China's elderly care service vouchers for seniors with moderate to severe disabilities have benefited 892,000 people, with redemptions totaling 1.72 billion yuan (around 249 million U.S. dollars) so far this year, an official said on Saturday.
Efforts have been made to boost the country's elderly care services and improve the well-being of older people, Civil Affairs Minister Lu Zhiyuan told a press conference on people's livelihood on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress.
"Focusing on pressing difficulties concerning the seniors the most, we boosted village or community supported at-home elderly-care services, we develop canteens for seniors across the country, nearly 80,000 meal service stations have been built, serving over 3 million older people every day, meeting their needs for freshly cooked meals. We set up home-care beds, with the total number reaching 495,000 to bring professional care to the bedside. We also have completed age-friendly home renovations for 2.24 million households with seniors with special difficulties," he said. "Since the start of this year, we have been granting elderly care service vouchers to moderate to severely functionally paralyzed seniors. Till now, 1.72 billion yuan of vouchers have been redeemed, benefiting 892,000 older people,"he said.
China's elderly care service vouchers benefit 892,000 people
