Govt to expand elderly care(2)

According to the preliminary findings of a survey conducted by Zhu's organization in July, the services provided to the elderly in their homes are low in both quality and quantity.

"Most service providers who deliver door-to-door services can only take care of the elderly in terms of daily routines such as cooking and bathing, but they can't meet their emotional and physiological needs," he said.

In addition, the majority of caregivers in communities lack formal and specialized training, he added.

"Strengthening the role of families is a necessity for China to cope with population aging in an affordable way," he said. "If the government only develops elderly care facilities but ignores the significance of in-home care, it will increase its financial burden and fail to meet senior citizens' emotional needs."

Ongoing struggle

Chen Binqiang, a resident of Pan'an, Zhejiang province, has been unable to socialize with his friends after his mother got Alzheimer's disease six years ago.

"With a patient at home, it's almost impossible for me to take half a day off to go out together with my wife," said Chen, a 37-year-old teacher. "I really hope there were volunteers who can help take care of my mother, even if it's only for a few hours occasionally."

Chen has to lock his mother indoors when he and his wife go to work and the couple take turns to check on her during the day.

"We often find her lying on the floor after a fall," Chen said. "We have become more and more worried because her conditions are worsening. Now she can't feed herself, use the bathroom or speak."

Chen said he cannot afford to employ a caregiver, as the local price is more than 2,500 yuan ($409) per month, which is equal to his monthly salary.

Du Peng, a professor with the Institute of Gerontology at Renmin University of China, urged the government to learn from overseas experience in ensuring policies that are favorable to caregivers.

Hong Kong encourages adults to take care of aging parents by reducing their income tax, he said.

In Finland, the government provides a monthly subsidy of 380 euros ($507) to 720 euros to families that have elderly dependents, he said. Germany allows families to send their elderly parents to nursing homes for three days each month free of charge, providing caregivers with a respite, he added.

"But in China, the reality is that most families haven't received any financial support or other incentives to take care of aging parents," he said.