Nursing homes not enough?
Several years ago, when it came to the issue of elderly care, the problem of insufficient beds at nursing homes was emphasized, and the call for development of nursing homes was mainly focused on meeting the demand.
However, these years, some nursing homes cannot accommodate enough aged people to continue making money, as many beds remain empty.
Some say this is because many consider placing relatives in nursing homes as an undutiful act, so they prefer to keep their parents at home to spend their later lives. But this is not the exact reason. The cause of empty beds mainly lies in that most nursing homes are privately-run, and the facilities there are far from satisfying.
According to a survey of 38 local nursing homes in Hefei, the capital of eastern China's Anhui Province, 36 of them were privately-run. Apart from the other two top standard nursing homes where the supply of beds always falls short of demand, these 36 normally fills half of their accommodation capacity.
It is obvious that many of these nursing homes are equipped with old facilities, but the quality of service is also a vital factor. Mr. Zhang said some of the staff there only got a month's training before starting their work. If the children of these elderly are unable to be satisfied with the life their parents will have there, how can they feel assured enough to send their beloveds to such a place?
Community service needs to be improved for home-based care
While beefing up the elderly care service in nursing homes, China is also advocating that "senior citizens live at home and are taken care of by the community."
According to a survey conducted in Shanghai by Mu Guangzong, professor at the Institute of Population Research, Peking University, about 90% of the elderly prefer to live their later life at home and to look after themselves. In a media survey of Shenzhen's aged people, only 9% were willing to be sent to nursing homes.
This poses a challenge for the communities in China. Since the majority of aged people are reluctant to be placed in a new environment with little space of their own, the service of communities must be improved to cater for such needs.
Yan Qingchun suggested that home-based later life should be developed into a major mode in China, with improved community elderly care service gradually being promoted by the government.
