High-quality elderly care services ensure happy later years for all. Photo: Tuchong

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Chinese modernization is characterized by a huge population and common prosperity for all. At the same time, Chinese modernization faces the pressure of an expanding elderly population. By conducting thorough and in-depth social surveys, rooting in primary-level society, and delving into urban and rural areas in counties or county-level areas, we can discover vivid local practices and excellent examples of actively addressing population aging.

The Wujiang District has a rich tradition of investigation and research, as well as a spirit of innovation. In its efforts to promote the urban-rural integration on the county level, it actively explores, experiments with, and implements high-quality development of elderly care services. Situated at the junction of Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai, Wujiang serves as a demonstration zone for integrated development of ecological and green development in the Yangtze River delta, boasting a developed economy. In terms of population aging, Wujiang presents characteristics of a large base, rapid growth rate, and high life expectancy.

A holistic strategy system: The Wujiang District of Suzhou City has developed a comprehensive policy system for elderly care, setting up public service standards and norms. Wujiang is prioritizing the integrated development of urban and rural areas within the county, and constructing a high-quality elderly care service system that integrates home-based communities and institutions, as well as combines medical and health care.

One station with multiple points: Wujiang has integrated professional resources in zoning operations to promote the development of community-based elderly care services. To meet the growing demand for elderly care services, Wujiang actively implements the “nearby, surrounding, and bedside” elderly care service model based on thorough research. Wujiang further promotes community elderly care services in an “outward-in” manner, introducing “one station with multiple points” area operation, forming a four-level service system of “township (subdistrict) -area - community - family.”

Wu You (worry free) with one click: Wujiang has developed an intelligent elderly care service platform, essentially building a home-based elderly care service system. “Wu You” symbolizes a “worry free” approach to elderly care, representing an attempt at the “intelligent elderly care + aging-friendly” model. The focus of the project is to better meet the service needs of the elderly through the use of intelligent products.

One village with one neighborhood: Huangjiaxi Village adopts the “one village with one neighborhood” model through the exploration of rural mutual aid and elderly care neighborly hubs, building health stations as physical platforms to provide basic health monitoring, chronic disease management, traditional Chinese medicine therapy and other health services. It also cooperates with town-level community health service centers to provide professional services and solve the basic medical needs of rural elderly residents. In the process of developing rural mutual aid and elderly care neighborly hubs, the integration and development of urban and rural public resources have been promoted. Shengze Town has also established a children’s care home, exploring a model of child care services that involves “taking care of the young by the elderly, and promoting the elderly with the young.”

Drawing on its own traditions and advantages in sociological research, Wujiang actively explores and is committed to building a high-quality elderly care service system with unique Chinese characteristics. These dynamic explorations and practices can provide valuable insights for the development of elderly care services in other regions. The notion that “if goals of self and others can be unified, the world can be harmonized” will have a broader extension in actively responding to the aging population process.

Wu Yushao is a professor from the Fudan Institute of Aging.

Edited by ZHAO YUAN