Suzhou nursing home offered cash incentives to children to visit parents -- and it worked wonders

An overwhelming increase in visitors were welcomed by a nursing home in Suzhou, China since it started offering rewards to children to see their parents.

According to South China Morning Post via The Straits Times, the rewards increase with the frequency of visits and the logs of visitors are kept by nurses.

Children who visit at least 30 times in two months receive 200 yuan ($40) to spend on goods or services at home while others who goes 20 times in two months get at least 100 yuan ($20).

Those who visit 10 times earn 50 yuan ($10) in credit. 

The nursing home had more than 500 residents and 90% of them did not receive regular visits before the scheme was introduced.

Report states most children visit their parents less than twice a month and some only once a year before the scheme.

Now more than half of the residents get a number of visits which corresponds with the number of visits the visitors need to give in order to receive the money.

A staff said that the residents were more than 80 years old on average and their health has improved.

The family members mentioned how they started visiting more often because they felt ashamed of not being filial in the past and not because of the money.

Managers said that the country's population was ageing and they were concerned that more children will abandon their parents in nursing homes.