 Shanghai's first retirement community to combine family and nursing organizational support will welcome their first batch of 22 residents soon. Each of them has paid annual fee of up to 50,000 yuan and a membership fee of 500,000 yuan. The high financial bar to enter the community naturally excludes the majority of retirees.
Do higher costs result in a happier retirement? How should China care for its growing population of elderly citizens? Let's see what local media have to say.
A report in Wenhui News points out that the existing nursing homes mainly provide cheap and comparatively low-class services. They simply cannot meet a variety of market demands. The new high-end retirement community provides obstacle-free facilities, built-in emergency alarms, and housekeepers. Though expensive, it significantly lessens children's worry for their parents' security. A professor from Huadong Normal University comments that the new retirement community is a model that focuses on elderly needs beyond provisions. It also satisfies market demand for high-end retirement services.
A commentary in Dongfang Daily disagrees that money directly brings retirees a good quality of life. Beyond basic provisions, it is more important to make meaningful contributions that bring the elderly contentment. In many western countries, it is common to see elderly volunteers in public places such as museums. The writer believes if one has a companion, a few old friends, a shelter, and a small sum of money, he has a wonderful retired life.
Wenzhou News reports that over 13 percent of the Wenzhou population is above age 60. Thus, the municipal government must speed up the construction of a family -based retirement care system supported by society and supplemented by nursing institutions. The retirement community in Shanghai's Jing'an District is praised in the article. Retirees in the neighborhood are paired up for mutual assistance, while professionals provide voluntary services to their doorsteps. For a complete retirement care system, it is necessary to advocate compassion for the elderly, not just monetary investment.
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