Ministry of Civil Affairs of China: During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the formulation of the Elderly Care Service Law will be accelerated

China News Service, Beijing, September 23 (Reporter Li Jingze) The State Council Information Office of China held a press conference on the 23rd on promoting high-quality development of civil affairs during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. Li Changguan, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, stated at the meeting that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, we will accelerate the formulation of the Elderly Care Service Law, promote the revision of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, and strengthen legal protection in the field of aging.

When talking about how to actively respond to the aging of the population, Changguan Li said that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, together with relevant departments, will focus on five aspects of work:

The first is to improve the policy and institutional system. We will improve and thoroughly implement the national strategic institutional mechanism for actively responding to population aging, strengthen strategic coordination, policy connection, and resource sharing, and continuously enhance the pertinence, coordination, and systematicness of policies and systems.

The second is to strengthen service guarantees for the elderly. Work with relevant departments to improve the basic living, basic medical and basic care security systems for the elderly, focus on preventing and resolving the three major risks of life difficulties, frequent diseases, and disability and dementia faced by the elderly, continuously improve the level of health and elderly care services, and comprehensively guarantee the elderly life in their later years.

The third is to support the elderly’s social participation. We will improve the voluntary service system for the elderly, carry out in-depth "Silver Age Action" in the new era, guide the elderly to participate in grassroots governance, rural revitalization, science, education, culture and health, and promote the expansion of the supply of education, cultural and sports services for the elderly, so that the elderly can better achieve a sense of care and happiness in aging.

The fourth is to promote the development of the silver economy. Work with relevant departments to optimize the policy environment and support companies to develop more safe, practical, and reasonably priced products and services based on the actual needs of the elderly. Organize and implement a three-year action to expand capacity and improve quality of the rehabilitation assistive device industry. Promote the establishment of a certification system for silver-haired products and services, enrich the consumption scenarios of elderly-friendly products and supplies, promote the connection between supply and demand, and better meet the diverse quality life needs of the elderly.

The fifth is to deepen the construction of an age-friendly society. Work with relevant departments to vigorously promote the aging-friendly renovation of homes and public facilities, and promote the aging-friendly digital technology. We will implement preferential treatment policies for the elderly and severely crack down on illegal and criminal acts that infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly.