Guizhou innovates elderly care services

Southwest China's Guizhou province signed a cooperation agreement with Chongqing municipality and the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Sichuan and Shaanxi to launch a new senior care service for sojourners.

The agreement was signed on Nov 15 at the opening ceremony of the 8th China International Silver Industry Exhibition held in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province.

The service will allow senior citizens to enjoy elderly care services when living in and visiting different areas according to the season.

According to the agreement, officials from the six provinces and municipality's civil affairs departments will exchange visits, establish an intelligent elderly care service platform for sojourners that integrates medical treatment, education, tourism, culture, sports and finance resources, and build a data-sharing base with information on elderly people.

The six places will cooperate to provide elderly care service products for sojourners focusing on health preservation, living environment, cultural experience and the study of traditional culture.

They will share the latest developments in elderly care services for sojourners and encourage related associations and institutions to train elderly care service employees, export labor, and establish talent pools.

The six places will also draft regulations and plans of elderly care services for sojourners, create relevant service brands, regulate the service market, and protect elderly people's legal rights so as to ensure the healthy development of the elderly care service market for sojourners.

Guizhou will improve the quality of its elderly care services, take a marketization operation approach, and allow social organizations and enterprises involved in elderly care services to boost the development of this new type of service for sojourners.