12.7 percent of Beijing's senior citizens take out long-term care insurance

Some 12.7 percent of senior citizens in Beijing are willing to take out long-term care insurance, but there are just 1.52 beds for every hundred senior citizens, according to a report from the Beijing Municipal Council on October 19.

The report shows that there were just 2.02 million senior citizens in Beijing at the end of 2005. It is expected that this figure will be as high as 3.49 million in 2020, representing 19.4 percent of the gross population.

However, there were just 313 aged care facilities in Beijing at the end of 2005, which is not enough. Most of these facilities can only provide basic services.

The report shows that Beijing is short of properly qualified carers for the aged. Most carers have received a limited education and do not have sufficient specialized knowledge to take care of the elderly.

At present, most aged care facilities are not staffed with professional nurses, psychologists and social workers and cannot give appropriate legal advice.

By People's Daily Online