Home / News
The Balizhuang area of Beijing's Chaoyang district is seeing growth in its volunteer service especially in help for the aged who have difficulties in their daily life.
One person who has benefited is Wang Fengming, a 96-year-old who is now receiving voluntary care from Liang Huilan, an organizer of one of the area's volunteer teams.
Wang's daughter Shuying explains that Wang broke his leg last year and needed someone to take care of him round-the-clock, but, "Liang Huilan and her team members have come to look after my father regularly or anytime I phone her. She really helps a lot, especially whenever I have something urgent to do and leave my father at home."
Liang's team have been providing services for the community's 39 households like Wang, mostly elderly people with disabilities or ailments or no family. They help with housekeeping, shopping, hairdressing, chatting, and even medial service, which brings relief to the exhausted families as well.
 |
|
Liang Huilan (L) reading newspaper for Wang Fengming, 96 in Chaoyang district, on April 14. [Photo by Zhao Qian/chinadaily.com.cn] |
The service, called "Giving you a break", began last year as part of local authorities' efforts to bring social organizations together to give the families of the elderly a brief rest and to generally improve the care that society shows.
The authorities have also cooperated with other volunteer organizations to offer more comprehensive care for the aged, both in physical and spiritual needs.
"We're building an entire care system that combines government input with community nursing, day care service, home care, and even medical services," explained Zhang Fulai, a head of Balizhuang.
The area now has 26,000 people above the age of 60, or about a fourth of its total, making aged people a major concern, but 90 percent of them get care at home, so volunteers who can visit their homes are badly needed, according to Lyu Dong, a local community official, who says they are making an effort to encourage individuals, organizations, and enterprises to take part in volunteer services.
The community is trying ways to support the volunteer services as well and there will be a system that allows volunteers to record their service hours and get it back from others if they are ever in need.
