A ranking official from the National Population and Family Planning Commission has revealed that more aid will be offered to care for the elderly in families that have only one child. This is the right thing to do and the earlier the policy is implemented, the better.

The nationwide policy that limits most, but not all, couples to one child was initiated in 1980, and an increasing number of single children are having to shoulder the burden of care for both their parents and grandparents when they become adults. Young couples not only have to support their own children, they also have to care for both sets of parents and even grandparents.

Without the introduction of this policy, China's total population would have increased to more than 1.7 billion.

But those elderly couples that were only allowed one child under the policy should receive government help when they are too old to take care of themselves because the burden of care is too great for a single child.

It is unrealistic for elderly residents to spend their remaining years at nursing homes, since the number of such homes falls far short of the country's needs.

The total number of nursing homes is more than 40,000 nationwide, but on average they can only provide 17 beds for every thousand senior citizens. By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15), the number of beds will hopefully increase to 30 per thousand, but this is still far from enough to meet the needs of the elderly.

So the majority of senior residents will have to spend their remaining years at home. However, the new initiative means that the government may provide financial aid for their care.

The aging process is much faster in China than in developed countries. The number of senior residents above the age of 65 is 120 million at present, but the number is expected to triple by the year 2050, according to the commission.

Long-term plans and early preparation are essential to meet the challenge of caring for the elderly.

The government cannot afford to drag its feet on this issue.