China has made significant strides in improving home and community-based care services for the elderly, while also strengthening the capacity of elderly care institutions in recent years.
By the end of 2023, China had 297 million people aged 60 and older, making up 21.1 percent of the population.
As the country advances toward modernization, it is proactively tackling the challenges of an aging population, acknowledging it as a key issue that must be addressed head-on.
The country is steadily expanding its catering network to provide convenient meal services directly to the doorsteps of more senior citizens.
Catering programs have been rolled out in many regions to help elderly people access local meal services, with community canteens being a common form of these services.
A community in Lanzhou City, northwest China's Gansu Province, has been exploring a model that combines meal assistance with diverse interest-based courses for the elderly, creating multifunctional services.
It provides discounted lunches and dinners for seniors, as well as offering university courses for the elderly.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the central government has implemented various measures to significantly enhance home-based and community-based elderly care services.
Since 2021, central government funding has facilitated the establishment of 303,600 nursing beds in the homes of eligible elderly individuals.
During this period, 1.72 million homes of seniors with special needs were renovated to better accommodate their requirements.
"Next, we will promote the introduction of industry standards for the basic norms for the construction of beds at home care services for the elderly, driving the standardization, normalization, and professionalization of home-based elderly care," said Li Yongxin, head of the elderly care services department at the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
A report released on Tuesday stated that by the end of 2023, nursing beds accounted for 58.9 percent of all beds in elderly care institutions across China.
The achievement demonstrates that the country met its target set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) ahead of schedule.
"After coming here, I've become quite accustomed to life. We have plenty of activities. Every Monday we exercise. We usually sing on Tuesdays and do crafts on Wednesdays. So, I'm quite satisfied here," said Xiang Ti, a resident of a social welfare center in Wuxi City, in east China's Jiangsu Province.
China makes significant progress in improving elderly care services
