(Photo : Location of Xiahe within Gansu China)

One of the few profiting from this is a 73-year old man named Lozang who have lived alone in a cowshed, at times, before transferring to the Central Rural Nursing Home in Xiahe County in the province of Gansu in Northwest China.

Like Us on Facebook

Lozang, a retired herder lived alone in his hut with just a bed, few chairs and cooking utensils, but since he frequently goes to toilet at night, it is more convenient to sleep in the cowshed.

A number of Tibetans normally just roam around all their lives. Some of the elderly are usually left in tents when the young ones herd. In some severe cases, old migrants die at home because of either sickness or hypothermia.

Because of a dream for a better life, Lozang applied to move to the 4,000-square meter Central Rural Nursing Home at the foot of a hill last year.

Built in 2008, the Central Rural Nursing Home is now occupied by 14 elderly Tibetans.

Lozang, who occupies a 20-square meter room, said that he has finally had a comfortable home and have settled down.

Tibetans love yogurt and zanba, a fact the cook is well aware of so he brings Lozang and the others those as their meals every day.

The Government covers the costs of the Nursing Home which amounts to 2,600 Yuan or $424.8 for each resident.

There are now four nursing homes which house 50 elderly Tibetans in the Xiahe County and three are under construction.

The Tibetan Autonomous Region of Gannan, which governs Xiahe County, has constructed 31 rural nursing homes encasing beds good for more than a thousand people.

Since Gannan is a place with 400,000 Tibetan Buddhists, the nursing homes are built as close to the temples as possible in order to smooth the progress of religious activities, said Zhang Gaquan, the director of the Xiahe County Civil Affairs Bureau.

This development comes just in time, since the sense of responsibility of young ones to take good care of the elderly grow pretty weak nowadays.