While living alone, Chen Xue had planned to move away to live with her children, but she changed her mind after the introduction of a care system for elderly residents.
"With recreational facilities just outside my door and plenty of caring services indoors, life here has become increasingly convenient and comfortable," said the 74-year-old resident at the North Block of Weigongcun in Beijing.
Her community has installed emergency alert systems at the homes of those living alone - a tap on the button and professional nurses appear in minutes.
In addition to retaining her independence and living alone, Chen is still able to enjoy spending time with her old friends in their neighbourhood. Her children can also visit on the weekends.
Chen's living arrangement is commonplace in Beijing these days thanks to improved community caring systems in the nation's capital.
Zhang Kaiti, vice-director of the China Research Centre on Ageing (CRCA), fully backs the community caring system.
"For the vast majority of old people, it is best they spend their silver years at their own home, keeping their normal social relation networks and staying in familiar surroundings," he said.
Zhang said he believed the community caring service is especially important when pensioners cannot get enough care and attention from their busy children.
A survey conducted recently by CRCA shows an increasing number of elderly people are not willing to live with their children. The figure hit about 42 per cent in Chinese cities.
According to the survey, about 37 per cent of senior citizens in cities do not live with their children, while in counties and rural areas the figure is above 35 and 32 per cent respectively.
"Provision from communities for the elderly should be the main substitute for care from their family," said Zhang, although he admitted other alternatives like residential homes can also have drawbacks.
(China Daily November 19, 2002)
