China Aging Science Research Center Releases 2021-2022 Aging Industry Development Report
The China Aging Science Research Center announced the release of the “China Aging Industry Development Report (2021-2022)” in Beijing yesterday. According to the report, by the end of 2022, there will be an estimated 280 million people aged 60 and above in China, with around 44 million of them being disabled or semi-disabled. Among the elderly population over the age of 80, approximately 40% are disabled or semi-disabled and require varying degrees of medical care and long-term care services.
In recent years, China has been working towards improving the elderly care and long-term care service system, focusing on homes, communities, and institutions. As part of these efforts, a pilot program for national elderly care services was launched last year in 15 provinces including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanxi. The pilot projects have led to a significant increase in the number of professional nurses and medical care workers in nursing institutions, rehabilitation institutions, and elderly care. Community health service centers and professional service agencies have also been actively providing services such as home care, family beds, and day care, extending the reach of services to communities and families. Concurrently, the content standards for elderly care and long-term care services have been continuously improved and integrated with the payment standards of long-term care insurance.
Liu Yuanli, Counselor of the State Council and Professor of Peking Union Medical College, emphasized the need to accelerate the establishment of a long-term care basic social security system during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. This system would provide effective long-term care services integrating medical care and nursing care for the disabled or semi-disabled elderly, based on dual assessments of disability status and family economic capacity.
To address the shortage of elderly health care talents, China plans to implement a national geriatric medicine talent training project during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. This project aims to provide training to 10,000 backbone medical staff in geriatric medicine departments of second-level and above general hospitals and institutions integrating medical care and nursing care. The goal is to ensure that by 2025, at least 90% of senior care professional nurses have participated in training. Additionally, efforts will be made to accelerate the training of social workers and volunteers who serve the health of the elderly, providing convenient and targeted health services through household registration and community activities.
Long-term care insurance has been implemented in China since 2016 to reduce the burden on families of disabled and semi-disabled elderly individuals. The program has expanded to 49 pilot cities, covering 169 million insured persons. Currently, 1.95 million people have enjoyed long-term care insurance benefits. The Shijingshan District of Beijing, for instance, allows insured persons who have been severely disabled for more than 6 months to apply for long-term care insurance. Those who qualify can receive various services, including daily care and a monthly family care subsidy.
The shortage of personnel in the elderly care service industry is a pressing issue. Experts recommend attracting and retaining talents by offering clear job responsibilities, career paths, and a reasonable salary system. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, it is estimated that there will be over 300 million elderly people aged 60 and above, requiring at least 6 million elderly care workers. However, there are currently only 500,000 relevant employees, and the demand for long-term care service personnel with combined medical and elderly care skills far exceeds supply. Experts underscore the need to strengthen the construction of elderly health care teams, increase the number of medical care workers engaged in elderly care work, and provide vocational skills training and employment guidance services to create a skilled workforce. They also call for an improved evaluation system and salary distribution system to attract more professional talents to the industry.