Residents have meals at the elderly care service center of Dengta community in Taizhou. [Photo/Tide News]

The elderly population of Taizhou in Zhejiang province reached 1.58 million by the end of 2024. In response, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Taizhou has carried out a series of measures in the past year.

An innovative elderly care service complex named "Laoshengxin" — meaning freeing the elderly from worry — offers comprehensive care including professional nurses, emotional support, and home care.

Taizhou currently has 90 such complexes, with 28 added just last year.

Another popular elderly care model is the "embedded" elderly care apartments launched at the Dengta community in 2023.

In addition to offering meal services for the senior residents in these apartments, the community can also meet the needs of over 100 elderly individuals in the community. "For elderly people with limited mobility, we pack the meals and have volunteers deliver them to the elderly. For others, we place the meals at a fixed location where they can help themselves," said Li Zhiyan, Party secretary of the community.

Taizhou established 461 new meal points for the elderly last year, bringing the total to 1,459 and covering 8.26 million people in 2,673 villages and communities.

Additionally, the city introduced the "Family Elderly Care Beds" model, providing home-based care and remote health monitoring for 7,791 individuals, while the "Virtual Nursing Home" combines online and offline services for personalized care.

The elderly-friendly home modifications are also a key part. Last year, 7,472 households in Taizhou applied for and completed the modifications, with a focus on five major aspects of safe toileting and bathing, convenient indoor walking, home environment improvement, smart monitoring, and adaptation of auxiliary devices.