Bored empty-nester makes bomb hoax call  

独居老人想要人陪 夜里报警谎称“家里有炸弹”

Police finds no bomb in the empty-nester's house.

(ECNS) -- An old woman surnamed Wu who lives in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, made an emergency call on Sunday evening, saying that bombs had been hidden in her house, according to the Yangtze Evening Post.

Police found no bombs however, and discovered that Wu lived alone and had called the police to relieve her loneliness.

Zhang Chun, chief of Nanjing's Psychological Crisis Intervention Center, said that elderly people who live alone in cities for a long time are likely to develop psychological problems.

Nanjing has launched a special system of elderly care service, including daily care and spiritual consolation at home or in their communities, yet such services are limited.

The best solution is for children to spend more time caring for their elderly parents, and for communities to set up mental health hotlines for the elderly, Zhang added.