Chongqing Focuses on Addressing Everyday Needs to Enhance Elderly Well-Being

Xu Shixiang is satisfied with the home modifications. (Photo/Zhang Sha)

Chongqing - Chongqing is one of the cities in China with the highest level of aging, with 7.81 million registered residents aged 60 and above, accounting for 22.9 percent of its total registered population as of the end of 2023.

In 2024, the city will focus on addressing the concerns of elderly care and optimizing service provision, aiming to better meet the needs of elderly people through detailed and thoughtful services.

Creating a sarm and safe Home

Xu Shixiang and Liu Shurong, both 72, are elderly residents living alone in Luohuang Town, Jiangjin District of Chongqing. Xu suffers from insufficient blood flow to his blood vessels, hypertension, and lumbar disc herniation, often experiencing dizziness, headaches, and leg pain. Liu, a former leukemia patient, now has diabetes and frequently feels weakness in her limbs.

Following an application for senior-friendly home modifications and an evaluation by a third-party company, home renovations were made based on their needs, daily habits, and high-frequency requirements. These modifications aimed to improve their living experience.

The renovations included adding foldable handrails beside the beds and placing a walker at the head of the bed. Since both elderly individuals are at risk of falling, more changes were made in the bathroom: non-slip mats were laid on the floor, two non-slip handrails were installed near the shower head and squat toilet, and a shower chair and toilet chair were provided.

"Life at home is now more convenient and safer, and we feel much more at ease," said Liu Shurong.

After the home modifications, both of their habits changed. They have gotten used to supporting themselves with the handrails when getting out of bed, using the shower chair for bathing, and the toilet chair for toileting. They have experienced fewer dizzy spells.

Many elderly people face difficulties in daily life due to their physical conditions. Some fear falling while bathing, and for others, even getting out of bed can be challenging. Currently, home modifications for elderly individuals with special difficulties, like Xu and Liu, have been carried out for 100 households in Luohuang Town.

Chongqing has issued a notice on elderly home modifications. It provides a subsidy of 2,000 yuan ($274.01) per household for elderly families with special needs, such as the elderly who are high-aged, disabled, or living in difficult circumstances. It also encourages districts and counties to gradually expand the scope of modifications to include some urban and rural low-income households.

As of now, the city has completed modifications for 39,320 households.

Senior citizens have dinner at the Xinyi Community, Dadukou District canteen. (Photo/Zhang Sha)

A hot meal at ready

Since the canteen opened in Xinyi Community, Dadukou District, in October 2023, Hu Changyu has been having lunch and supper there every day.

At 81, Hu had always cooked for herself at home. "I live alone, so I just make a little every day. If I cook too much, it goes to waste, and eating out isn't hygienic," she said.

Fortunately, the community's dining hall opened, solving her cooking problems. The meals are varied, nutritionally balanced, and, most importantly, well-suited to elderly tastes.

Chen Yingying, a staff member of Xinyi Community, said the dining hall is mainly frequented by elderly individuals who live alone or whose children are too busy to prepare meals.

The dining hall customizes dishes based on the elderly's dietary needs, focusing on nutritional balance with low sugar, low salt, and soft textures. Chen added that the meals are affordable, allowing elderly residents to enjoy healthy, hygienic, and cost-effective food right at their doorstep.

Currently, more than 20 elderly residents dine at the community canteen daily. Due to the distance and steep terrain making access difficult for nearby neighborhoods, Xinyi Community also offers a delivery service, with an additional 20 elderly residents ordering meals for delivery from surrounding areas.

For the development of senior community canteens, Chongqing has been exploring four key mechanisms: matching supply and demand, cost-sharing, multi-party participation, and regulation and supervision. Based on local conditions, 1,695 senior dining halls have been established, with over 85 percent operating at break-even or generating a profit.

Bathing assistants help the elderly citizens who have just finished a refreshing bath out of the Bathing Express. (Photo/Zhang Sha)

More comfortable and dignified life for the elderly

On the morning of December 17, in Gaoqiao Village, Bishan District, staff members assisted 92-year-old Zhou Qingbi onto the Bathing Express, where the facilities were fully equipped, including a changing area, bathroom, sit-in bathtub, shower aids, safety handrails, and features like ventilation, automatic temperature control, and ozone sterilization.

Zhou's last bath was over a month ago when her two daughters-in-law came home to help. "At my age, taking a bath in winter alone at home takes more than an hour. It’s not thorough, time-consuming, and exhausting, and I'm always worried about catching a cold or falling," Zhou said.

After a health assessment, bathing attendants put ear protectors on her to prevent water from getting into her ears, then followed the standard bathing procedure, thoroughly washing her from head to toe. After more than 20 minutes of bathing, Zhou felt much more energetic.

"At 92, it's my first time bathing in a car. I feel so refreshed and comfortable," she said.

"Winter is cold, and for elderly people in rural areas with declining physical abilities, limited mobility, and poor living conditions, a comfortable bath becomes a luxury," said Zhang Bin, a village official.

Long Quanming, head of Chongqing Sunshine Eldercare Service, explained that bathing assistance for the elderly differs from that for healthy individuals. Elderly people often have various health conditions that require professional care. Therefore, the bathing attendants must undergo professional training and pass assessments by the human resources and social security department before being qualified to work. Before assisting the elderly, their blood pressure, body temperature, and other health conditions are checked.

To address this essential need for bathing, Chongqing has explored collaboration between elderly care and charity services, with government purchasing, charitable donations, and market-based services to offer a variety of bathing assistance options.

This initiative helps solve the bathing difficulties for the elderly. Currently, 597 fixed bathing points have been established, and 10 Bathing Expresses are in operation, benefiting 100,000 elderly individuals annually.

(Zhang Sha, a reporter from Chongqing Daily, contributed the Chinese version of this report.)