Legal disputes involving elderly increase in Beijing

Disputes involving the elderly have been on the rise in Beijing over the past few years, with some new types emerging, the capital's courts said.

The Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court revealed on Thursday that it heard 1,873 cases related to the guardianship of the elderly from January 2021 to August this year, accounting for 69.6 percent, 73.6 percent, 75.3 percent and 72.1 percent of the total number of lawsuits involving guardianship each year.

The court said that the increasing proportion of such disputes has not only shown the importance of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly, but also reflected that there are legal gaps or loopholes in the registration, management and supervision of the guardianship.

To better deal with lawsuits involving old residents, Wang Guocai, vice-president of the court, said that it has set up a judicial team to specialize in the handling of relevant cases, with research more on the elderly-related legal issues.

Sun Liguo, deputy head of the Beijing Committee on Ageing, said that it has established a long-term cooperation with the court to focus on improving the guardianship of the elderly, and is exploring ways to provide quick channels to tackle relevant disputes.

On Thursday, the Beijing No 3 Intermediate People's Court also disclosed that it has handled 1,428 civil cases involving the support of senior citizens since 2020.

While handling traditional disputes, such as those on the elderly care, inheritance and division of family property, the court said that the number of lawsuits caused by the elderly appointing their dependents through property gifts or housing sales is rising.

Additionally, it added that some new types of disputes involving the elderly has also been emerging. For example, it has seen a few cases involving the spiritual support, which refers to contacting or caring for old people through regular visits, video or phone calls to meet their emotional and psychological needs.

Furthermore, in recent years, disputes between the elderly and matchmaking companies have begun emerging as the old people's demand for marriage has increased in recent years, the Beijing courts added.