The Lin-gang Special Area in Shanghai recently announced its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for the development of elderly care services.

The guidelines include the development of friendly communities for the elderly with cognitive impairment.

The plan envisages that the proportion of nursing beds for the elderly, providing basic public services, will be higher than 2 percent of the total – and that the number of newly built nursing beds for the elderly will be no less than 978 by 2025.

Improvements will be made to the electronic medical records for the community-based elderly over 60 years old.

A health management network will be established for chronic diseases in the elderly, which relies on community health service centers, comprehensive medical institutions and public health professional institutions. The goal will be to achieve early screening for chronic disease in the elderly.

The guidelines map out the establishment of mechanisms for the early assessment of mental disorders, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly. It includes mental health screening in the annual physical examinations of the elderly. The goal is that by 2025, the cognitive function screening rate of the elderly over 65 years old in communities and villages will reach 80 percent.

It sets out, among other things, that at least 15 new smart communities for the elderly will be launched by 2025 on a pilot basis.

The guidelines will see the introduction of practical courses for the physical and mental development of the elderly at the Lingang College and the Citizen Open University of Lingang.

Please refer to the Chinese statement for more detailed information.