most serious problem for the elderly, who immigrated at an old age. Language barriers and cultural shock alienated the Chinese elderly from the mainstream of American society and excluded them from receiving needed services.