Shanghai Should Offer More Support to the Elderly Who Engage in Volunteer Work, Academic Says
Zhou Zhenjie
DATE:  12 hours ago
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Shanghai Should Offer More Support to the Elderly Who Engage in Volunteer Work, Academic Says Shanghai Should Offer More Support to the Elderly Who Engage in Volunteer Work, Academic Says

(Yicai) Jan. 14 -- Shanghai, which has a growing aging population, should provide better support to active and healthy senior citizens who wish to take part in volunteer activities, an academic told Yicai during the Shanghai Two Sessions, which is an annual meeting of the city’s top legislative and political advisory bodies.

Many elderly people in China are still in good physical condition, are very outgoing and would like to take part in social activities, Li Yan, a professor at Shanghai University’s school of physical education, said in her proposal to the Shanghai Two Sessions. Over half of the people aged 60 and above in China were in the 60 to 69 years bracket at 51.3 percent as of the end of 2023, she said.

However, many senior citizens are not familiar with the types of volunteer work that exists, and do not know how to take part, how to register and some don’t have the required skillset, said Li, who is also a member of the Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Safety measures to protect volunteers also need improvement, she added.

The city should broaden its channels for information dissemination, Li said. For example, it can work with communities to set up dedicated information platforms or desks where active old people can make enquiries about volunteer activities and sign up.

Many elderly people do not have specialist skills and the municipality should strengthen training and guidance, and develop courses tailored to their needs, Li said. There are also not a lot of incentives for volunteer services, mainly focusing on the fun of taking part, and these need to be improved to encourage senior citizens to participate, she said.

Shanghai should strengthen its safety measures as there is not a system in place yet that can guarantee volunteers’ safety, he said. Organizations that need volunteer services should purchase adequate insurance for senior citizens, and formulate a complete safety management system, including keeping health records of each elderly volunteer.

The Shanghai Two Sessions refer to the CPPCC and People’s Congress meetings held each year in the metropolis. The CPPCC meeting is being held from Jan. 14 to Jan. 17 this year, and the People's Congress meeting will take place from Jan. 15 to Jan. 18.

Editor: Kim Taylor

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Keywords:   Shanghai,Shanghai Two Sessions