Reducing family strain: Better inpatient care for China's aging population

BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China is enhancing inpatient services by adding patient care assistants in its medical service system, as part of the efforts to address challenges posed by the aging population.

At a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation ward in a hospital in south China's Guangdong Province, an 80-year-old patient surnamed Du is one of the beneficiaries. A trained assistant skillfully transfers Du from his wheelchair to his bed with steady, practiced movements.

Suffering from a stroke, as well as chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, Du requires long-term hospitalization for rehabilitation, including daily nasal feeding and hygiene care.

"I couldn't have managed without the assistant," said Du's only daughter as she expressed her gratitude. Previously, overwhelmed by balancing work and caregiving, she had to hire aides privately, but their services were often unsatisfactory and expensive.

Thanks to a pilot program launched in Guangdong this March, patients in specialized wards with high care needs now receive full support from professional care assistants, providing services such as feeding, dressing, basic hygiene, and repositioning to prevent bedsores.

Xie Sumei, director of the nursing department at the Guangdong Work Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, one of the pilot hospitals and where patient Du is hospitalized, noted that the program has significantly relieved families of the burden of heavy caregiving.

With its elderly population reaching an unprecedented level, China has entered the stage of "moderate aging" as defined by the United Nations. Official data shows that by the end of 2024, China's elderly population aged 60 and above had exceeded 310 million, accounting for 22 percent of the total, posing immense challenges for eldercare.

To tackle these issues, China's health authorities allowed hospitals to hire and train patient care assistants starting in 2023. In 2024, they released national standards to strengthen the qualification requirements for this new occupation.

According to the standards, assistants applying for an entry-level certification must complete at least 150 training hours of theoretical coursework and hands-on practice.

"They also undergo one to three months of intensive training in specific departments and must pass relevant exams before officially starting work," said Shang Yanping, a head nurse at the hospital.

In another pilot hospital in Guangdong, the orthopedic knee surgery department has seen patient satisfaction rise to 98.7 percent, while the average hospital stay has decreased by 1.3 days. These results highlight the program's dual benefits: enhancing patient medical experience while improving healthcare efficiency.

With unified management and training of patient care assistants, hospitals have improved and standardized their services in this regard, said Xie, adding that this has also relieved the burden of long-term accompaniment for the patient's family.

For the assistants themselves, the initiative provides clearer career pathways and more stable income, helping them transition from informal caregivers to professional care providers -- boosting both job security and professional pride, Xie added.

In first-tier Chinese cities like Beijing, the cost of one-on-one patient care services can reach 400 yuan (about 55.7 U.S. dollars) per day. However, a 2024 national guideline introduced government-regulated pricing for hospital-provided services, which has significantly lowered costs and narrowed inpatient care gaps.

Notably, in east China's Fujian Province, patient care assistance fees are partially covered by public health insurance, with a reimbursement rate up to 70 percent.

So far, many provincial-level regions -- including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Fujian, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Anhui -- have already introduced relative pilot programs. More regions are expected to follow suit in the near future.

According to an official document released by health authorities in April, from June 2025 to June 2027, China will pilot "companion-free" care services in selected tertiary hospitals -- the highest-level medical institutions in China's healthcare system -- to improve patients' medical experience and enhance the public's sense of fulfillment.

Hospitals with a high proportion of elderly inpatients and a strong need of such services, especially those in cities with severe aging populations, are prioritized, the document said. ■