City achieves elderly-care targets

More than 7,200 beds have been added at senior-care homes across Shanghai this year by early December, while another 1,485 beds for seniors with cognitive disorders have been renovated, both surpassing respective goals of 7,000 and 1,000, Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau announced on Tuesday.

Six life improvement projects in senior care had been set by the city government this year and all had been accomplished, the bureau said. 

A total of 83 senior-care centers in the city’s suburbs have been upgraded with infrastructure renovated and facilities added, while 83 senior day-care service centers were built in the city, exceeding the target of 80 for both.

Another 88 community-based senior service centers have been built in the city, together with 217 new community meal service venues for the elderly, the bureau said. 

By the end of last year, Shanghai's senior population had risen to around 5 million, or 34.4 percent of permanent residents. Among them, 816,700 were 80 or older.

The number of beds at senior-care homes will reach 175,000 by 2022, satisfying the demand of 3 percent seniors with permanent residency. Among them, 60 percent will incorporate nursing or medical functions and 8,000 will exclusively cater for seniors with cognitive disorders. 

The current number is over 140,000.

An estimated 200,000 seniors in the city suffer from some sort of cognitive disorder, and the figures are rising, according to the bureau. Their care has posed big challenges for their families who are in need of support. 

Improving the professional caring level of senior homes and developing professional care and rehabilitation services for this group of seniors has been a priority, the bureau said. 

By 2022, there will be 1,600 community-based canteens for the elderly in the city, double the current figure, serving about 5 percent of Shanghai’s senior citizens aged 65 or over.

The number of community-based senior-service centers will grow to 400 by that time, also double the current figure, according to the bureau.