Dr. Sun Kailian , with interpreter and AUICK Liaison Officer Mr. Sun Chenggong, explained Weihai’s need to address rising numbers of aged citizens, and an Action Plan to build a Senior Center in the Wendeng area of Weihai Municipality.

1. The City

Weihai is located at the eastern tip of Shandong Peninsula, and is a well-known port and tourist city in China covering an area of 5,968km², with a population of 2.51 million people. In recent years, Weihai’s population aging issue has become more and more urgent. Over 13 years, the number of old people in the city has increased by an average rate of 2.3% per year, which predicts that it will take no more than 9 years to see another increase of 100,000 old people. 

At present there are 426,000 people aged over 60 in Weihai, 17% of the total population, and this figure is expected to reach 20% by 2010. More and more families are a young couple caring for 4 elders and one child, and elders living without their children have grown in number, leading to the weakening of home-help for the aged. This in turn increases the burden on the country’s Medicare system. The city’s workforce is also gradually aging. In 1997, 19% of laborers were over the age of 45, but this had risen to 23% by 2007. 

Various steps are being taken to address these factors. A comprehensive security system entitles all aged people in the urban area to social support (retirement pension) and Medicare. By the end of 2007, 470,000 people had joined the urban pension insurance system, 85,000 retired people had benefited from the pension system, and 320,000 people had joined the urban medical insurance system. The government is investing in senior apartment buildings for the aged, and training laid-off workers to provide services to the poorest, those living without children, and the most aged in the community. Furthermore, from 2005 to 2007 the local government invested nearly USD3 million in rebuilding 65 senior centers, together with USD20 million from society. A comprehensive service system for the aged is provided by the government and community. This consists of community care; volunteer and student services and information sharing to provide daily life, medical and spiritual care. 

In 2007, the government established the 11th Five-Plan for Weihai’s Aging Undertakings, which stipulated that all urban aged welfare facilities be integrated into general urban planning, and that the number of senior centers should be doubled in the next 20 years, to build a sophisticated aging population service system with advanced facilities, multi-function and ordered management. By the end of 2010, pension insurance coverage will reach 85% in the urban area, and the senior centers will reach 2.5% of the total number of elderly people.

Elders at a Senior Center of Weihai

To TOP

1. The Proposed Action Plan

The workshop Action Plan by Dr. Kailian Sun is to build a Comprehensive Senior Centre, incorporating lessons learned from the visits to service facilities and institutions in Kobe City. 

Under Weihai’s jurisdiction, there are 3 county-level cities and one district. Since 2006, 65 rural Senior Centers have been expanded or rebuilt, greatly improving the lives of local aged citizens. The Wendeng area of the city, though, is an exception. At present, there are 986 over-60s who are lonely, disabled or mentally handicapped. This number is projected to grow to more than 1,200 in the district in just five years. The plan will strongly recommend to the government to build a comprehensive senior center in Wendeng, offering free intensive care service to those elderly (aged 65 and over) who are without children. This should include accommodation, food provision, Medicare and recreation. The elderly with children can also enjoy the facilities, with payment from their pensions or families. It is estimated that a staff of 30 is needed for the center, whose wages would be financed wholly by Wendeng City Government. After reporting to the mayor, a feasibility study will be prepared for approval by the local People’s Congress. The location and land use approval will then be sought from the Department of Land Resources for the building of the center, which is currently designed to cover an area of about 300,000㎡, with 500 beds, at a total cost of USD7 million. 

After procedures to get approval for the project’s registration, Wendeng City Government will pool various resources to raise money for the project, mainly through 3 channels: local government budget, local welfare lottery income, and the Civil Affairs Departments of both the Shandong province and state levels. 

By April 2009, the project design should be completed, and then a construction company will be chosen through public bidding. Construction of the center will be over a seven-month period, after which doctors, nurses and other staff will be trained. The center is planned to be opened with the recruiting and accommodating of elderly in March 2009. Then, a second stage of the plan will involve another 500 beds being incorporated for the growing demand of aged citizens.

To TOP

Weihai Action Plan Time Frame: November 2008 – February 2010

To TOP