Integrated and Seamless Services for Active Aging, a Model for Zhuhai

H. C. J. Wong^*, Y. F. Ng, X. L. Yuan

Beijing Normal University - Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, China.

DOI: 10.4236/jbm.2014.26007                

Abstract

The Aging Tsunami as it is often quoted to describe the worrying situations of rapidly aging in China has not met with detail planning in facilities upgrade and careful consideration in service models. Broad brushed central policies categorizes services into home care, community care and institutional care and set policy goals at 90-6-4, representing the percentage of older people in receiving respective care. This leaves local officials helpless on how these ideals can be actualized. Some cities have inclined to build huge older people homes and pour resources into institutional care, forgetting the need for older people to be connected with the society. This paper reviews the historical developments of older people services in Hong Kong and recommends an integrative model of social work services connecting institutional, community and home care into a seamless network. The city of Zhuhai will be presented as a perfect experimental city on how its existing facilities can be converted and developed according to the model. Survey on the situations of the 16 public older people homes will be used to illustrate the potentials of an integrative model.

Keywords

Integrated Care, Active Aging, Seamless Care, Social Innovations

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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