Senior care standards to be released this year

Standards for the grading and evaluation of senior care homes in Shanghai are expected to be released within the year, Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau announced on Wednesday.

Under the standards, senior care agencies in the city will be graded and assessed based on their facilities and services, officials said.

Authorities will also implement another set of standards relating to the service quality of senior care agencies by year's end to regulate the market and establish a comprehensive senior home service quality monitoring and evaluation system, officials said.

Shanghai's civil affairs, police, health authorities, and quality and food watchdogs have set up a team to conduct a campaign targeting irregularities at senior homes. Inspections will cover more than 50 items such as licenses, safety, personnel, service contracts, charges and the information systems of senior homes in order to regulate the market, officials said.

Authorities will also push forward the construction of a credit system blacklisting senior care homes that abuse or bully the elderly, or get involved in big safety incidents or illegal financial activities, the bureau added.

The facilities of 40 senior care homes in the suburb will be upgraded within the year, officials said.

The announcement was made on the China International Forum on the Aging held on Wednesday.