Aanpassen en meten: ouder worden in Hong Kong
Voorbereiden op het ouder worden. Niet alleen ouderen in Nederland zijn ermee bezig. Of zouden er meer bezig moeten zijn eigenlijk. Uit recent van onderzoek I&O Research in opdracht van dagblad Trouw blijkt dat de ‘yeps’ (young eldelry persons) niet bezig zijn met de toekomst en zich niet voorbereiden op hun oude dag. In Hong Kong is het niet anders. Het aantal ouderen neemt ook daar toe. Ouderen wonen in krappe woningen, veelal in grootschalige, torenhoge flats. De Hong Kong Housing society heeft in 2005 het Elderly Resources Centre (ERC) opgericht om ouderen, mantelzorgers, professionals, vrijwilligers en studenten te informeren over het zo lang mogelijk zelfstandig wonen. Er gebeurt meer dan informatie geven over seniorvriendelijke woningen, want ouderen kunnen ook een screening laten doen. In het centrum zijn de kleine appartementen die in Hong Kong veelvuldig aanwezig zijn nagemaakt. Maatschappelijk werkers, ergotherapeuten en vrijwilligers helpen de ouderen die hier komen. ‘Ouderen kunnen er een kijkje nemen en allerlei hulpmiddelen, gadgets en technische snufjes zien’, zegt Sabrina Li, manager van het ERC. ‘Ik vertel hen dat ze bij hun woningen moeten letten op veiligheid, toegankelijkheid en comfort.’ Ze laat ons een bed zien die uit een kast gerold wordt. ‘Daar kan een familielid slapen. De volgende ochtend kun je het bed weer ‘oprollen.’ Het kost dus geen ruimte. We noemen dit een ‘verborgen bed’. Maar het komt uit Europa dus jullie kennen dit al. En dit is een automatische medicijn verdeler. Zo krijgen ouderen nooit teveel pillen.’ Sabrina is erg enthousiast over het centrum. In een hoog tempo laat ze me de verschillende ruimtes zien. Er is zelfs een aparte ruimte voor informatie over wonen met dementie. In Hong Kong heeft een derde van de mensen van 85 jaar of ouder een vorm van dementie. En het aantal ouderen neemt toe, dus ook het aantal mensen met dementie. Bij deze woningen is voor wat betreft de inrichting extra gelet op voldoende kleurcontrasten. Sabrina wijst op de ramen in het appartement. ‘Hier hebben we speciaal . . . . lees meer van Yvonne Witter
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
