Beijing aims to improve lives of seniors, disabled

Elderly couples celebrate their wedding anniversaries in a community in Fengtai district, Beijing, on Thursday. (LIU PING/FOR CHINA DAILY)

Beijing has rolled out a set of welfare measures for elderly people age 80 and above, as well as those who are younger but have disabilities or dementia, as part of the city's efforts to tackle challenges posed by its rapidly aging population.

"Senior citizens age 80 and above and those who are disabled or suffering from dementia are the top priority for elderly care services," said Guo Hanqiao, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

He said the measures cover approximately 855,000 people.

Beijing has 698,000 citizens age 80 and above, among whom 163,600 are disabled, according to statistics from the bureau. Additionally, there are 157,000 seniors under 80 who are disabled or have dementia.

The Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau and 11 other departments recently announced 20 measures divided into six categories to address the daily needs of seniors, including plans to provide special allowances and subsidies, construct service facilities, integrate medical and elderly care and provide meal assistance services, according to a news conference held by the bureau on Wednesday.

Guo said the policy prioritizes the establishment of regional elderly care service centers and other related facilities in areas with a high concentration of seniors age 80 and above to better meet demand.

He said one of the highlights of the policy is the first-ever proposal to use elderly care service centers in subdistricts and townships as a driving force to create a symbiotic ecosystem for elderly care services.

"We will leverage the regional elderly care service centers to integrate elderly care institutions, service stations and professional service providers," he added.

To date, the city has over 570 elderly care institutions, nearly 1,500 elderly care service stations, and more than 2,000 elderly meal assistance facilities, as well as community health service centers in each subdistrict and township.

"The policy also emphasizes the integration of medical services and elderly care for them," Guo said, adding that the measures include introducing innovative incentive and assessment mechanisms for family doctor contract services, encouraging medical personnel to provide integrated services at the grassroots level and transforming some hospitals into rehabilitation and nursing institutions.

Beijing will advance the construction and application of smart elderly care scenarios, with a focus on supporting the development of the elderly care robot industry, promoting the smart care service management system and care service terminals, and advancing the construction of smart nursing homes, according to the policy.

The city will also establish a monitoring and early warning system that can track elderly people living alone by exploring the application of smart devices such as smart water and gas meters.