Cao Chen (third from left) visits the elderly in the local community on the Laba Festival on Jan 18, 2024. [Photo/Tide News]

Many children in the Xiaoying Lane community of Shangcheng district, Hangzhou, took advantage of their winter vacation to help their parents deliver meals to the elderly in the local community during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday.

With a population of 10,000, the Xiaoying Lane community is home to 2,771 residents aged 60 and above, accounting for over a quarter of its total population. It is also home to 841 octogenarians.

There are 206 elderly residents who live on their own in the local community. With only 18 social workers, it is difficult to meet the various needs of these elderly residents in terms of life, psychology, and spirituality.

Cao Chen, a National People's Congress deputy and head of the neighborhood committee of the Xiaoying Lane community, suggested fully leveraging the effectiveness of organizations that respect and care for the elderly to create a strong atmosphere of respect, love, and assistance for the elderly across society.

Cao's proposal caught the attention of the national government. After submitting the proposal, she was contacted by several departments so that they could further understand the difficulties in elderly care at the grassroots community level. In 2024, China's State Council issued a policy paper focusing specifically on enhancing the well-being of the elderly.