Beijing authorities have said that after the vast majority of the city's nursing homes shut down in recent years, they plan to launch a new program to provide better senior care.
"Since 2009, Beijing has established 2,000 nursing homes for the aged in residential communities but now only 70 of them are still operating. Most have been abandoned," Zhou Hongjing, an official from the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, said at the fifth International Aging Industry Expo held in Beijing on Friday.
Li Hongbing, spokesperson of the bureau, explained on Tuesday that most of the abandoned nursing homes were launched without a thorough preparation process and they were mostly operated by non-professionals, The Beijing News reported.
Zhong added that currently the Beijing government has conducted a general survey of "idle resources in residential communities" and will build 1,300 upgraded senior centers by integrating these resources.
A 2015 white paper published by the National Health and Family Planning Commission showed that among the 13.33 million registered Beijing residents, 3.01 million were above 60 years old while 2.04 million were above 65 years old, meaning that at least one-fifth of Beijing residents are over 60 years old.
Barely survive
One of these scarce "surviving" nursing homes, Fushou nursing home in Huilongguan, Changping district, is barely surviving.
The nursing home, with two apartments and covering 300 square meters, takes care of around 30 seniors including 16 who are long-term residents. It was established in 2011 and has been supported by district and municipal civil affairs bureaus.
The home employs eight carers and charges every long-term resident 3,800 yuan ($553) a month, but this price is far below the market rate, the owner who asked to be identified only by his surname Chen told the Global Times on Tuesday.
According to Chen, the main problems the nursing home faces are increasing rents and dwindling government support.
The Beijing government released in 2009 a total of nine regulations to promote the care of seniors, one of which requires establishing nursing homes for the aged in residential communities. In April 2010, the number of nursing homes reached 2,484.
Unlike large-scale welfare centers, the main selling point of nursing homes in residential communities is that children living nearby can attend to their parents at short notice.
In light of the policy, Chen established his nursing home with government funding.
However, "other nursing homes which were managed by district or village committees have died due to a lack of management experience and professional carers," said Chen, adding that the ones which remain open are most likely supported by wealthy individuals or companies.
Transformation underway
An unnamed official from the Beijing civil affairs bureau told the media that the government is mulling upgraded nursing homes, not only to provide a place for seniors but also to offer comprehensive services to the community, The Beijing News reported.
The official added that the government will provide facilities to the upgraded nursing homes and also allow professional welfare companies to use them for free.
Moreover, these homes will charge fees lower than the market price, said the official.
The upgraded homes will cover between 100 and 1,000 square meters and provide six functions: daytime care, outcall services, food services, medical consultation, entertainment and psychological consolation, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Previous nursing homes mostly offered only daytime services and accommodation.
However, they will not provide a great deal of support for seniors who need long-term care as seniors will be limited to two-week stays.
The government will provide a maximum 300,000 yuan subsidy to these centers, Beijing Business Today reported.
Currently, a total of 150 upgraded centers have been completed.
One of them, the Le Ling care center in Shijingshan district, takes care of 13 seniors in seven houses. Wang Yanrui, who is in charge of the center, told The Beijing News that the building and furniture were provided by the government. Moreover, the government offers a subsidy of 12 yuan for each meal and one elderly person only needs to pay five yuan.
"Establishing upgraded care centers conforms to the times. My nursing home is likely to be upgraded to become one of them. It is really good news for the elderly," said Chen.
