Free respite care service a boon for aging society, should be extended

THE GOVERNMENT IS purchasing respite care service to help families take care of disabled elders and/or elders living with dementia in parts of Beijing. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

Fengtai district in Beijing recently rolled out the second phase of its pilot respite care program to provide temporary care service to 1,000 disabled elderly people and/or senior citizens living with dementia, a move that families of the elderly have welcomed.

Taking care of elderly people who are disabled or living with dementia is a 24x7 job that often leaves family members exhausted.

Thanks to respite care, a service that is paid for by the government, senior citizens can go to a nursing home where they can get all-round care. Alternatively, nursing staff can be sent to such people's homes. This way the caregiver in the family can take rest for four days a month.

Fengtai district launched the respite care pilot program in November 2018. In the 13 months since, the program has greatly helped the senior citizens and their families. The service is expected to be extended to the entire city.

With China facing a rising aging population problem, how to provide support for the elderly is a major concern.

Traditionally, families have been taking care of the elderly. And since life expectancy in China has increased in recent decades, in quite a few families the caregivers themselves are senior citizens.

According to a 2018 Tianjin Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau report, 86.1 percent of the disabled elderly people in Tianjin are taken care of by their spouses, children or relatives, and the average age of the caregivers is 59.

Respite care service is a boon to such families, as it helps caregivers to take care of themselves. And with the joint efforts of the government, society and families, the program should be promoted nationwide.