China Aging Science Research Center Releases “China Aging Industry Development Report (2021-2022)”
The China Aging Science Research Center unveiled its latest report, the “China Aging Industry Development Report (2021-2022),” during a press conference held in Beijing yesterday (29th).
Projected Increase in Elderly Population and the Need for Care Services
According to the report, by the end of 2022, China’s elderly population aged 60 and above will reach a staggering 280 million, with approximately 44 million among them being disabled or semi-disabled. Notably, around 40% of the elderly over the age of 80 require varying degrees of medical and long-term care services. In response to this growing demand, China has been making significant strides in improving the elderly care system through enhancements in home, community, and institutional-based services.
A Growing Focus on Elderly Care Services
China has implemented a pilot program for national elderly care services in 15 provinces, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanxi, since last year. Over the course of the pilot projects, the number of professional nurses and medical care workers in nursing institutions, rehabilitation centers, and elderly care facilities has seen a substantial increase. Additionally, community health service centers and professional agencies have expanded their offerings to include services such as home care, family beds, and day care, thereby extending support to communities and households. Moreover, there have been continuous efforts to improve the standards for aged care and long-term care services and effectively link them with long-term care insurance payment standards.
Plans for Long-Term Care Basic Social Security System
Liu Yuanli, Counselor of the State Council and Professor of Peking Union Medical College, emphasized the need to establish a comprehensive long-term care basic social security system during the “14th Five Year Plan” period. The proposed system would be based on dual assessments of disability status and family economic capacity, providing effective long-term care services that encompass both medical and nursing care for the disabled or semi-disabled elderly.
Addressing the Shortage of Elderly Health Care Talents
Recognizing the shortage of elderly health care professionals, China plans to implement a national geriatric medicine talent training project during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. The project aims to provide training to 10,000 spinal medical staff in geriatric medicine departments of second-level and higher general hospitals and institutions that encompass medical care and nursing care. The goal is to ensure that by 2025, at least 90% of professional senior care nurses have undergone training. Additionally, efforts will be made to expedite the training of social workers and volunteers who serve the health needs of the elderly, providing accessible and tailored health services through home registration and community activities.
Long-Term Care Insurance: Easing the Burden on Families
Recognizing that the disabilities of one individual can affect the entire family, China introduced a long-term care insurance pilot program in 2016 to alleviate the burden on families caring for disabled or semi-disabled elderly members. Currently, the program has expanded to cover 49 pilot cities with 169 million insured individuals, benefiting 1.95 million people. The video below shows the services covered and the eligibility for long-term care insurance.
Beijing Shijingshan District Highlights Eligibility Criteria for Long-Term Care Insurance
Eligible individuals who have been severely disabled for more than six months due to old age, illness, or disability can apply for long-term care insurance. An example cited is Yao Wenqin, an 89-year-old who is deaf, blind, paralyzed, and bedridden due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes. The application process involves an evaluation conducted by staff members to determine eligibility.
Daughter-in-law Yao Wenqin Zhou Li Expresses the Need for Professional Care
Zhou Li, Yao Wenqin’s daughter-in-law, shares the challenges of taking care of her and mentions the desire to hire professionals to assist with her care needs, particularly with bathing and turning her over.
Disability Level Assessor Zhao Zhilin Explains Services Provided
Zhao Zhilin, a disability level assessor, highlights the services that qualified individuals can expect once they meet the conditions for long-term care insurance coverage. This includes daily tasks such as bathing, turning over, and wound care.
Elderly individuals severely disabled like Yao Wenqin receive 12 hours of free monthly home care services from professional organizations in addition to a monthly family care subsidy of 1,044 yuan.
Zhang Yanling, Head of a Long-Term Care Insurance Agency in Shijingshan District, Beijing, Emphasizes the Purpose of the Insurance
Zhang Yanling clarifies that long-term care insurance is designed to support disabled families and other vulnerable groups by providing essential disability care services. Its aim is to address technical challenges faced by families and compensate for the income lost due to disabilities.
To date, more than 4,000 people in Shijingshan District have benefited from the long-term care insurance program. Li Shiyong, a 65-year-old resident who has been paralyzed for 20 years due to a brain infarction, applied for the insurance two years ago and now receives care services from elderly care workers six times a month.
Elderly Care Worker Liu Dawei Highlights the Care Provided
Liu Dawei, an elderly care worker, discusses the rehabilitation and daily caregiving activities performed. He shares the positive impact of massage therapy on Li Shiyong’s leg pain. Li’s wife expresses gratitude for the assistance received, stating that her husband’s inability to move and difficulty in using the toilet have been eased with the help of the elderly care worker.
Addressing the Shortage of Personnel in the Elderly Care Service Industry
Despite the growing demand for elderly care services, issues such as low social recognition, limited career growth opportunities, and low wages result in a lack of recruitment and retention of personnel. Experts suggest attracting and retaining talent by providing clear job responsibilities, defined career paths, and a reasonable salary system.
Demand for elderly care workers in China is expected to reach 6 million, but currently, there are only 500,000 relevant professionals available. This shortage is particularly evident in the scarcity of long-term care service personnel equipped with both medical care and elderly care skills. Experts recommend building robust elderly health care teams by increasing the number of medical care workers engaged in elderly care. They also stress the importance of vocational skills training, employment guidance services, and enriching the long-term care service team to enhance the health of the elderly. A key recommendation is to improve the evaluation and salary distribution systems, incentivizing advanced professional talents in health-related fields.
Du Peng, Vice President of Renmin University in China, Suggests Solutions for Attracting More Talent
Du Peng proposes addressing the shortage of personnel in the elderly care sector by establishing a stable career progression, such as the promotion channels available to medical staff. He advocates for providing clear career development paths for nursing staff in nursing homes. Additionally, he emphasizes the need for increased government subsidies to attract professional personnel by offering competitive income and benefits.
The China Aging Science Research Center released the “China Aging Industry Development Report (2021-2022)” in Beijing yesterday (29th).
By the end of 2022, elderly people aged 60 and over in my country will reach 280 million, of which around 44 million are disabled or semi-disabled. Among the elderly over the age of 80, approximately 40% are disabled or semi-disabled, and require medical care and long-term care services to varying degrees. In recent years, my country has accelerated the improvement of the elderly care system and long-term care based on home, community and institutions.
Since last year, my country has launched a pilot program of national elderly care services in 15 provinces including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanxi. After a year of pilot projects, the number of professional nurses and medical care workers in nursing institutions, rehabilitation institutions, and care for the elderly has increased significantly. Community health service centers and professional service agencies around the world actively provide services such as home care, family beds and day care, and promote the extension of services to communities and families. Continually improve the inclusion standards of aged care and long-term care services, and link organically with long-term care insurance payment standards.
Liu Yuanli, Counselor of the State Council, Professor of Peking Union Medical College: During the “14th Five Year Plan” period, it is necessary to speed up the process of establishing a long-term care basic social security system based on dual assessments of disability status and family economic capacity, and to provide effective long-term care services that combine care medical and nursing care for the disabled or semi-disabled elderly.
In order to alleviate the shortage of elderly health care talents, during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, my country will implement a national geriatric medicine talent training project, which will be held for 10,000 spine medical staff in the department geriatric medicine from the second level and higher general hospitals and institutions that integrate medical care and nursing care training. Strive to ensure that by 2025, the proportion of professional senior care nurses participating in training will not be less than 90%. Accelerate the training of social workers and volunteers who serve the health of the elderly, and provide convenient, accessible and targeted health services for the disabled elderly through home registration and community activities.
Long-term care insurance: reducing the burden on families of disabled elderly
One person is disabled, and the whole family is out of balance. In order to reduce the family burden of the disabled and semi-disabled elderly, my country launched a long-term care insurance pilot program in 2016. Currently, the number of pilot cities has expanded to 49, the number of insured people has reached 169 million, and a total of 1.95 million people enjoyed long-term care insurance benefits. So who can enjoy long term care insurance? What services will eligible people enjoy? Click the video↓↓↓ to see one of the long-term care insurance pilots.
Beijing Shijingshan District notes that insured persons who have been severely disabled for more than 6 months due to old age, illness, disability, etc., can apply for long-term care insurance. Yao Wenqin, 89 years old, is deaf and blind due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes, and has been paralyzed and bedridden for 4 years. After the family members submit an application for long-term care insurance, the staff will come to evaluate.
Daughter-in-law Yao Wenqin Zhou Li: Me and her niece fell back (take care). I’m over 60 years old, and I can’t even sleep well every day like this. The hardest part is bathing it and turning it over. I still want to hire some professionals to help.
Zhao Zhilin, Disability Level Assessor: The elderly currently meet the conditions for applying for long-term care insurance, and only after the final publicity is over, the elderly can officially enjoy the benefits of long-term care insurance. Including daily scrubbing and turning over, including some care to help clean the wound and a range of services.
Seniors with severe disabilities like Yao Wenqin, in addition to enjoying 12 hours of free door-to-door service from professional organizations every month, will also receive a monthly family care subsidy of 1,044 yuan.
Zhang Yanling, head of a long-term care insurance agency in Shijingshan District, Beijing: Long-term care insurance is specially aimed at disabled families and such difficult groups, providing them with basic disability care services, so that many families can not only solve the technical problems they encounter trans in nursing care, but also compensates the family Income lost due to disability.
Since the long-term care insurance was piloted in Shijingshan District in 2018, more than 4,000 people have enjoyed the benefits so far. Li Shiyong, a 65-year-old resident, has been paralyzed for 20 years due to a brain infarction Two years ago, he applied for long-term care insurance, and enjoys the services of elderly care workers 6 times a month.
Elderly care worker Liu Dawei: I mostly do more rehabilitation, as well as bathing, cutting nails, cutting hair, and helping them expel phlegm, roll over, and buckle their backs. At first, he suffered from pain in his leg, and then his shoulders were still uncomfortable. He was rehabilitated by massage, and managed to move his legs. Ask him now, the pain is basically gone.
The wife of the disabled old man Li Shiyong: He can’t move, and it’s very difficult to go to the toilet. Then I took out long term care insurance. After the (elderly carer) came and helped me with some work, I was much more relaxed.
Expert: The shortage of personnel in the elderly care service industry urgently needs to be resolved
Due to low social recognition, low wages, and limited career development space, there are still problems in the senior care services industry such as lack of recruitment and retention of personnel. Experts suggest that talent should be attracted and retained with clear job responsibilities, a clear career path and a reasonable salary system.
According to estimates, during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the total number of elderly people aged 60 and over will exceed 300 million, accounting for more than 20%, entering the moderate aging stage. According to statistics, my country’s demand for elderly care workers reaches 6 million, but currently there are only 500,000 relevant workers, especially long-term care service personnel who have combined medical and elderly care skills are scarce. Experts suggest strengthening the building of elderly health care teams, increasing the number of medical care workers involved in elderly care work, conducting vocational skills training and employment guidance services, training a group of medical care workers for the elderly, and enriching the health of the elderly. , especially the long-term care service team. Improve the evaluation system for advanced health-related professional talents, and improve the salary distribution system based on technical skill value incentives.
Du Peng, Vice President of Renmin University in China: In order to attract more talents, one needs to establish a stable career expectation, just like medical staff, it can go from nurse to nurse to director, a series of promotion channels. The nursing staff of our nursing home can have a clear path for career development. The second is to increase subsidies in this field through the government, so that the corresponding income and treatment can attract professional personnel to join. (CCTV news customer)
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