Shanghai YMCA & YWCA conducted the 2023–2024 annual meeting in collaboration with the Shanghai Working Committee of the Long-Term Care Professional Committee of the China Charity Federation (CCF).
According to Shanghai CC&TSPM, on January 4, the meeting focused on the features and development of Shanghai's senior care sector in the new era, aligning with the overall plan for developing elderly care, with participation in person and virtually.
IT engineer Xia Li gave a speech on the theme of "Opportunities and Challenges Faced by Digital Products (Artificial Intelligence) under the Trend of China's Aging Population" with an introduction and suggestions to the challenges faced by China's aging-friendly development of science and technology in the context of opportunities. His suggestions consisted of two aspects. The first was to initiate digital skill improvement activities for middle-aged and elderly people. Mobilizing communities, businesses, universities, and elderly care institutions to educate the usage of technological products among the elderly, including the creation of user manuals and video tutorials and the organization of skills competitions to improve the elderly’s skills in using digital products. The second initiative involved raising awareness among the elderly about safe internet usage by increasing the publicity of laws and regulations related to personal information and privacy protection to empower the elderly to better identify online rumors and telecom fraud.
Mr. Zhang Jiyuan, deputy director and associate professor of the Research Center of Public Policy of East China Normal University, gave a themed lecture, "Development of the Elderly Care Industry," elaborating on the development process of the elderly care service industry, the trend of its demand, dementia care, hospice care, and the exploration of smart elderly care models. Combining actual cases, Mr. Zhang also analyzed how institutions should survive with relatively low profits during the development cycle downturn of the elderly care industry.
Sun Zhiguo, president and principal of Shanghai Jiading Qiaohuitianyi University for the Elderly, shared stories about guiding the elderly in the institution to reintegrate into community life through geriatric education, encouraging attendees to jointly develop courses and achieve resource sharing.
Dr. Wu Jianrong, director of the Shanghai Working Committee, addressed how to serve the individual needs of diverse groups of people in elderly care services under the theme "How Elderly Care in China Develops." He pointed out, "The elderly care service industry must avoid commercial operations, optimize the use of limited social elderly care resources, and serve the people in need."
This meeting served as a platform for learning and exchange on “Internet +” technology and intelligent health and elderly care services, elevating the standard of “serving the elderly.”
- Translated by Poppy Chan
