Crisis in elderly care as nurses are hard to find
Print Edition
IN a nation that traditionally sees the family as the primary care giver, care homes for China’s elderly are in their infancy and face a litany of problems.
In a care home in Shijiazhuang, a city in north China’s Hebei Province, it is common to see managers join nurses to help residents move around or wash themselves.
Established in 2013, the Zhongqiao Nursing Home has 260 beds but just 20 nurses, most of them retirees.
“We need young workers badly but could not find any during recruitment,” said Shang Fuming, the nursing home’s chairman.
In cooperation with a local hospital, the home specializes in caring for the elderly who suffer from cerebrovascular diseases. Most are not able to take care of themselves.
But while China is ramping up elderly care services, there are not enough nurses to care for the growing aging population.
There were more than 200 million people aged over 60 in 2015, accounting for over 16 percent of the total population.
To tackle the shortage of nurses, the Ministry of Education and eight other government departments issued a joint circular in July 2014, encouraging colleges to set up majors related to elderly care, including elderly health and nutrition, the psychology of aging, geriatric nursing and bioethics.
However, few of these graduates select jobs based on their major.
Zhang Meng, 20, a sophomore majoring in elderly services and management at Beijing Youth Politics College, said she would like to work with the elderly after graduation, but only to chat and organize activities. She had no interest in looking after the bedridden.
Zhang Zhenqiang graduated in elderly services and management at the college in 2013, but among his 30 classmates only three have jobs caring for the elderly.
Zhang and his colleagues started a small nursing home in Cangzhou in Hebei after graduation but it closed earlier this year due to difficult market conditions.
“The academic knowledge we learned at college was disconnected from reality. We had no spare energy to organize activities or address mental health needs, as simply accommodating them was exhausting,” he said.
While many graduates spurn nursing jobs, nursing homes prefer workers without diplomas, as they have more experience and are paid less.
Du Shuyun, head of Hengchun Nursing Home in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, said they welcome student interns who have creative ideas, such as games or exercises, but when it comes to recruitment they are more likely to get middle-aged former nannies applying.
“Graduates demand high salaries and better benefits, but they lack experience in taking care of the elderly,” she said.
Du said growing competition will prompt nursing homes to upgrade services, and offer diversified and tailored services such as mental health care and physical therapy.
“The government should encourage nursing homes to innovate and upgrade their services, which will expand the career paths for elderly care talent of different specialties,” Du said.
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