Tackling the problem

To respond to these challenges, the guideline asked relevant authorities to improve the country's three-tiered elderly care network for rural residents, which covers counties, towns and villages.

By 2025, every county should have at least one county-level nursing facility offering care to "people living an especially difficult life", mainly those with disabilities, the guideline said.

"People living an especially difficult life" is a Chinese term that refers to the most vulnerable individuals who need government support, including older residents who can't work, don't have a source of income, and don't have anyone legally obliged to and able to provide for them.

The guideline said it supports these county-level nursing facilities in setting up special wards for the disabled or those with cognitive impairments, and encouraged them to increase the number of nursing beds.

At the township level, it called for transforming nursing facilities for the underprivileged elderly into "regional elderly care service centers" that provide a series of services, including day care and at-home care.

At the village level, the guideline said villages should set up more facilities such as "mutual support stations for neighbors" and "happiness homes".

These facilities are usually ones where services such as meals, day care, recreational activities and house calls are provided to older residents. Villagers and volunteers often join in providing the services.

The guideline also encouraged local associations that cater to seniors to help run errands for older villagers, take them to hospitals and pay home visits to check up on them.

Lu Jiehua, a professor at the Department of Sociology of Peking University, said the guideline is a "milestone" in terms of dealing with "the widening gap" of elderly care in rural and urban areas, and has set out clear and practical tasks for counties, towns and villages.

Yet, regions may need to take into account their own conditions and take different approaches to meet their goals, he said, adding that market forces must be considered.

Lu said he believes the country's elderly care for rural residents requires efforts from both the government and market entities to achieve sustainable development.

The government provides funds for the basic needs of those who are eligible to receive its support, but such funds may not cover elderly care services, he said.