Chinese Seniors Facing 100-Year Wait for Public Nursing Home Bed

Seniors requiring long-term care would have to wait at least 100 years before getting a bed in an elderly care home in Beijing, reports an article from The Star Online.

There are currently 10,000 seniors waiting to enter the Beijing No. 1 Social Welfare House and the list keeps growing. 

It’s not the building or the location that draws such popularity, says Deputy Director Cao Shujuan. Rather, it’s the home’s level of care services that attracts the thousands of Beijing seniors desiring to live there. 

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With a geriatric specialty hospital, 100 nursing staff members and 1,100 beds, the Beijing No. 1 Social Welfare House was awarded a five-star rating by Beijing’s Bureau of Civil Affairs last October. 

Despite the high demand, the home only admits a few dozen to 100 applicants a year from its waiting list, as the article reports the city can only provide 28 beds for every 1,000 seniors despite increases in its senior population.

Doing the math, if the home accepted its max amount of applicants per year, for those down the list  it could take 100 years until they receive admission. 

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In Beijing, government-funded homes offering low prices usually end up with long waiting list and are out of reach for many, reports The Star.

Beijing No. 1 Social Welfare House currently charges its residents 1,500 ($240) yuan to 2,700 ($433) yuan for a bed per month. 

These fees are much more manageable for low income residents, the article suggests, as care homes in Beijing suburbs charge more than 5,000 ($803) yuan per month. 

There are currently ongoing efforts for government-funded care homes in Beijing to improve their accessibility, both financially and spatial availability, and there aren’t nearly enough beds to meet growing need. 

New rules and regulations under China’s 12th Five-Year Plan seek to improve the country’s senior care infrastructure and encouraged private capital—including from foreign sources—to invest in the sector

Read the full article here.

Written by Jason Oliva