Those who have no children to take care of the lonely old people
lonely
old people
living alone survey: to varying degrees, there are unaccompanied and uncomfortable medical treatment difficulties
● There are many elderly people in our country who have no choice but to live alone due to long-term absence of women and childless care. There are also some elderly people who have no children or spouses for various reasons and become widowed elderly people.
These elderly people have problems such as unaccompanied, uncomfortable, and medical difficulties in varying degrees.
● The Ministry of Civil Affairs will work with relevant departments to accelerate the construction of a basic old-age service system, focusing on ensuring the basic old-age service needs of elderly people with special difficulties such as widows and widows
● Give full play to the role of the community as a hub for providing elderly care services. With the community as a unit, the government supports the establishment of service stations for caring for orphans and elderly people living alone and provides psychological counseling services, promotes the density and service content of community hospitals, and encourages properties to join orphans and elderly people living alone. In the care of
□ Our reporter Chen Lei
□ Our newspaper trainee reporter Sun Tianjiao
With a "bang", when Ying Douma was about to get up to the toilet, she fell to the ground somehow, and the pain hit immediately.
The 71-year-old gritted her teeth and insisted on getting up from the ground, holding the edge of the bed, cupboard, and door frame into the bathroom. After sitting on the toilet, she couldn't get up for a long time.
I don't know how long it took, she braced her body, and even Gulu belt crawled towards the direction of the bed, and also took a plastic basin with her hand for emergency use of urine and urine.
Fortunately, there was hot water and food prepared the night before on the bedside table; but she really didn't have the energy to get the mobile phone on the sofa in the living room.
At around 4 pm the next day, the door of Ying Dou Ma's house was opened.
It turned out that the neighbor hadn't seen her for more than a day and couldn't make a phone call. He was afraid that something would happen to her, so he took the spare key and opened the door of her house...
Ying Dou Ma is an elderly man living alone in Beijing.
There are many elderly people like this in our country. They have no choice but to live alone because of the long absence of women and children. There are also elderly people who have no children and no partners for various reasons. Some people live alone.
These elderly people have problems such as unaccompanied, uncomfortable, and medical difficulties in varying degrees.
The Department of Elderly Care Services of the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in an interview with a reporter from the Rule of Law Daily that the Ministry of Civil Affairs will speed up the construction of a basic elderly care service system with relevant departments, clarify key content such as target direction, institutional framework, work tasks, and service standards, and focus on protecting orphans. The needs of basic elderly care services for the elderly and other elderly with special difficulties.
Speed up the process of special legislation for elderly care services to provide a strong legal guarantee for the construction of the basic elderly care service system.
Feeling homeless in a nursing home
Live at home and worry about unexpected accidents
"To live alone, one must be self-reliant, and a strong heart, not afraid of difficulties, and overcoming obstacles." On the evening of September 27, at his home in Lize Xiyuan District, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Ying Douma, who has lived alone for decades, told reporters this way Said.
But recalling the sudden accident when she fell at home three years ago, she still had lingering fears.
At that time, she was unable to go out for help, and there was no communication equipment nearby, so she could only endure the pain and climbed onto the bed to lie down.
After the neighbor opened the door of her house, he walked to the bed to watch her lying there, and subconsciously put his finger to her nostril to see if she could breathe.
At this time, the dazed Ying Douma woke up and said to the neighbor: She couldn't move, maybe she broke her waist.
The neighbor immediately called the emergency number.
Living alone at home, what old people fear most is such unexpected accidents.
Over the past few years, Gao Wenying lives in an old community in Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, Henan Province. She has lived alone for many years. Because she lives on the third floor, there is no elevator, and her legs are inconvenient, going out and shopping for things has become a big problem for her.
Every time before going out, she has to check whether she has the key, and then take the plastic chair at the door, hold on to the handrail of the stairs, and move down the stairs step by step. Every next floor, she has to put down the chair and sit on it to rest. For a while.
After going down to the first floor, put the chair in a small cart parked at the entrance of the building and push it out for shopping.
In order to reduce unexpected accidents, Gao Wenying generally does not go downstairs. He usually reads at home, goes around in the living room, rests when he is sleepy, and cooks some food when he is hungry.
Even so, she still insists on living at home for the elderly, "live in her own home freely, and hope to die in her own home in the future."
Living in your own home or going to a nursing home is a choice that many widows and elderly people living alone have to face.
At the age of 90, Wang Shufang struggled with this.
Wang Shufang graduated from university in the 1950s. He first worked in a certain state ministry and then transferred to a state-owned enterprise. Before retiring, he was a senior economist and senior accountant in this state-owned enterprise.
After retiring, she was re-employed by the unit and did not start to retire until the age of 66.
Initially, she chose to provide for the elderly in an elderly care institution in Changping District, Beijing. This institution has good facilities for the elderly and often carries out activities for the elderly.
At that time, she took the subway to and from the nursing home and home.
Later, her femoral head necrosis made it inconvenient to take the subway, so she left the nursing home and moved home.
But the building where her family is located does not have an elevator, and she lives on 4 floors. It is very inconvenient to go up and down. Soon after, she moved into a nursing home near the door of her house.
On the afternoon of September 30, the reporter came to this nursing home on the fourth ring road in Beijing.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Wang Shufang was pushed out by the staff and stopped at the reception table in the yard.
With the support of the staff, Wang Shufang crouched and moved to a wicker chair tremblingly, and began to tell his story.
In Wang Shufang's view, staying in a nursing home, with staff to take care of, eat well three meals a day, but also to ensure their own safety.
But she is not accustomed to the collective life of a nursing home, "feeling no home."
"If you live in a nursing home, you must obey the management regulations of the nursing home and live a collective life. You have to get up when you wake up, you have to eat when you want to eat, and what you want to do. You said I want to eat noodles today, and I want to eat noodles tomorrow. It’s impossible to drink porridge. Nursing homes have fixed recipes.” Wang Shufang said, she is free at home. You can sleep as long as you want, eat whatever you want, and go out if you want to go out.
But she couldn't help staying here, "My wife is gone, and I have no children. I am a white-haired old lady, alone."
No relatives signed for hospital operation
Difficulty in seeing a doctor due to no immediate family members
After being sent to the hospital, CT and other examinations revealed that Yingdouma suffered a fracture and needed immediate surgery.
But then the problem came-no family members signed the operation notice.
In desperation, she had to contact Doctor Wang in this hospital.
It turned out that many years ago, Ying Dou Ma fell while going out to play and fractured her calf near her ankle. She was sent to this hospital for treatment.
Faced with the same problem that the operation requires signatures from family members, in the end there was really no way, and Dr. Wang from the hospital signed the operation.
Therefore, she became friends with this Doctor Wang.
I contacted Dr. Wang again this time. Although Dr. Wang was undergoing treatment for a myocardial infarction due to exhaustion at work, he still agreed to sign her so that Yingdouma could perform the operation smoothly.
After the operation, Yingdouma lay on the hospital bed without eating or drinking.
The nurse asked her why. She said that because she couldn't get up after the operation, she couldn't take care of herself while lying on the bed. This was done so as not to cause trouble to others.
But this is not the answer after all. She hired a caregiver to take care of her until she was discharged home.
Speaking of the medical experience, Ying Dou Ma said with deep feeling: "No one is with you when you are sick, you need to be registered to go to the hospital, you need to sign for the operation, and you need to be accompanied if you can't move. It's too difficult and too troublesome." Fortunately, The Lize Xiyuan community where she lives was rated as one of the "Top Ten Happy Communities in China". The neighbors get along well, and the neighbors upstairs and downstairs take care of each other, which makes her feel warm.
Ying Dou Ma said that she must "walk" with dignity in the future. Once she becomes seriously ill and cannot be cured, she should not go on a ventilator or intubate.
Having lived alone for many years, Gao Wenying thinks that her health is "okay", saying that she has never been to a hospital for so many years. I have suffered a lot in the first half of my life, and now I can see things openly, so I don’t get sick."
But she also said frankly: "No one is with me. I really don't know how to go to the hospital. I don't know how to register online or machine as the neighbors said."
Wang Shufang, who lives in a nursing home, also deeply understands the difficulty of seeking medical attention.
She told reporters that if she goes to a tertiary hospital for treatment, she must first apply to a nursing home, and then be picked up by her immediate family members and sent to the hospital for treatment. “I have no immediate family members and no one will come to pick me up. It is too difficult for me to go to the hospital. I haven't been to the hospital for more than 3 years."
It is understood that the nursing home has two nurses and a part-time doctor.
For general minor illnesses, nurses go to the clinic next to the nursing home to get some medicine; part-time doctors sometimes come around and give the elderly an electrocardiogram, but there is no more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment.
Wang Shufang often feels dizzy. The doctor said it was low blood sugar. She always kept some chocolate in her bag and took out a piece of it when needed.
"I am 90 years old. I live a day and I don't want to be treated if I am sick." Wang Shufang said.
But she still looks forward to: If she can't go to the top three hospitals for treatment, can the nursing home regularly invite the department doctors of the top three hospitals to make rounds?
Can't say a word for a day
No one came to visit except relatives
"I'm glad you can come and chat with me. No one is chatting with me in the nursing home," Wang Shufang told reporters.
Wang Shufang said that when there was no new crown pneumonia epidemic, college student volunteers would come to the nursing home to give condolences, chat with them, perform a show, and sing a song. Later, due to the needs of epidemic prevention and control, no one came to chat with them. At the most severe time, only immediate family members can visit the nursing home. I have no immediate family members, so no one comes to see me.”
Staff in nursing homes seldom take the initiative to chat with her, “They are few and they have to take care of all of us. They are very busy. I call them when I need them, for example,'Bring me some boiled water' and wash my clothes.' Then they said a few words and they went to work on other things."
In Wang Shufang's view, the staff in the nursing home moved too quickly. She finally got acquainted with her. She left her job soon and then changed to a new one. This made her very uncomfortable.
Communication between the elderly is also difficult. Regardless of the epidemic prevention and control, most of the elderly in nursing homes are elderly people. "The ears are back, everyone can’t hear each other. If you want to talk to others, you have to scream in their ears, and chatting is difficult. ".
"Sometimes I can't say a word a day." Wang Shufang said.
Nursing homes do manual activities and chess and card activities every day. Wang Shufang usually participates, but during free activities there is basically nothing to do, mostly sleeping and dozing off.
In the rare time to go downstairs, Gao Wenying met her old neighbors and chatted with her parents.
She is eager to communicate with people, but can't go out often, "We are a small city, except for a few relatives and friends, no one usually visits me."
In Yingdouma's view, living alone and staying at home all day is definitely not a good thing, and it is prone to problems.
She worked hard to keep herself busy, became an active person in the community, led the elderly in square dances, was enthusiastic about community public affairs, and registered as a volunteer caring for the empty nest elderly after retirement, and contacted 4 empty nest elderly families.
Because of her many friends, she took the initiative to leave her phone number to someone she trusted, and her house key to her trusted neighbor, "distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors."
Once, she forgot to bring her mobile phone when she was out, a neighbor came to her, and no one answered the door when she knocked on the door, but no one answered the ringtone in the phone room.
The neighbor was anxious and reported to the neighborhood committee.
The secretary of the neighborhood committee rushed to her door, found the neighbor who had the spare key to open the door, and found that she was not at home.
When she was in a hurry, Ying Dou Ma returned home in time, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
The secretary of the neighborhood committee said to her: "Auntie, you must bring your mobile phone when you go out." Lize Xiyuan Community also gave Yingdoumali the attention that she could, such as installing a fire alarm in her home, directly connected to the fire department.
Once, Ying Dou Ma smoked moxibustion at home by herself. The smoke filled the room and triggered the fire alarm. Not only did the fire department call to ask about the situation, the community committee and the property immediately rushed to her home after receiving the report and found a false alarm. field.
Although it has caused trouble for everyone, Ying Dou Ma also feels the care and warmth of the community.
At the end of the interview that day, she left Yingdouma's house at 9 p.m., and she insisted on sending the reporter out to the elevator.
"Thank you for coming to see me and chatting with me." When the reporter left the nursing home, Wang Shufang kept chanting this sentence.
The life security system was initially formed
There are many shortcomings in elderly care services
According to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, my country currently has 13.386 million elderly people covered by the minimum living allowance, 3.88 million extremely poor elderly people covered by the government, 31.044 million elderly people receiving senior-age subsidies, and 81.3 elderly people receiving nursing subsidies. There were 5.35 million elderly people enjoying pension service subsidies, and 1.329 million elderly people enjoying comprehensive ageing subsidies.
Among them, many are widows and elderly people living alone.
my country has always attached great importance to the protection of the rights and interests of orphans and elderly people.
The Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly stipulates: “If the elderly are incapable of working, have no source of livelihood, have no supporters and supporters, or their supporters and supporters are indeed incapable of support or support, local people’s governments at all levels shall comply with relevant regulations. Provide support or assistance." "Government-funded elderly care institutions should give priority to guaranteeing the service needs of the elderly, widows, disabled, and the elderly who are in financial difficulties."
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to establish and improve the care and service system for left-behind elderly in rural areas.
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to implement a national strategy to actively respond to the aging of the population and improve the basic elderly care service system.
The Department of Elderly Care Services of the Ministry of Civil Affairs responded in an interview with reporters that in recent years, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has actively implemented the relevant decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and has made great efforts to promote the protection of the rights of orphans and elderly people in conjunction with relevant departments.
In terms of strengthening policy support, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other 9 departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Strengthening Care and Services for the Left-behind Elderly in Rural Areas" in 2017, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the "Regarding Further Caring for the Left-behind Elderly in Rural Areas in Poverty-stricken Areas" in 2019. "Notice of Service Work", forming a complete and complete policy system.
In terms of improving the living security system for the elderly in rural areas, the civil affairs department has continuously improved the welfare subsidy system for the elderly to improve the quality of life of the elderly.
my country has initially formed a living security system for elderly people who are orphans and widows, including welfare subsidies, social assistance, and support for extreme poverty.
In addition, local civil affairs departments continue to strengthen the construction of rural elderly care service facilities.
As of the end of 2020, a total of 17,000 nursing homes and 1.74 million beds have been registered across the country, providing necessary conditions for widows and orphans to provide for the aged in institutions.
At the same time, provide mutual assistance services for elderly orphans in rural areas.
By the end of 2020, there were 131,000 rural mutual assistance elderly service facilities nationwide, providing a platform for the extensive development of rural mutual assistance elderly services.
During the epidemic prevention and control period, local civil affairs departments played the role of grassroots organizations, social organizations, community workers, social workers, and volunteers to provide visits and care services to elderly people with special difficulties such as widows and widows isolated at home due to the epidemic.
"Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, great progress has been made in the guarantee of elderly care services. The basic life of the widowed elderly has been effectively guaranteed, and the sense of gain, happiness, and security has been continuously improved." There are still some "shortcomings" at the institutional level, such as the absence of special legislation for elderly care services at the national level, the framework of the basic elderly care service system has not yet been established, and the lack of government investment guarantees.
Guo Lin, associate professor of the School of Sociology of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and vice chairman of the Youth Committee of the Chinese Society of Social Security, told reporters that my country’s current laws, regulations and policies cover the predicament of elderly care services faced by widowed elderly people, especially through centralized support and decentralized support. Basic financial and service guarantees are provided, but on the whole it shows that economic and material guarantees can basically be realized, and the care services, especially medical care and spiritual comfort, are "shortcomings".
"As the fertility rate continues to remain low for a period of time, the number of elderly people living alone, especially elderly women living alone, will increase significantly in the future. How to meet their daily activities, life care, medical care, medical care, spiritual comfort, etc. The demand for this is an issue that cannot be ignored." Guo Lin said.
Li Chao, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said that with the acceleration of the aging of the population, the elderly population is becoming larger and larger. The elderly care problems, especially the disability, living alone, and empty nests, have become a common concern for governments at all levels and from all walks of life. Hot spot.
Among them, the widowed and alone elderly are the more disadvantaged groups and need more care and love from the elderly care services.
"For lonely elderly people who are scattered and living alone, and those who are not particularly poor, the problems they face are more complicated, especially in terms of living care, medical services, and spiritual comfort." Li Chao said.
In Guo Lin's view, the many old-age service dilemmas faced by the elderly who live alone and alone are mainly restricted by the development of social old-age services due to insufficient human, financial and material resources.
According to his analysis, on the one hand, the lack of human resources for elderly care services restricts the realization of elderly care services for the widowed and alone.
Although relevant systems such as special hardship assistance have clear provisions for providing necessary living care for widows and elderly people living alone, due to the lack of elderly service professionals, basic care is basically difficult to achieve in many places, especially in rural areas, especially in many township nursing homes. The ability to provide primary life care services to the rural elderly who live there is not to mention providing the medical care services most urgently needed by the disabled and semi-disabled elderly people. Mental comfort services are even more lacking.
In addition, due to the differences in economic conditions in different regions, some places lack the economic foundation to meet the care needs of widows and elderly people living alone by purchasing basic care services.
“On the other hand, the systems of charitable elderly care and ethical mutual assistance are not yet complete, and the combination of public policies and traditional ethical mutual assistance for elderly care is not enough. Some regions have explored the neighbor’s mutual assistance elderly care service mechanism, but due to the lack of corresponding institutional guarantees, there is no policy document to deal with them. Service functions, public support mechanisms, etc. have been systematically regulated to provide active guidance, making it difficult for neighborhood mutual assistance and charitable pensions to develop sustainably." Guo Lin believes.
Promote special legislation for elderly care services
Integrate social service resources for the elderly
How to better respond to the real needs of lonely old people?
The Department of Elderly Services of the Ministry of Civil Affairs stated that the Ministry of Civil Affairs will work with relevant departments to focus on the following tasks: First, speed up the construction of the institutional framework.
Accelerate the construction of a basic elderly care service system, and at the same time accelerate the process of special legislation for elderly care services.
The second is to strengthen the coordination of work.
Strengthen the linkage between the construction of the old-age service system and reforms in related fields, and strengthen the system and coordination.
Persist in doing our best and doing what we can, and promote the coordinated development of basic elderly care services, inclusive elderly care services and market-based elderly care services, form policy synergy, and improve the elderly care service security system for the elderly with special difficulties such as the orphans.
The third is to continuously promote reform and innovation.
On the basis of strengthening top-level design and overall guidance, encourage and support localities to explore and innovate according to local conditions, focus on important systems, implementation measures, key issues and other key links, promote the early maturity and finalization of the basic elderly care service system in line with national conditions, and ensure that the elderly enjoy basic elderly care. service.
Regarding this issue, Guo Lin believes that the key is to integrate social elderly care service resources, provide elderly care services, and meet the needs of elderly care services for the elderly, widows and alone.
In addition to improving the centralized support system for urban and rural widows and elderly people living alone, and improving the quality of centralized support, we should also focus on improving the service level of community home care services for widows and widows and elderly people living alone, strengthen the transformation or construction of the community for aging, and weave the manpower for home care in the community. , Material and financial resources network, to resolve the elderly care problems of widows, widows and alone.
At the same time, we must actively explore the guardianship system for orphans and elderly people living alone.
"Through specific policy support and public subsidy guidance and other measures, the implementation of neighbourhood mutual assistance or acquaintance mutual assistance old-age service mechanisms can give full play to the role of young and healthy old people, and provide basic old-age care services such as daily visits and life care to the widows and lonely old people. . The financial responsibilities of the elderly who live alone and alone should be clarified, and the method of purchasing elderly care services for the elderly who live alone or alone should be improved to meet their needs for elderly care services.” Guo Lin said.
Guo Lin also proposed that we should attach importance to the spiritual comfort for widows and elderly people living alone.
Where conditions permit, we can explore the integration of spiritual comfort into the support system for the destitute elderly, and provide spiritual comfort services to the urban and rural lone elderly by playing the role of social workers and other subjects. We must also give full play to the function of the community and neighbors in spiritual comfort. To better meet the spiritual comfort needs of elderly people living alone and alone.
Li Chao's suggestion is to implement the responsibility system of community neighborhood committees and village committees, and establish a system of regular visits for widows and widows and elderly people living alone.
Community neighborhood committees and village committees establish relevant file systems to keep abreast of the situation of the elderly; encourage private capital investment, improve the home care model, and provide free services to the elderly, widows and alone through government purchases of services.
"Establish a volunteer assistance system, relying on resources such as grassroots seniors’ associations, volunteer organizations, and community social organizations, organize the elderly to carry out mutual assistance services, extensively promote community voluntary services, and actively explore the establishment of a one-to-one, many-to-one pairing system. The main form is to provide services such as life care, emotional care, and emergency assistance." Li Chao said.
Li Chao believes that due to the narrow definition of widows and lone elderly in the existing policies, it is recommended that economically developed regions, on the basis of strict implementation of national policies, expand the scope of assistance for widowed elders and related groups, and protect those who have long-term absence of children and no child care. Elderly people living alone are included in the scope of care.
According to the economic situation of the elderly, the communities where the elderly are located, on the basis of respecting the wishes of the elderly, will help the elderly to formulate personalized elderly care service plans.
Chen Hansong is the director of the Ownership Committee of Lize Xiyuan No. 1 District, and he has a lot of contact with elderly people living alone in the community.
In his opinion, what the elderly people who are alone or alone need most are medical services and mental health services, and they must play the pivotal role of the community in providing elderly care services in the system.
For example, with each community as a unit, the government supports the establishment of service stations for the elderly living alone and widowed and provides psychological counseling services, promotes the density and service content of community hospitals, and encourages properties to participate in the care services for the elderly living alone and scattered. Use big data to increase home or remote services by family doctors in community hospitals.
"In short, most elderly people still have to live in the community. It is urgent to give full play to the advantages of the community and involve the community, property and property committees to provide convenient, accessible and comprehensive elderly care services for the widows and elderly people living alone." Chen Hansong said.
Ying Dou Ma believes that widows and elderly people living alone are very helpless. The society, including the community, should give more care and assistance. However, “we also need to rely on ourselves. The spirit of independence and self-improvement is very important. Try to cultivate some hobbies and spend more time with our neighbors. It's important to be good friends and neighbors to help and comfort each other."
(At the request of the interviewee, Wang Shufang is a pseudonym)