Care homes: An attempt to help the elderly, the poor

Feng Zhiqing (left),73, walks in the yard of a care home in Hejiagou village accompanied by his caregiver An Li. [Photo by Zhang Bowen/Xinhua]

Feng Zhiqing, 73, lives in Hejiagou village, Baota district of Yan’an city. With no family members alive, the man lived alone.

Feng once lived inside a stone cave in a mountain. Known as “Yaodong,” the cave is a traditional man-made dwelling carved out of the hillside. However, in 2013, a heavy rain destroyed his home. So he had to move down the mountains and rented another “Yaodong” in the village. According to the old man, the monthly rent of 150 yuan (US$25) was a burden.

To help the impoverished, lonely seniors living in rural areas, in 2017, the Baota government started to build rural care homes. Feng and eight other seniors have since moved to the newly built care home in their village.

Feng (left) plays poker with other seniors in the village care home. [Photo by Zhang Bowen/Xinhua]

In the care home, each of the eight seniors stays in a 20m² room that has furniture, a bathroom and a simple kitchen. There is also a yard where they can exercise. Meanwhile, a caregiver helps them with cleaning, cooking and other matters.

(From left to right) Feng, his caregiver, and a volunteer make dumplings. [Photo by Zhang Bowen/Xinhua]

An Li, 36, who is from the same village, works as the home’s caregiver. Her husband died in a car accident two years ago, leaving her and their child behind. She was subsequently classified as impoverished.Hiring her to work at the care home,the local government aimed to help the seniors as well as the poverty-stricken families. With this job, she receives 600 yuan (US$95) a month. According to Baota government, 95 such care homes have been built in its 13 townships, and 111 impoverished people like An have been employed as caregivers.

“With this job, I don’t have to work in cities away from home,so I have time to take care of my kid,” said An, “Life is much easier.”