CHINA: Elderly Healthcare - An age-old problem

. BEIJING, China / China Daily / Xinhua / May 6, 2009 It's a cold, drizzling spring morning as Bai Bing walks out of Beijing's Yuetan Home for the Aged. She puts a plastic bag in her bicycle's front basket and heads off. Nearly half an hour later, she knocks on an apartment door and calls out "Grandpa Feng". "Come in," a voice finally replies. "It's unlocked." Stroke victim Feng Guangya, 78, stands by his bed, smiling. "What's for lunch today, Xiao Bai?" says the elderly man. "Meat and vegetables as usual," says Bai, taking out three containers and helping him to the table. "Today's special is chicken wings. They've been properly cooked till the bones are soft but you'd better still be careful. Do I need to bring supper, grandpa?" The old man smiles. "No, thanks. This lunch will be more than enough - I'll probably have plenty left over for tonight," he says. "Then use the microwave oven carefully," Bai says. "And keep yourself warm, it's chilly today." Feng returned home from the Yuetan Home for the Aged two years ago and Bai and her colleagues have been delivering meals to him every day since. They also provide such home care services to a dozen elderly residents in the same neighborhood, including meal deliveries, haircuts, body cleaning and lifts to and from hospital. Feng's plight is being mirrored around the country more and more. Official figures show that China has an ageing population, with 153 million people now over 60 and around one in five of them in need of long-term care. _________________________________ Interview: Expert on healthcare reform Xue Lan, Professor from Tsinghua University WATCH CCTV VIDEO _________________________________ A growing number of Chinese children choose not to live with their parents after getting married and in turn, parents now tend to rely less on their children's support than ever before. The government has accelerated the transfer of support for the elderly from families to social institutions and in some cities, home help services have emerged as an alternative to old-age homes. Feng and his wife thought they could take care of themselves after their two daughters left home but as they aged they struggled with the housework, particularly after Feng was hit by cerebral thrombosis. He stayed at Yuetan for a year to recover. "It was good to have many people to talk to. But some patients were noisy and annoyed me," he says. "Sometimes I couldn't sleep well at night, because the care staff would wake up my paralyzed roommate and help him go to the bathroom." Zhang Yan, deputy-secretary of Hetong Charitable Foundation for the Aged (HCFA), says many elderly people value their privacy and feel much more comfortable at home. Some children also think it is not correct to put their parents into old folks' homes. "People would rather employ a domestic helper but they also worry they might not be well qualified to take good care of them," she says. "For instance, basic nursing and psychological skills may be needed, especially for those who are physically and mentally disabled." A non-profit organization based in Tianjin, HCFA runs the Yuetan Home for the Aged with the approval of the Yuetan Neighborhood Committee. The home can accommodate up to 50 people but the area has as many as 26,000 elderly residents, of which 12 percent are "empty-nesters" (living alone), like the Fengs. All HCFA's staff are trained and must first obtain old-age care qualification certificate from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. "They are experienced to guarantee the seniors handy and professional home services just by a phone call," Zhang says. They evaluate the physical condition of the elderly who need home care and keep track of their service to see if there is room to improve. Zhang Dongmei, dean of the Yuetan Home for the Aged, says that they receive most requests for home help at the end of the month, mainly for baths and haircuts. Her colleague Mu Yuemei has visited three elderly women over the past week, one of whom is in her 90s. "The lady has been in bed for years. I bathe her and give her a haircut once a month," Mu says. The old lady lives with her family and is tended by a domestic helper. Mu's own mother was once hospitalized for a year and she took care of her. "I thought it was quite easy to nurse the elderly before I started working here (at the old-age home)," she says. "I took the training courses and realized that past experiences are not enough. The job requires professional skills and communication with older people is also essential to relieve their loneliness." Despite the growing need for home help, there is a chronic shortage of eligible staff. Latest figures from the China National Committee on Aging show that the number of people working in elderly healthcare was 321,600 at the end of 2007 but less than 10 percent had the job qualification certificate. "Sometimes people do not appreciate our services or take our job and professionalism seriously. Some people think we are just domestic helpers," Bai Bing says. "Almost all of our care staff are migrant workers. It is not uncommon for them to quit and shift to other less tiring professions," Zhang Yan says. The Beijing municipality is piloting an elderly home care system in all its communities. The government grants eligible senior citizens a monthly allowance of 50 to 250 yuan, which they can use to pay for different services. The beneficiaries are usually elderly people from low-income groups, those who live alone or with disabled offspring, those between the ages of 80 and 89 and those confined to bed, or in their 90s. Zhou Xiangshang, deputy-director of the Tuanjiehu Neighborhood Committee, says of the 9,800 elderly people in the area, just 150 are eligible for government-funded home services. Many others also apply and are even willing to pay by themselves. Zhou's neighborhood has a home for the elderly but its professional care-givers are too busy with their own work to provide additional home help. The committee now works with a domestic service agency, which employs 20 domestic helpers and arranges basic training for elderly healthcare. The agency has been planning to extend its home help service to care for more elderly residents, with a special focus on their mental well-being. It hoped to attract local women in their 40s and 50s, perhaps those who had lost their jobs and couldn't find other work. A survey of potential candidates, however, found just a few who were interested. "Services for the elderly have great potential," says Zhang Yan. "The whole of society should change its mindset and show more respect to people in this career." Editor: Fang Yang Source: China Daily