Many young people are leaving the countryside to live in cities leaving behind an elderly population. What are the problems associated with this? What can be done about it?

Nowadays, the phenomenon of migration to big cities has become widely spread around the world. As a result, the population of rural areas becomes older from year to year. Some negative consequences and possible solutions to this trend will be analyzed in my essay. To begin with, there are many problems related to migration from rural areas to cities. One of them is overpopulation which leads to extreme pressure on infrastructure of the cities and social services. Therefore, we can see crowded public transport, traffic jams, people waiting in hospitals for several hours, and schools with a large number of children in the classroom. At the same time, looking at the problem from the perspective of the old people who commonly have no desire to move to big cities, we can see several sides of the issue. People get older and they need a different range of support from the simplest help and attention to assisted living facilities with permanent medical care. And there are two main actors who can make the difference to this situation: younger relatives and the government. However, both of them have obstacles in paling active role; while it is difficult for authorities to develop territory with shrinking population, and consequently, tax base and budget incomes, grown up children face need to take care about their own infants, overtime work, and physical distance which altogether takes their resources, and making it extremely hard to pay attention to their getting older parents. Turning to the solutions of previously mentioned difficulties, I see executive and legislative bodies of the state as main players in tackling these problems. Firstly, the government, through tax deductions and credits for companies, can stimulate development of distance work, so young people, who often move to large towns for job opportunities, can work everywhere. Thereby, it will reduce pressure on cities from waves of newcomers. Secondly, serious steps can be taken in the direction of the development programs of rural towns, and investment in its social infrastructure. In particular, the federal government can increase funding for medical and assisted living programs in general, while the ministry of finance can redistribute funds for deprived territories and offer subsidies and grants for them, therefore these measures immediately enact local initiatives for increasing quality of life in rural areas, which has been suffering from underfunding for many years. In conclusion, the phenomenon of extensive migration to megalopolises can produce abnormal pressure on the infrastructure of cities, while such redistribution of human resources leads to deprivation of the countryside and decrease of living conditions for its old population. However, the government could play a crucial role in tackling those problems by developing distance work through new fiscal stimulus and financial help for local authorities as well as increasing funds for social programs.