Integrated elderly care network is key to future
An aging population is a challenge for China. At the end of 2018, the number of those age 60 and above was 249.49 million, accounting for 17.9 percent of the total population, while the number of those age 65 and above was 166.58 million, representing 11.9 percent of the total population. According to the China National Committee on Aging, by 2030, the number of people age 60 and above in China will reach 370 million, accounting for 25.3 percent of the total population. By 2053, the number of people 60 and above will touch 487 million, accounting for 34.9 percent of the total population. Due to the country's family planning policies, a majority of Chinese families have faced a situation in which two breadwinners have had to care for four elderly people while raising one child, which weakens the family's ability to care for the elderly. At the same time, China's eldercare industry lacks institutional support, and there is a gap between urban and rural areas. The long-term care insurance system is still in the pilot stage, and the development of the eldercare industry is hindered by a lack of institutional support and funds. A large number of young laborers from the countryside have moved to the cities, leaving elderly people unattended in rural areas. This results in an increase in the aging population in rural areas compared with urban areas. Therefore, it is extremely important to build a medical care system to respond to the problem. In the next 10 years, we need to speed up the building of an elderly care and medical service system and enact suitable laws and regulations. First, we should strengthen the convergence of eldercare and medical service policies, for which we need to explore the establishment of an integrated medical care system. An eldercare and medical service system can meet diverse needs of the elderly population and integrate resources such as families, communities, hospitals and elderly care institutions. We should expand . . . . . read more
China issues new documents to implement Healthy China 2030 initiative
The State Council, China's cabinet, has issued a new guideline to implement the country's Healthy China initiative and promote people's health. With a focus on disease prevention and health promotion, the guideline proposed 15 special campaigns to "intervene in health influencing factors, protect full-life-cycle health and prevent and control major diseases." An action plan for 2019-2030 devised by a newly-established State Council special committee was also made public Monday, specifying the objectives and tasks of each campaign, as well as the responsibilities of different actors in the campaigns. Major health concerns in society, including psychological health, student myopia, child obesity and cancer, will be covered by the campaigns. The General Office of the State Council also released a plan on the organization, implementation and appraisal of the campaigns. Read more . . . . China Daily
China Focus: Intelligent tech backs up China's elderly care
Li Fengyun, 68, scans a QR code on a health examination robot in her community and puts her hands on its arm. After 15 seconds, she receives a detailed health assessment report on her smart phone, including heart rate and blood pressure. Li has been accustomed to such regular health management since she moved into the community in north China's Tianjin Municipality last year. "Though it is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, the robot gives me some basic guidance so that I better know my health condition," she said. Many senior citizens have become beneficiaries of the technology that targets the elderly. Sha Ruifang, a 61-year-old Tianjin citizen with heart disease, is among them. Sha wears a smart watch which can monitor her heart condition at any time. "I did not expect it to play a big role when I was outside," Sha said, adding that she once received a phone call from the back-stage management platform, saying that her heart rate was abnormal. "I went to a hospital immediately and was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. However, I recovered after taking some medicine thanks to the early treatment," Sha said. Jin Yu, business operation director of the company that manufactures the smart watch, said the basic functions of the watch included click-to-call linking to the community committee, health management, real-time monitoring and remote orientation. "The data collected from elderly customers will be gathered at a platform, where our staff will answer their questions and give advice based on abnormal indexes," Jin said. Meanwhile, the children of the elderly can know the health conditions of their parents in . . . . . read more at CCTV
Guangdong to fully open elderly care market
South China's Guangdong province abolished an old regulation on the market access of elderly care institutions to boost the development of the industry, local civil affairs authorities said Monday. A registration and filing system will be put into practice to replace the previous license system, which has been implemented since December 20, 2014, to lower the threshold for setting up elderly care institutions. Social sectors are encouraged to participate in the industry. The provincial department of civil affairs will issue relevant policy documents on the registration and supervision of elderly care institutions, to further promote services for the aged in Guangdong. China saw improved elderly care system, with 163,800 elderly care institutions and facilities offering 7.46 million beds for senior citizens as of the end of 2018. A raft of measures are being taken to accelerate . . . . read more in China Daily
China's elderly-care facility beds more than triple since 2007
China had 7.45 million elderly-care facility beds in 2017, compared to just 2.13 million in 2007, according to a recent report issued by Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Aging Well Association. In 2017, there were over 150,000 facilities providing elderly care services in China, including nursing homes, welfare houses and homes for elderly veterans, said the report published on Jan 26. For thousand elderly people there were 31.60 nursing home beds in 2016, an increase of 19.55 on the figure in 2006. Yet the country saw a huge gap between its aging population and the number of the beds, as about 111,300 out of over 140,000 elderly care providers in China offered no accommodation as of the end of 2016. China had 240 million people aged 60 and above in 2017, accounting for 17.3 percent of its population. Nearly 1.59 million beds in China's eldercare facilities were still vacant by the end of 2016, the report said. A 2016 survey showed that only 4 percent of China's elderly people would like to turn to elderly care facilities, partly due to Chinese people's preference for home-based elderly care and insufficient medical and care services in many facilities. The report also noted a shortage in qualified personnel, saying that . . . . read more in China Daily
Nederland ziet gouden bergen in vergrijzend China
Ze hebben even pauze tussen de huisbezoeken door. Twintig klanten hebben ze nu in de wijk - en de bedoeling is dat het er meer worden. Dat moet lukken, gezien de demografie in het district. Alleen al in deze buurt van lage flats, pal achter een grote straat, wandelen talloze senioren met wandelstok. In 2017 was 17 procent van de Chinezen ouder dan zestig, in 2030 zal dat al een kwart zijn.
Wat Nederlandse zorginstellingen willen doen - hun expertise hier te gelde maken - doet thuiszorgorganisatie Buurtzorg al een paar jaar. In zeven grote steden werken nu in totaal dertig zorgverleners. Donderdag tekende het bedrijf in het bijzijn van minister Hugo de Jonge van volksgezondheid, welzijn en sport een MoU, een voornemen om Suzhou als achtste stad aan dat rijtje toe te voegen. “Nederland is vrij uniek in het verzekerd recht op verpleeghuiszorg, waarin de medische en de welzijnskant zijn geïntegreerd”, zegt De Jonge aan het einde van zijn reis. “China is daar nu naar aan het kijken.” Op dit moment bieden negen Chinese verzekeraars een lange-termijnverzekering voor senioren aan - een relatief nieuw fenomeen waar de overheid toestemming voor moet geven. De verzekeraar schaalt de hulpbehoefte in van een klant, die zelf tien procent van de kosten draagt. Daarna schakelt de verzekering een zorgverlener in. Een onbekend aantal organisaties richt zich op de uitvoering van die lange termijnzorg. Het Nederlandse Buurtzorg is er daar één van. “Voor een Chinees bedrijf is het altijd gemakkelijker”, zegt Jiefan Hu, vice-president van Buurtzorg China. Bureaucratische procedures, zoals het verkrijgen van de benodigde licentie, vergen eindeloos geduld. Voordat Buurtzorg in een wijk aan de slag kan, moet ook nog eens het wijkbestuur akkoord gaan. Dat wijkbestuur is erg betrokken bij haar bewoners, en neemt ook bepaalde taken op. Koken is bijvoorbeeld niet te doen voor de thuiszorgers. Voor een Chinees smeer je niet even een boterham met kaas, maar . . . . lees meer in Trouw
