Construction of Industrialization Development Model for "1+4+X" Community-Based Elderly Care in Gannan Old Revolutionary Base Area in the Context of Population Aging

Chenxin YANG, Jun XIAO, Liyuan WANG, Jiaxin LIU, Yangkai LU

Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

Abstract In the context of controlling population development in a planned way, China entered an aging society in the early 21st century. In this context, how to meet the needs of the elderly care and form an effective elderly care model has become a key problem to be solved urgently by local government departments. With the continuous advancement of the elderly care policy, the community-based elderly care has gradually become the mainstream and is in the stage of vigorous promotion. Taking the Gannan old revolutionary base area in Jiangxi Province as an example, this study puts forward "1+4+X" community-based elderly care model based on the policy system of community-based elderly care, the physical and mental health of the elderly, the material space and the construction of evaluation system, and explores how to promote the application of this community model efficiently in the form of industrialization, so as to drive the economic growth of the Gannan old revolutionary base area, promote the employment development and improve the community-based elderly care service.

Key words Community-based elderly care, New elderly care model, Gannan old revolutionary base area

1 Introduction

At present, with the acceleration of China’s aging process, the elderly care industry has ushered in an unprecedented opportunity for development. The community-based elderly care is an important form of living security for the elderly, and it is also a popular way of elderly care at present. Nowadays, China’s elderly care industry is still in its infancy. Gannan old revolutionary base area refers to an area with a long history and beautiful landscape in the south of Jiangxi Province, where the proportion of the elderly is large and the demand for elderly care is huge. With the aggravation of population aging, the industrialization of community-based elderly care in the Gannan old revolutionary base area has become an urgent need[1]. Based on the community-based elderly care and taking the Gannan old revolutionary base area as the starting point, this paper puts forward the "1+4+X" community-based elderly care model, that is, to establish a set of comprehensive security system in the community, four service modes of medical care, commerce, culture and sports, and elderly care education, and X characteristic derivative forms including domestic service, express property and child care. Based on the operation of local supporting services for elderly care in the Gannan old revolutionary base area, this paper puts forward the industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area, and finally summarizes and puts forward the industrialization development path of universal "1+4+X" elderly care model, so as to promote the industrialization development of community-based elderly care.

2 Operation of supporting elderly care services in the Gannan old revolutionary base area

2.1 General situation of supporting elderly care services in the Gannan old revolutionary base areaAs one of the deep poverty areas, the construction of supporting elderly care services in the Gannan old revolutionary base area lags behind. However, in recent years, governments and social organizations at all levels in the Gannan old revolutionary base area have started to pay attention to and actively promote the construction of supporting elderly care services.

At the policy level, in 2013, the General Office of the State Council issuedSeveralOpinionsonAcceleratingtheDevelopmentoftheElderlyServiceIndustry[GuoBanFa(2013)No.22] to guide social forces to participate in the development of the elderly service industry. At the same time, the county and district governments in the Gannan old revolutionary base area have successively issued relevant policies and regulations on the construction of elderly care facilities and service standards.

At the practical level, the elderly care facilities in the Gannan old revolutionary base area have been continuously improved, including elderly activity centers, nursing homes, community-based elderly care centers,etc.In addition, governments at all levels also actively guide and support social organizations and enterprises to participate in the elderly care services, strengthen the training and management of employees in the elderly care services, and improve service quality. The construction of the elderly care service facilities and the improvement of service quality not only meet the basic needs of the elderly in the Gannan old revolutionary base area, but also provide diversified services on social interaction, entertainment and study for the elderly.

2.2 Operation of supporting elderly care services in the Gannan old revolutionary base areaIn addition to the construction and allocation of facilities, the operation of supporting elderly care services in the Gannan old revolutionary base area also includes service quality, management mode, service coverage and quality of service personnel[2].

(i) Service quality. The service quality of the elderly is one of the important indicators to measure the operation of supporting services for the elderly. Governments and social organizations at all levels in the Gannan old revolutionary base area have invested a lot of resources to provide basic life care, medical care, psychological care and other services for the elderly. Service facilities such as nursing homes and activity centers for the elderly in the Gannan old revolutionary base area have been well operated, and the life care of the elderly has been guaranteed. At the same time, social organizations also strengthen social, leisure and psychological counseling services for the elderly. However, some elderly people’s opinions and requirements on service quality, such as the quality and standardization of water, electricity and diet, need to be further improved.

(ii) Management mode. The service management mode of the elderly is also one of the factors closely related to the service quality. The elderly care services in Gannan adopt many modes, such as nursing home, home-based elderly care and community-based elderly care. In the process of planning, construction and operation, all kinds of the elderly care institutions pay attention to standardized management, set up institutional management system, health and epidemic prevention and security system, optimize management mode, and comprehensively protect the safety and rights of the elderly.

(iii) Service coverage. Gannan old revolutionary base area has made positive progress in expanding the coverage of elderly care. The government has invested funds to promote the construction of community-based elderly care service centers, and tilted the construction focus to rural areas. Although the construction of community-based elderly care service centers has achieved initial results, there are still some shortcomings in service quality. In addition, some mentally and physically disadvantaged elders still face the problem of being abused.

(iv) Quality of service personnel. The quality of service personnel is another important factor to measure the operation of supporting elderly care services. Gannan old revolutionary base area has made great efforts to strengthen the training and education of service personnel, and trained a large quantity of service personnel with professional ethics, professional quality and professional skills. However, some problems such as low quality and poor attitude of service personnel still need attention.

3 Industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area

The "1+4+X" elderly care model was introduced into the Gannan old revolutionary base area to solve the challenges posed by aging population and insufficient traditional elderly care system. The model includes basic pension payments, four additional sources of income, and X flexible options that can be tailored to individual needs. The other four sources of income include enterprise annuity, personal commercial insurance, reverse mortgage of housing and family support. Plan X is designed to provide retirees with flexibility and options, such as part-time work, starting a business or volunteer work. The industrialization development of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area is still in its infancy. This model has been implemented in some pilot areas, but there are still challenges in popularizing it in a wider range. One of the main challenges is the lack of awareness and understanding of the elderly population, and they may hesitate to adopt the new elderly care model[3]. In addition, there are implementation challenges in coordinating multiple sources of income and managing the pension fund. Despite these challenges, the "1+4+X" elderly care model still has the potential to provide a more comprehensive and flexible elderly care system for retirees in the Gannan old revolutionary base area.

The industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area involves several key steps. First of all, it is necessary to improve the elderly people’s awareness and understanding of this model. This can be achieved through targeted education and outreach projects, as well as partnership with community-based organizations and local media. Second, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination and cooperation among various income sources such as enterprise annuity, personal commercial insurance and family-based elderly care. This can be achieved through the establishment of a centralized pension management system that can simplify the management and distribution of pension benefits[4]. Third, the X options need greater innovation and customization, and can provide retirees with greater flexibility and choice to get their pension benefits. This can be achieved by developing new elderly care products and services, which are tailored according to the specific needs and preferences of retirees in the Gannan old revolutionary base area. Generally, the industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area needs the joint efforts of government agencies, community organizations and private sector stakeholders. By jointly promoting and implementing this model, it is possible to provide a more comprehensive and flexible pension system for retirees in the region (Fig.1).

Fig.1 Industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area

The industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area can bring several benefits to retirees and wider community. First, it can provide a more comprehensive and flexible pension system to meet the diversified needs and preferences of retirees. This helps to reduce financial insecurity in the region and improve the overall well-being of retirees. Second, it can promote greater economic growth and development by encouraging retirees to start businesses, work part-time and do volunteer work[5]. This helps to create new employment opportunities and stimulate local economic activities. Third, it can help solve the challenge of population aging by providing a sustainable and effective pension system, which can support retirees in the long run. This helps to reduce the burden on the social welfare system and promote social stability and cohesion. Finally, the industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model is helpful to promoting innovation and cooperation among government agencies, community organizations and private sector stakeholders. This will help build stronger and more resilient communities and better meet future challenges (Fig.2).

Fig. 2 Advantages of the industrialization development path of "1+4+X" elderly care model in the Gannan old revolutionary base area

4 Industrialization development path of universal "1+4+X" elderly care model

The industrialization development of "1+4+X" elderly care model[6]has played a role in improving the quality and level of the elderly care services and meeting the living needs of the elderly[7]. At the same time, through information-based, intelligence-based technology, it can promote the innovation of the elderly care model and provide better protection for the life of the elderly. According to the characteristics of "1+4+X" elderly care model in this paper, the industrialization development path is put forward as follows:

(i) Establishing a comprehensive security system: According to the living and health needs of the elderly, establishing a complete comprehensive security system, involving medical care, life, social interaction and safety. This requires the government, society and enterprises to cooperate and jointly fund the construction and operation. The government can formulate laws and policies related to elderly care security, support social forces to invest in the construction of the elderly care institutions, and improve the service quality and standardization of the elderly care institutions. At the same time, insurance institutions and financial institutions can also be encouraged to launch exclusive insurance and financial products for the elderly, provide old-age security schemes, and provide all-round protection for the elderly[8].

(ii) Developing medical services: Establishing a special medical service system for the elderly to provide prevention, diagnosis and treatment services for common diseases, chronic diseases and dementia of the elderly. On this basis, rehabilitation and health management services for the elderly can be developed. The government can increase investment in medical services for the elderly, improve the service quality and level of medical institutions, develop specialized diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and health management services for the elderly, and encourage medical institutions and the elderly care institutions to jointly carry out services.

(iii) Developing commercial services: According to the consumption needs of the elderly, establishing a set of special commercial service system for the elderly, including supermarkets, pharmacies, beauty salons, entertainment and leisure services. These services should to meet the needs of the elderly, such as easy shopping, easy communication and easy use. The government can attract enterprises to invest in the elderly care service industry by providing tax and financial support. At the same time, it can support the development of exclusive commercial services for the elderly, such as establishing shopping centers and pharmacies for the elderly and providing one-stop shopping services.

(iv) Developing cultural services: According to the cultural needs of the elderly, establishing a special cultural service system for the elderly, including cultural performances, traditional culture and cultural activities. These services need to meet the needs of the elderly, such as inheriting traditional culture and appreciating cultural performances.

(v) Developing education services for the elderly: establishing a special education service system for the elderly, including vocational skills training, knowledge popularization and interest training. These services need to meet the needs of the elderly, such as cultural courses, calligraphy and music in nursing homes.

(vi) Developing characteristic derivative forms such as domestic service, package+property service and child care service: According to the needs of the elderly, developing characteristic derivative forms such as domestic service, package+property service and child care service, which can provide more intimate, convenient and comfortable services and meet the diversified needs of the elderly[9].

(vii) Personnel training: The service personnel of the elderly care are the key factors of industrialization development. It is necessary to strengthen their training and education, improve their professional skills and service awareness, and establish a sound service standard and assessment system to ensure the quality of life and safety of the elderly. The government can formulate targeted training plans, and carry out training courses through trade associations, vocational skills training institutions, universities,etc., so as to improve the professional quality of the elderly care service personnel. Enterprises can also attract and retain outstanding talents by career development planning, professional skills training and working environment improvement, so as to improve the overall quality of the elderly care service industry.

(viii) Capital investment: government and social capital can be invested in the elderly care industry in various ways, such as encouraging enterprises to invest in the construction of elderly care projects. The government can also guide social capital to invest in the elderly care industry, and establish financing tools such as elderly care industry investment funds and elderly care industry trusts to improve the rate of return on capital. At the same time, the government can increase financial subsidies to elderly care service enterprises, and encourage enterprises to increase investment and improve service level.