Guangzhou Runs Pilot Nursing Home for 'Shidu' Elderly

Recently, Guangzhou — capital of south China’s Guangdong Province — witnessed the launch of its first nursing home for "shidu" elderly: aged parents who have lost their only child. Eligible seniors wishing to be a part of this new and supportive community can apply for accommodation on the home's official online platform.

The nursing home has 25 rooms, with two beds in each. All the rooms are equipped with a balcony, TV set, air conditioner, emergency alarm and shared kitchen.

Since "shidu" elderly tend to be very sensitive, this nursing home has worked to provide environment and nursing services that are identical to those of ordinary nursing homes, revealed an official spokesperson of the establishment.

Moreover, the nursing home has set up multiple rooms for face-to-face chatting, psychological counseling and other services. Apart from the management staff, the nurses and the caregivers, professional social workers will also be designated to offer services as needed.

In order to be eligible for the newly launched community, applicants must be registered permanent residents of Guangzhou and must be without infectious diseases or disposition to violence. So far, 29 "shidu" elderly have applied for accommodation at the nursing home. They have the option to specify that they wish to live within the special "Shidu Elderly" area of the home or can simply opt to live with all the other seniors there.

The cost of room and board as well as nursing services is fixed by the local price department, and residents must pay all their own medical expenses. Generally speaking, the monthly fee for "shidu" seniors who are essentially capable of caring for themselves will be less than 2,000 yuan (U.S. $320).

More efforts will be made in the future by the government to offer free services to "shidu" elderly by virtue of the residential care infrastructure in communities, revealed an official of the Guangzhou Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Health, there are at least one million "shidu" families in China, with an annual increase of 76,000. The group of "shidu" elderly over the age of 50 has been growing continuously ever since the one-child policy was implemented in the 1970s.

In addition to the unspeakable mental distress through which they had to go, these "shidu" elderly are also faced with certain challenges in their basic, everyday needs: For example, when applying to a nursing home or to receive surgery, there is no one to sign the documents for them; and they are unable to take out credit cards or loans given that they have no child to act as a guarantor.

Now there are no dedicated laws or regulations concerning "shidu" elderly and their families in Guangzhou or even the whole country. Some scholars pointed out that sound mechanisms and systems are needed to aid this currently helpless group of people.

In 2014, a member of the CPPCC Guangzhou Municipal Committee proposed that part of the social compensation fees — penalties collected from families having broken the family-planning policy — should be allocated to "shidu" nursing homes and subsidies for the pathetic seniors, a suggestion applauded by the "shidu" elderly. "I bet many people would thank him [for the proposal] just as I do," said one "shidu" senior, with tears in her eyes.

(Source: Xinhua/Translated and edited by Women of China)