2024/03/20 A living dilemma that faces elderly people

With the rapid rise in the aging population in China, an increasing number of people are opting to shift to nursing homes after retirement. In response, the government has been continuously improving eldercare services. By the third quarter of 2023, the number of nursing homes and other facilities nationwide had reached 400,000, with more than 8.20 million beds, up about 3.4 times and 1.22 times respectively compared with the end of 2015.

But who are the people opting to live in nursing homes?

First, there are elderly people who need government help, such as those without the ability to work, without a source of income, without caregivers or guardians, and people whose caregivers or guardians are unable to provide for them, and those who are weak or feel lonely. Then there are widows, the disabled, and people who never married.

Second, there are elderly people who don't want to live with their children. Many elderly people feel that living with their children is inconvenient, stressful and emotionally draining, or there is a lack of living space in their offspring's apartment, and thus choose to shift to a nursing home.

And third, some elderly people who are unable to take care of themselves and require professional care also choose to live in nursing homes.