Nursing apartments are becoming a trend among seniors in China’s capital, Beijing. Surrounded by convenient transportation and health care institutions, this new senior lifestyle has attracted many elderly individuals looking to enjoy the rest of their lives with better services.
As of the end of 2017, there were 241 million people aged 60 and older in China, accounting for over 17 percent of the country’s population. To address the needs of its aging population, the Chinese government has been promoting the establishment of more nursing homes and making the market more accessible for private capital to invest in elder care facilities.
For years, many elderly citizens have been reluctant to live in nursing homes. However, this is changing as the number of well-educated and relatively wealthy seniors has grown in recent years. This group has developed a preference for a higher-end lifestyle, leading them to embrace the concept of “nursing apartments”. These apartments provide daily care, entertainment, exercise, trips, and classes such as English, calligraphy, computer programming and knitting — all tailored to their specific needs.
Unlike traditional nursing homes in China, nursing apartments operate on a tenantship basis instead of membership. Seniors residing in these apartments pay monthly fees for rent, facilities, and services. Notably, each room is equipped with a red button, allowing seniors to request assistance or call for help in case of an emergency. The cost of this lifestyle is just as impressive as its convenience, with annual leasing fees ranging from 170,000 Yuan (around $24,000) to 300,000 (around $42,354).
While older individuals line up to live in luxury apartments in Beijing, Hangzhou, takes a different approach with its elder care. The city encourages young people to live alongside senior residents, aiming to combat loneliness among the seniors. In exchange for low rent, young tenants are required to spend a minimum of 20 hours per month engaging with older residents. This intergenerational housing concept has been implemented in other countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and France.
Overall, China’s elderly-care facilities have seen some improvement as the country continues to embrace the silver economy. In 2017, China had 7.45 million elderly-care facility beds, double the number compared to 2016.However, there is still a huge gap between the aging population and the number of elderly-care facilities in China. Additionally, the services provided vary significantly between urban and rural area due to a shortage of qualified personnel.
Wafaa Ezzat 