BEIJING -- Grassroots governments in Beijing are now required to conduct weekly home visits to elderly residents who live in their own homes.

The municipal civil affairs department said that those aged over 80 who live alone should be prioritized, as well as those caring for disabled dependents.

Home visits should be provided for at least 50,000 senior citizens this year, it said.

Beijing has 3.5 million residents aged over 60, and 9.8 percent of them are living alone.

Li Hongbing, deputy director of the department, said that the home visits will help address to the needs of the elderly and provide information on their health conditions.

The visits should be done by the subdistrict offices, township governments, or elderly care organizations entrusted by them, Li said.

The city government has taken a series of additional measures to improve the at-home care of its senior citizens, including funding the installation of safety facilities, such as handrails, elevators big enough for wheelchairs and emergency call devices, as the city currently does not have sufficient nursing homes to meet the needs of its aging population.