This Day, That Year

Item from Dec 18, 1995: In China, people over 60 will represent more than 10 percent of the total population by the end of the 20th century. Nursing homes are increasingly seen by social experts and family members as a solution.

Last year, the number of elderly citizens aged 60 and above topped 230 million, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs — 16.7 percent of the country’s population. The figure is expected to increase to 17.8 percent by 2020 and 25 percent by 2030.

However, services catering to the needs of the elderly are seriously lagging. China has more than 28,000 registered institutions for eldercare with only about 7 million beds, the ministry said.

To boost the sector’s growth, authorities have taken various measures to enhance investment in private healthcare and eldercare institutions.

In October, the ministry released a draft laying out the basic quality standards for care homes.

It said such homes are required to help their residents stay connected with the outside world by providing enhanced communication facilities and services.

The 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) includes provisions to provide better senior care services — improving the social security system and enabling both the government and the market to function.

The surge in care homes has also led to a shortage of professional caregivers. In 2014, the country’s first school for eldercare was established at the Ningbo College of Health Sciences in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.