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Early afternoon sunlight slanted through the glass ceiling of a huge sun parlor， down on tall palm trees lining the room. In front of the trees is a long row of red paper lanterns hanging between pillars， and beneath the lanterns are colorful balloons with little paper notes bearing riddles， filling the room with a lingering festive air.
“This is our recreational room， where seniors celebrated the Lantern Festival a few days ago，” said Gao Han， an executive at the Leling Elderly Social Work Service Center in Beijing， a non-profit senior service organization.
Granny Jin， 75， a retired accountant， sauntered into the parlor. “I have been here for half a year and live with my husband，” she said.
But Zhang Ling， the manager of Leling later told Beijing Review， “Her husband passed away before she came here six months ago. She suffers from senile dementia and doesn’t remember things well.”
“About 90 percent of the residents in Leling are seniors who have lost the ability to take care of themselves，” said Wang Yanrui， Leling’s founding director. These seniors really need care and the center was created to meet such critical demands， she said.
Filling a gap
Located in Shijingshan District in western Beijing， Leling is close to the former site of Shougang Group， a colossal state-owned steel conglomerate that was relocated out of the capital a decade ago due to pollution concerns. Part of the site has been redeveloped and will serve as a venue for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games 2022.
Many residents in the area are the group’s former employees or their family members. Situated in such a neighborhood， Leling is positioned to provide elderly care to low- and middle-income people， said Gao.
China has become an aging society since the turn of the century. According to the National Bureau of Statistics， in 2018， people aged 60 or above accounted for 17.9 percent of the population， and those above 65， 11.9 percent.
In Beijing， one in four people are seniors， Gao said. The share of elderly residents in the city rose from 20.3 percent in 2012 to 24.5 percent in 2017， according to a white paper released by the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.
A policy goal put forth by the Beijing Municipal Government states that by 2020， roughly 90 percent of the city’s elderly would be cared for at home， 6 percent by the community and 4 percent by nursing homes and similar facilities.
Founded in 2006， Leling aims to serve seniors in the first two categories， including those who either stay at home or go to elderly care facilities in the community， Gao said. Wang said that Leling organizes activities such as mountain climbing and holiday celebrations for healthy seniors staying at home. It also runs canteens to provide affordable meals to seniors and delivers meals where necessary. Its staff routinely visits empty nesters and offers assistance such as help with bathing to those in need.
In addition， Leling operates one community-based nursing home， which is registered as a business， and provides services to nine elderly care community-based nursing stations in Shijingshan.
Wang said that care for disabled and advanced-age seniors is a big social demand， and such seniors account for a majority of those living in nursing homes.
The fourth sampling survey of the aged population in China found that of all seniors， 18.3 percent， or 40.63 million， were disabled. The survey was conducted by the China Research Center on Aging and its results were released in October 2016.
Before Xu Yanru， 71， checked into Leling’s nursing home six months ago， she was in a desperate situation. She was living with her paralyzed and visually-impaired husband， taking care of him at home. Then she suffered a heart problem and needed a coronary stenting procedure. Her children， who had worked in Shougang， had been relocated to other areas and could not take care of their father while she had the operation. Before her surgery， she admitted her husband into Leling and after her surgery， she recuperated at Leling. Her husband soon passed away， but Xu decided to stay in the nursing home， where she could receive care and find companionship.
Xu is outspoken and very energetic， Gao said. “She is active and often volunteers to help out. Recently， she helped to wrap glutinous rice dumplings to celebrate the Lantern Festival，” he said.
Granny Wang， 77， was admitted into the Pingsiqu Community Nursing Station after a fall at home. An affable woman with a sweet smile， she held various posts in Shougang， including as an electrician and a fitter before her retirement. After losing her husband， she chose to live by herself while her son and daughter lived and worked in other parts of Beijing. In recent years， however， her memory began to fail her. “I lived on the 16th floor of a building， but because the buildings look similar， sometimes I could not remember my way back home and got lost several times，”Granny Wang said. Back then， she had her meals delivered to her home by Leling.
Despite the difficulties， Granny Wang did not want to leave her home for a nursing home. But on the morning of January 28， she fell and could not get back up. She was discovered at noon by a Leling worker who was delivering her lunch. “I knocked on the door， and she told me that she had fallen and could not get up to open the door. So I called her daughter，” said the staff member. After that incident， Granny Wang was admitted into the nursing station. Community-based services
One advantage of community-based nursing homes is that seniors can still live in the neighborhood that they are familiar with， and it is also easier for family members to visit and spend time with them.
Ninety-two-year-old Granny Shi suffers from arthritis and has had to use a wheelchair for the past two years. Now she lives in the Pingsiqu Community Nursing Station. During the day， she likes to park her wheelchair right next to a heating radiator in the station’s lounge to enjoy the warmth and chat with other people. Her 61-year-old daughter， who lives within a five minute walk from the station， comes to visit Shi almost every day.
She used to take care of her mother at home， but after Shi could no longer stand on her own， she found that she was not strong enough to lift or carry her mother， so they went to the station where Shi can get professional care.
Leling’s caregivers have received training on elderly care and are certified nursing assistants， Gao said. In Leling’s nursing home， there is also a psychological consulting room， where assorted figurines are arrayed on a bookshelf， which Gao said are used to simulate life scenarios to prompt the memory of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Community-based nursing homes are relatively affordable. Gao said that the cost per bed is usually 3，000 to 5，000 yuan （$447-745） per month， including lodging， food and nursing costs.
Rooms at nursing stations are provided by the community for free， with the government subsidizing half of the meal costs as well as part of the care costs， said Wang.
The government also pays Leling for providing elderly care. Its financial statement for 2017 showed that government funding accounted for 44 percent of the organization’s income， whereas charitable donations comprised 23 percent and services income made up the remaining 33 percent.
Leling is also a platform for volunteers. In 2006， when 29-year-old Wang set up the center， the law school graduate already had six years work experience， including two years at a non-governmental environmental organization， two years at a public institution and two years of social work providing community trainings.
“At that time， I wanted to solve a social problem，” she said. “I came into contact with many seniors during my job delivering community trainings， so I came up with the idea of providing elderly care.”
Leling has been encouraging seniors to help themselves， help each other and help others. One of the first things that the nascent Leling did was to organize senior women with no income to make handicrafts for sale. The handicrafts making project was a way to make them relatively financially independent.
In addition， Leling mobilized younger seniors to provide volunteer services to older seniors， and recruited young volunteers to visit and take care of seniors in need.
According to Leling， it has 72 senior volunteer teams， with 770 backbone senior volunteers and about 3，000 other senior volunteers， benefiting more than 10，000 elderly.
Policy boost
Currently， Leling has about 70 staff members in its nursing home and nine nursing stations， serving about 100 seniors living in these facilities and many others living at home. Gao said that it aspires to expand into Beijing’s other districts and into other areas of the country. A government policy released on February 19 boosted his confidence. The policy permits elderly care institutions to set up multiple service outlets in accordance with the law and regulations to realize largescale franchised operations and build their own brands.
The document， released by the National Development and Research Commission， promotes the development of private elderly care institutions； and encourages domestic and foreign investors to set up elderly care institutions， extending the same preferential policies to them.
As of the end of 2018， there were nearly 30，000 elderly care institutions with 7.5 million beds across the country， according to a statement of the Ministry of Civil Affairs （MCA）. In the future， the ministry will continue optimizing services of elderly care homes， push forward elderly care services in downtown areas of big cities and initiate renovation and upgrading of elderly care homes in rural areas， especially those in povertystricken areas.
“This is our recreational room， where seniors celebrated the Lantern Festival a few days ago，” said Gao Han， an executive at the Leling Elderly Social Work Service Center in Beijing， a non-profit senior service organization.
Granny Jin， 75， a retired accountant， sauntered into the parlor. “I have been here for half a year and live with my husband，” she said.
But Zhang Ling， the manager of Leling later told Beijing Review， “Her husband passed away before she came here six months ago. She suffers from senile dementia and doesn’t remember things well.”
“About 90 percent of the residents in Leling are seniors who have lost the ability to take care of themselves，” said Wang Yanrui， Leling’s founding director. These seniors really need care and the center was created to meet such critical demands， she said.
Filling a gap
Located in Shijingshan District in western Beijing， Leling is close to the former site of Shougang Group， a colossal state-owned steel conglomerate that was relocated out of the capital a decade ago due to pollution concerns. Part of the site has been redeveloped and will serve as a venue for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games 2022.
Many residents in the area are the group’s former employees or their family members. Situated in such a neighborhood， Leling is positioned to provide elderly care to low- and middle-income people， said Gao.
China has become an aging society since the turn of the century. According to the National Bureau of Statistics， in 2018， people aged 60 or above accounted for 17.9 percent of the population， and those above 65， 11.9 percent.
In Beijing， one in four people are seniors， Gao said. The share of elderly residents in the city rose from 20.3 percent in 2012 to 24.5 percent in 2017， according to a white paper released by the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.
A policy goal put forth by the Beijing Municipal Government states that by 2020， roughly 90 percent of the city’s elderly would be cared for at home， 6 percent by the community and 4 percent by nursing homes and similar facilities.
Founded in 2006， Leling aims to serve seniors in the first two categories， including those who either stay at home or go to elderly care facilities in the community， Gao said. Wang said that Leling organizes activities such as mountain climbing and holiday celebrations for healthy seniors staying at home. It also runs canteens to provide affordable meals to seniors and delivers meals where necessary. Its staff routinely visits empty nesters and offers assistance such as help with bathing to those in need.
In addition， Leling operates one community-based nursing home， which is registered as a business， and provides services to nine elderly care community-based nursing stations in Shijingshan.
Wang said that care for disabled and advanced-age seniors is a big social demand， and such seniors account for a majority of those living in nursing homes.
The fourth sampling survey of the aged population in China found that of all seniors， 18.3 percent， or 40.63 million， were disabled. The survey was conducted by the China Research Center on Aging and its results were released in October 2016.
Before Xu Yanru， 71， checked into Leling’s nursing home six months ago， she was in a desperate situation. She was living with her paralyzed and visually-impaired husband， taking care of him at home. Then she suffered a heart problem and needed a coronary stenting procedure. Her children， who had worked in Shougang， had been relocated to other areas and could not take care of their father while she had the operation. Before her surgery， she admitted her husband into Leling and after her surgery， she recuperated at Leling. Her husband soon passed away， but Xu decided to stay in the nursing home， where she could receive care and find companionship.
Xu is outspoken and very energetic， Gao said. “She is active and often volunteers to help out. Recently， she helped to wrap glutinous rice dumplings to celebrate the Lantern Festival，” he said.
Granny Wang， 77， was admitted into the Pingsiqu Community Nursing Station after a fall at home. An affable woman with a sweet smile， she held various posts in Shougang， including as an electrician and a fitter before her retirement. After losing her husband， she chose to live by herself while her son and daughter lived and worked in other parts of Beijing. In recent years， however， her memory began to fail her. “I lived on the 16th floor of a building， but because the buildings look similar， sometimes I could not remember my way back home and got lost several times，”Granny Wang said. Back then， she had her meals delivered to her home by Leling.
Despite the difficulties， Granny Wang did not want to leave her home for a nursing home. But on the morning of January 28， she fell and could not get back up. She was discovered at noon by a Leling worker who was delivering her lunch. “I knocked on the door， and she told me that she had fallen and could not get up to open the door. So I called her daughter，” said the staff member. After that incident， Granny Wang was admitted into the nursing station. Community-based services
One advantage of community-based nursing homes is that seniors can still live in the neighborhood that they are familiar with， and it is also easier for family members to visit and spend time with them.
Ninety-two-year-old Granny Shi suffers from arthritis and has had to use a wheelchair for the past two years. Now she lives in the Pingsiqu Community Nursing Station. During the day， she likes to park her wheelchair right next to a heating radiator in the station’s lounge to enjoy the warmth and chat with other people. Her 61-year-old daughter， who lives within a five minute walk from the station， comes to visit Shi almost every day.
She used to take care of her mother at home， but after Shi could no longer stand on her own， she found that she was not strong enough to lift or carry her mother， so they went to the station where Shi can get professional care.
Leling’s caregivers have received training on elderly care and are certified nursing assistants， Gao said. In Leling’s nursing home， there is also a psychological consulting room， where assorted figurines are arrayed on a bookshelf， which Gao said are used to simulate life scenarios to prompt the memory of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Community-based nursing homes are relatively affordable. Gao said that the cost per bed is usually 3，000 to 5，000 yuan （$447-745） per month， including lodging， food and nursing costs.
Rooms at nursing stations are provided by the community for free， with the government subsidizing half of the meal costs as well as part of the care costs， said Wang.
The government also pays Leling for providing elderly care. Its financial statement for 2017 showed that government funding accounted for 44 percent of the organization’s income， whereas charitable donations comprised 23 percent and services income made up the remaining 33 percent.
Leling is also a platform for volunteers. In 2006， when 29-year-old Wang set up the center， the law school graduate already had six years work experience， including two years at a non-governmental environmental organization， two years at a public institution and two years of social work providing community trainings.
“At that time， I wanted to solve a social problem，” she said. “I came into contact with many seniors during my job delivering community trainings， so I came up with the idea of providing elderly care.”
Leling has been encouraging seniors to help themselves， help each other and help others. One of the first things that the nascent Leling did was to organize senior women with no income to make handicrafts for sale. The handicrafts making project was a way to make them relatively financially independent.
In addition， Leling mobilized younger seniors to provide volunteer services to older seniors， and recruited young volunteers to visit and take care of seniors in need.
According to Leling， it has 72 senior volunteer teams， with 770 backbone senior volunteers and about 3，000 other senior volunteers， benefiting more than 10，000 elderly.
Policy boost
Currently， Leling has about 70 staff members in its nursing home and nine nursing stations， serving about 100 seniors living in these facilities and many others living at home. Gao said that it aspires to expand into Beijing’s other districts and into other areas of the country. A government policy released on February 19 boosted his confidence. The policy permits elderly care institutions to set up multiple service outlets in accordance with the law and regulations to realize largescale franchised operations and build their own brands.
The document， released by the National Development and Research Commission， promotes the development of private elderly care institutions； and encourages domestic and foreign investors to set up elderly care institutions， extending the same preferential policies to them.
As of the end of 2018， there were nearly 30，000 elderly care institutions with 7.5 million beds across the country， according to a statement of the Ministry of Civil Affairs （MCA）. In the future， the ministry will continue optimizing services of elderly care homes， push forward elderly care services in downtown areas of big cities and initiate renovation and upgrading of elderly care homes in rural areas， especially those in povertystricken areas.