Recent guidelines by Chinese authorities on how to assist an elderly person who has fallen in the street, have unleashed a debate among Chinese netizens. They are in a catch-22 between wanting to help, and a fear of being sued by predatory elderly fall victims. The government guidelines have piled insult upon injury, according to some netizens.
Falling down is a leading cause of death for Chinese citizens aged 65 and above, according to Yang Maowei, Associate Professor of the First Hospital of China Medical University. However, in recent years, there have been frequent reports of such deaths in public places with no one helping the victims, Yang said.
