Certified Old-Age Care Practitioners Can Address Pressing Elderly Concerns

In a rapidly aging China, providing adequate care for the elderly has become an icreasingly urgent challenge, even as government agencies project strong growth for the elder-care sector.

According to Lu Zhiyuan, Minister of Civil Affairs, in light of state mandate on reforming and developing elderly care services, a holistic care network covering both rural and urban areas is emerging.

With community elderly carers embedded in urban communities and mutual-aid elderly centers in rural areas, a growing number of elderly can now access professional care at their door-step.

Lu, speaking on the sidlelines of the ongoing"Two Sessions" in Beijing, also revealed that the ministry is working in collaboration with relevant departments to draw up standards for elderly care, in the wake of proper vetting and professional assessment, with certified Elderly Care Practitioners to be added to the list of new occupations.

In fact, in July last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security included this new profession in the seventh batch of 17 new occupations, defining it as a professional who conducts comprehensive needs assessment, sets and executes service plans, delivers and trains care skills, conducts quality evaluation and provides service consultation and referral.

In a nutshell, such a professional will not only acquire basic nursing knowledge but also have know-how in, among others, medical care, housekeeping, catering, and myriad other fields.

Therefore, these individuals would be in a better position to not only provide mundane, daily care, but are capable of crafting care plans tailored to individuals.

Their versatility and training entitled them to be called "all-round elderly care practitioners".

This newly minted title may well be the answer to the growing demands of the sector.

In recent years, notwithstanding the emphasis on the sector and the building up of a skillful labor force, such services have been in general perceived as menial jobs reserved for the unenterprising.

This stigma could be disturbing, for the needy elderly do not just need help in bathing, nail trimming, and medical visits, but also crave customized care plans.

Apparently, such needs vary between home-based, community-based, and institutionalized individuals, and might change in tandem with age and health condition.

Given such complications, ordinary family members can hardly make informed decisions about the best care regimes and nursing programs for their senior relatives.

This is where certified care-givers come in.

All-round elderly care practitioners can match appropriate care resources for different elderly individuals and provide more scientific and comfortable services through their professional judgment.

For one thing, listing the care-providers as a new occupation is a clear incentive to the practitioners.

According to recent statistics, the elderly population in China will grow from 326 million to nearly 400 million in the next five years, with the number of care-dependent seniors exceeding 40 million, which means a shortage of over 5 million caregivers.

Nevertheless, the public in general often associates elderly care with nannies and nurses, and as a low-value job.

By anointing it as a new occupation, following strict protocol of vetting and evaluation, the practitioners would be conferred junior, intermediate, or senior titles, infinitely enhancing their sense of identity and pride.

Such individuals will be more motivated, after envisioning a clear career advancement paths.

Of course, the profession is still in its infancy, and its robust development calls for exploration.

As national lawmaker Ma Xu suggested, a wage range for the job should be clearly proposed. Furthermore, the healthy development of this profession should be a collaborated endeavor, entailing stalwart support from leading enterprises.

There is still considerable work to be done, in helping practitioners access comprehensive elderly care capabilities, drawing up industry norms, gaining social recognition, and, most important of all, attracting more talent.

Elderly services becoming more professional and diverse is a decided bonus for needy seniors.

Hopefully, with the sector witnessing robust growth, the elderly, instead of just being looked after, would come to enjoy their sunset years.