'Cross-city' senior facilities list issued

The first batch of senior care service agencies offering "cross-city" services for senior citizens in the Yangtze River Delta region was released on Thursday, providing more than 25,000 beds.

The 57 senior care home operators in 20 cities including Zhangjiagang, Jiaxing, Chizhou and Xuancheng have earmarked 25,698 beds to accommodate seniors in the region, which will help ease shortages in some cities.

The cross-city accommodation of these senior homes will satisfy the diversified senior care demand of the elderly group in the region, lift the convenience of senior care services and improve the senior care service quality, said Xu Qihua, director of the Shanghai Senior Service Industry Association.

The senior homes are recommended by civil affairs authorities in Shanghai and provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui, and were selected from more than 90 senior care service agencies, said Xu.

"They are in big scale and have good service levels," he added.

The list includes operators such as Renshoutang and Joru Group which operate more than 10 senior homes.

"Strict supervision and management will be conducted to safeguard the rights and interests of senior residents in these homes," said Xu.

More preferential policies for seniors living at cross-city senior homes are expected to be released, Xu said.

The list, issued by the Shanghai Senior Service Industry Association and Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Region Senior Service Promotion Center, is available on www.shweilao.cn, Shanghai's senior care service platform, and will be updated.

More senior care resources in the region will be released, and more cooperation covering training, service standards, intelligent services and industry development will be conducted to promote integrated development of senior care in the region.

Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province has 10 senior care service providers included in the scheme.

"They represent the highest senior care service level of Jiaxing," said Wu Shulei, deputy director of the city's civil affairs bureau.

"Shanghai has a large aging population, and Jiaxing still has some vacancies of senior care beds, which is complementary," Wu said.

"They are attractive options with high-quality facilities and lower charges," he added. 

"The Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong railway going into operation in July narrows the distance of Shanghai and Zhangjiagang, making it more convenient for the elderly from Shanghai to enjoy senior care services in the city," said Fan Yiming, director of Zhangjiagang’s Civil Affairs Bureau.

"Zhangjiagang's senior homes have a beautiful environment," he added. 

Shanghai had 5.18 million residents over the age of 60 at the end of last year, 35 percent of its permanent population.