Senior care services are called "a sunrise industry serving the elderly people". China sees more apparently a great need of eldercare with the changing demographic structure. Churches and Christians start nursing homes to play an active role in social service.
Initiated by three Christians in March 2014, Cedar Eldercare Corporation in Weifang, Shandong, is running four nursing homes. Putting Christian culture as its core culture, the company has grown into a professional senior care service organization that prepares to make a stock market listing.
The home's origin
President Han and President Li are the two founders who are Christian and also schoolmates. After working in the business for years, Li sought the meaning of life and then came to the church. "At that time my life came to a stage in which it was not worth living like this. Learning Christianity through books, I went to the church myself... " She also brought her schoolmate Han to the church.
Back to the workplace again, she thought that she should not only consider the matter of money but also make a difference in the society. She found an investor. They fit in readily and planned to establish a home for elderly administered by Christian culture.
The home's development
In the early days of the home, the presidents gave step-by-step directions to the nursing staff. Later professional nurses were hired to provide training to them.
Different from non-Christian senior citizens' homes, the home has a rule that it helps one financially or mentally disadvantaged elderly person who can pay less or enjoy free of charge once ten elderly people are admitted.
The majority of the nursing staff are Christians. Through the communication with the families of seniors who live in the home, President Han discovers that more than 90% of the elderly people are attracted by its Christian culture no matter if they or their families are Christians or not." They value the compassion of these Christian (nurses) during the service. Every elderly people who intend to move into the home can have a try of living here for one week cost-free." States President Han.
The home's experience
The home began to explore a new nursing model and apply it into practice in 2015. It cooperated with two local hospitals successively, setting up branches in the hospitals. In the branch, professional doctors and nurses from the hospital were responsible for the medical service and the outstanding care providers from the home were in charge of daily living tasks for the elderly. That May the home founded home-based care services in mature communities of Weicheng District. The mode integrated home care, day care, medical-nursing combined care, and institutional care. The broad prospect of the services is in stark contrast with the situation that non-governmental elderly care providers struggle to survive.
President Han explains why many nursing homes hardly run or have lots of beds in idle: "The elderly are dissatisfied and their families worry about them."
"Actually there is a high demand for senior care service... Here we sell the care idea that ‘the elderly today is my future self--me of ten years later’. We hope that every nurse can experience life transformation through serving these seniors." Says Han.
Translated by Karen Luo
