YOU can usually find 33-year-old Gu Lin hanging out with people as much as twice his age. They chat, laugh, play games, listen to music, watch movies and, recently Gu has encouraged seniors to tell stories about their lives.

“Some tell very vivid stories about moments in history, and it not only satisfies their need to share but also provides a unique listening experience for young people,” said Gu who runs the Shanghai Changshou Volunteers for Seniors Center in Putuo District.

“Their personal memories are a way to understand and explore history.”

Gu has been running the volunteer center NGO since 2008 and is dedicated to his full-time, unpaid job that he describes as bringing “spiritual consolation” and encouraging filial piety.

The center was officially registered in Putuo last year, with 50,000 yuan (US$8,052) in capital, some of it Gu’s personal funds.

“Charity is not something only for the rich,” he told Shanghai Daily in an interview.

Charity for everyone

“Give me 1 yuan, I can host an event, I can buy a newspaper and read it to seniors. This kind of communication brings happiness.”

The center provides services to other organizations helping seniors in each neighborhood community in Changshou. These include computer lessons, arranging lectures, screening movies and playing games.

Gu discovered his avocation by chance. In 2008 he was working for a catering company and managing a senior day care service center under a contract. He previously worked in architecture, insurance and telecommunications, and earned an undergraduate degree from Nanjing University through independent study.

“Spending a lot of time with seniors made me realize that the problems they faced were more than food and a warm room.

They need company to ease their loneliness,” he said.

He started exploring ways to bring happiness to seniors.

Improving hardware

“I don’t want to be a volunteer who’s like a gust of wind and I don’t want to focus too much on improving hardware,” he said.

For example, the volunteers play Gomoku, a strategy board game, with seniors who enjoy the company and find that the game keeps their brain active.

At first he didn’t know what to call his service, but learned that providing warmth and companionship is “spiritual consolation.”

Gu eventually quite his job to work full-time as a volunteer.

“I realized this is what I really want to do,” he said. “Being with seniors is easy. You can always make them laugh while you chat.”

At Caoyang community center, around 10 seniors arrive every day at 2pm for afternoon tea, dessert and companionship. They socialize, play games and make egg tarts and rice dumplings themselves for the holidays. Gu and his team are there.

In February, the Jiuling Home in Meiling, Caoyang, hosted Lantern Festival activities.

Volunteers cooked rice dumplings with seniors and played lantern riddle guessing games.

On March 4, students from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics joined volunteers for an afternoon with seniors. They played games such as “Pass the flower,” in which whoever holds the flower when the music stops must perform for the others.

The seniors also told stories about their lives and the visiting students were fascinated.

The center has 117 registered volunteers from across Shanghai, including people from other provinces and countries. Most volunteers are young.

“After spending time with seniors as a volunteer, people are more willing to spend personal time with their own parents and family elders,” Gu said. “The interaction changes people for the better.”

China’s rapidly aging population presents a major social problem in terms of providing care and services.

“Elders are not the problem. They are a treasure,” Gu said.

He hopes to spread the traditional Chinese values of filial piety and bring more positive energy and volunteers to the organization. He now leads a team of volunteers who can provide regular services.

‘Jiuling Home’ makes impact on lives

Anna Lan

Putuo District is working to ensure seniors are looked after.

The “Jiuling Home” elderly care service system was launched in October 2013 with the help of social organizations. It provides pro bono or low-cost basic life care, medical care, spiritual consolation and other services to 90 percent of elders in need.

The services include: housekeeping, cleaning, catering, medical assistance, rehabilitation and others.

The platform relies on modern technology and integrates resources.

Three Caoyang neighborhood communities were used to pilot the program. Everything from changing public spaces to building support facilities was carried out to benefit seniors.

The “2013-2015 Action Plan of Building Nursing Institutions for Senior Citizens” was also set up to care for seniors. The institutions involved also improved fire safety by working with local fire prevention teams.

By the end of 2013, 20,515 senior citizens had been receiving home services. The subsidy for each senior was calculated according to factors like age and income.

Putuo’s so-called senior universities now have a total of 45,244 students who come for classes and extracurricular activities.

Throughout the year, court officials, police officers, commerce bureau employees and women’s federation representatives have provided counseling sessions for senior citizens.

Trips to Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province and film screenings have also been organized to help enrich the lives of seniors.

Another program has been developed in which younger seniors volunteer to help the oldest members of a community.

IN NUMBERS

There were 256,600 seniors (60 years of age of above) in Putuo as of the end of last year. They make up about 29 percent of the district’s population.

There are 50,600 people over the age of 80.

There are 39,100 elders living without the younger generation.

About 11,700 seniors live alone.

There are a total of 37 senior care facilities and institutions in the district. These facilities have a combined 5,692 beds, of which 523 were added last year.

Zhenru and Caoyang have new day-care centers for seniors, bringing the district’s total to 16.

About the organization

The Shanghai Changshou Volunteer for Seniors Center was established in 2008 by volunteers who wanted to help seniors in nursing homes and tell young people about the importance of helping elders.

The center provides individualized service to seniors and organize seniors’ activities involving health, the law, safety, psychological well-being, leisure and culture.

It has government policy support, but no financial support. It operates on donations from individuals and corporations.