The Scent of Sunshine:New Connections Between Young and Old

by Zoe Zhao

The 1992 Oscar-winning film Scent of a Woman depicts a story about shy prep school student Charlie Simms （Chris ODonnell） developing an unexpected friendship with middle-aged and ill-tempered retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade （Al Pacino）. The film is built around friendship between old and young， and the commonalities that bind them are what makes the story universally appealing. Simms and Slade find answers to their existential questions about life and self-worth， coming to a sort of conclusion that “life itself is wonderful.”

At 30， Yang Yunhai is wedged between the two characters in terms of age， yet he fully understands such friendship between a kid and a senior. Yang and more than 10 other young adults are currently residing with seniors at Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home in Binjiang District of Hangzhou， Chinas eastern Zhejiang Province， as participants in a special program.

Funded by the local government of Binjiang District， the privately-operated and publicly-owned Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home covers a land area of around 6.7 hectares and offers 2，000 beds. At the end of 2017， the Binjiang District Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League， Binjiang District Administration of Civil Affairs， and Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home jointly launched a project named “companions for longest-lasting love.” The rent for a small one-bedroom flat in the area would cost around 1，500 yuan（US$212） a month， but the younger people living at the nursing home pay just 300 yuan （US$42） per month to share a twin room with a peer. In return， each is required to provide at least 20 hours of volunteer service for seniors a month in the nursing home. In July 2018， Yang Yunhai joined 13 other young adults as the second group to participate in the program. Their volunteer service took a variety of forms， from teaching seniors English and how to use smartphones and make online purchases to accompanying senior to watch TV and movies， take a walk， chat or celebrate birthdays.

The intergenerational home-sharing program is a new experiment and exploration for elderly care in Zhejiang Province — such programs have seldom been seen across China. However， similar projects have indeed been implemented elsewhere in the world. In Austria， the“Generation Condominium” project was added to the national elderly care agenda. In Paris， large living spaces are shared by young and old， and function as nursing homes， apartments， corporate offices， shops， and public parking lots simultaneously， forming neighborhoods and communities like workshops. A similar program in Germany rents rooms in nursing centers or homes to university students at a nominal price， and in return the students are required to help the elderly with housework and provide necessary care.

With the accelerated population aging in Chinese society， such intergenerational elderly care models have attracted increasing attention across China. For Yang Yunhai and his peers， they can save money on rent， and the voluntary assistance they offer helps them better understand and take care of others. For the elderly residents of the nursing home， young people are bringing enormous vitality and energy to their twilight years. With the regular company of these youth， many elderly people can feel a lot less lonely.

The intergenerational home-sharing project has been implemented in Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home for almost two years. How have the young people fared as residents？ What kind of help did the local government provide for project implementation？ What adjustments are on the horizon？ China Pictorial took these questions to Lin Wenlong， director of Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home， as they sat down to analyze the program.

China Pictorial （CP）： What have been the greatest benefits of introducing young residents into your nursing home for older and younger folks， respectively？

Lin Wenlong （Lin）： Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home provides a very warm welcome to every young resident. Their arrivals have brought incredible vitality to the nursing home， and they have become valuable assets. Their regular company and service reduce the workload of our staff and bring joy and comfort to our seniors.

The young people help the seniors in myriad ways. The care and assistance provide a sort of spiritual satisfaction for the elderly， which greatly benefits both their physical and mental health. The young volunteers benefit from the elderswealth of life experience. Through living with seniors， young adults gain considerable life wisdom. The retirees are always ready to listen to and talk with young people about problems and confusion they encounter in life. I believe that the intergenerational nursing model of placing the old and the young together in the same living environment is a win-win model that greatly benefits the health of both sides.

CP： What are your criteria for choosing young tenants？ What qualities does Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home value most in young residents？

Lin： We do have some requirements for residency. For example， eligible candidates must be employed in Binjiang District and own no residential property in urban Hangzhou. First and foremost， we want young tenants who love life， love work， and love our city. The qualities we value most are loving hearts and enthusiasm for volunteer service. The threshold for volunteerism can vary widely. But regardless of the content of volunteer service， we believe “love” is the most basic and important requirement for a volunteer.

CP： The program at Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home has been going on for nearly two years. In terms of the overall operation mode， what adjustments are you considering？

Lin： Since it opened， Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home has welcomed more than 700 senior residents. Its operation has been always been supported by related local government departments including the civil affairs authorities. During the preparation， trial operation and official operation of the nursing home， related government agencies have conducted extensive inspections and provided useful instructions. This program was jointly launched by the local Communist Youth League committee， civil affairs authorities， and our nursing home. It would be fair to say that throughout the implementation process of this program， the government has maintained a high degree of involvement and continued to show strong support.

The publicly-funded and privately-run Lukang Sunshine Nursing Home offers both medical and social care services for seniors. Placing young residents in the nursing home has already yielded bountiful win-win results， as similar projects have around the world. In terms of social capital， participation in the senior care market should become more and more attractive to a wide range of companies keen on enhancing their brands. For the government， some professional services such as rehabilitation therapy and psychological care， which were absent from traditional nursing homes， can be introduced by involving more professional institutions and using more advanced technologies. In the future， we will continue to optimize our service model and improve the quality of senior care services and volunteer work alike， which will only mean more for the quality of life and happiness of the elderly.