Who cares for disabled people in Tibet?
A. There are no institutions or skilled care-givers in Tibet (or other poor rural regions of China), so disabled people are invariably cared for by family members at home. From what we’ve seen, the care given by family members is very loving and attentive. Those who have no family are indeed in dire straights although sometimes the government steps in to provide a paid care-giver or the person, if elderly, is admitted into one of a handful of nursing homes for childless senior citizens. Very few disabled people make their living as beggars although this is becoming increasingly common in modern China as the government safety net weakens and disappears. Disabled people are usually not admitted to monasteries and nunneries but there are exceptions and those who are able to live in a religious community are often cared for very well.
