Senior care counselors to be introduced in trial

Shanghai authorities plan to trial a "senior care counselor" system at community centers to provide better services for the elderly, a senior civil affairs official said yesterday.

Staff workers at community-based comprehensive senior care service centers will be trained to provide consulting services on senior-related service facilities, senior care programs, long-term nursing insurance and senior service subsidies for the elderly from next month in the trial, Zhu Qinhao, director of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, said.

They will also recommend the most suitable senior care services and items for the elderly, and the program is expected to roll into neighborhood and village committees at a later date.

"Although Shanghai has rich senior service resources, we found that many seniors are not aware of these resources or new policies, making it difficult for them to access them," Zhu said.

Shanghai's senior population grew 5.6 percent last year from 2016, accounting for 33.2 percent of permanent residents.

The number of people aged 60 or above totaled 4.84 million at the end of 2017, according to the bureau.

Hongkou, Huangpu and Putuo districts have the highest percentage of seniors. In 2017, 37.9 percent of permanent residents in Hongkou comprised people aged 60 or above.