Seniors enjoy themselves in residential center
Print Edition
Cai Xingju, now 79 years old, has been living in a Putuo residential elder care center for more than three years and finds her stay comfortable, active and filled with new friends.
Changfeng Park is just next door to the residential center, officially known as the Shanghai Putuo Social Welfare Institution, one of 36 seniors’ facilities in the district.
The district, like the rest of Shanghai, is coming to grips with the problem of a rapidly graying society, not enough younger people to care for their elders, and lack of space and facilities for day care and residential care.
In 2012 there were 241,200 seniors over the age of 60 and 48,000 over the age of 80 in the district. Around 11,900 seniors live alone.
There are 36 social welfare institutions and nursing homes across the district, with a total of 5,192 beds that can provide for 2.15 percent of the elders in the district. Among them, 21 institutions are state owned with a total of 2,923 beds. There are 14 day care centers for elders, 33 catering service offices, 216 activity rooms for elders and four clubs, benefiting 21,134 elders.
Varied activities
“We have activities every day. It’s like we are becoming young again and I’m very happy,” Cai said.
Her roommate, 94-year-old Chen Yun, has been living in the 234-bed center since 2001 and enjoys the singing activities.
The center, established in 1979 at 515 Zaoyang Road, contains an apartment building for residents, a nursing area and a multifunctional hall. It provides accommodation, entertainment, leisure activities and healthcare in one place.
The cost is around 1,700 yuan (US$278) a month for one person sharing a double room and for nursing care.
Today, it’s fully occupied.
“There’s high demand and occupancy always averages 98 percent,” said Zhu Qin, director of the institution.
Every day there are different activities. On Monday, it’s elder’s college, Tuesday is reading and discussing newspapers, Wednesday is knitting (they give the items to other seniors), Thursday is calligraphy, and Friday is singing songs and traditional operas.
“On holidays and festivals, we have something special, such as mooncakes for this Mid-Autumn Festival,” Cai said.
In the mornings, some elders walk in the next door park where it’s quiet and refreshing.
Professional care
A professional medical team with experienced doctors and nurses is always on call. Daily nursing is available, as is hospice care for the terminally ill.
A staff of 75 people attend to all seniors’ needs, from rehabilitation to healthcare.
The oldest resident is 102 and the youngest is 68.
Most seniors would rather be cared for at home by their children, but that isn’t always possible. The senior care center offers 24-hour nursing, if necessary. One of its biggest benefits is the presence of other people, so seniors can socialize.
The residents seem happy and relaxed and every day is filled with something interesting.
“In the evenings in the cafeteria, we sing songs from our generation or traditional operas,” Cai said. “I’m really grateful that there are people looking after us all the time.”
When she arrived three years ago, she had suffered a stroke. She recovered with rehabilitation and now exercises every day to stay healthy. Her blood pressure is also normal.
“I prefer to living in the center than with my children at home because it’s more lively and there’s more socializing,” she said. Everyone looks after each other.
Chen Shuqing, who lives next door to Cai, is 86 years old and has been living at the center for almost six years.
“Before I retired I already thought about coming to a nursing home and not troubling my children,” she said. “The environment and facilities are good and more importantly the atmosphere is great. We talk to each other all the time.”
Many elders are healthy and can take care of themselves. They do their own laundry and each room has a balcony where they can dry their clothing and bedding.
Outdoors are gardens, pavilions, terraces and lotus ponds.
The senior center has a dedicated management team that looks after every detail and ensures that all their needs are met.
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