CWU Holds Forum on Providing Services for the Aged

China Women's University (CWU) held a forum on providing services for the aged at Beijing International Convention Center on December 1. The event drew the participation of some 100 experts and scholars in the field of health management and aging.

The forum was co-sponsored by CWU's Higher Vocational College (HVC), the Family Development Research Center, and two groups called Snail College and Legend of Snail, which are both devoted to helping seniors.

The event aimed to explore the status of pension systems in the modern era, improve citizen's living conditions, optimize talent training schemes for community service, and boost the interaction between universities and social service institutions.

Organizers set up two symposiums on "Health and Pensions" and "The Aged and Undertakings", and opened an area showcasing posters about different groups and causes. HVC president Sun Jianbei presided over the event and CWU vice-president Liu Meng delivered an opening speech.

With the trend for aging populations, people are paying more attention to quality of life rather than counting the number of years. In order to meet the needs of social development, society should develop causes for healthy aging and promote the development of innovative pension systems, Liu said. She also hoped that the conference would promote the construction of higher vocational colleges, and provide a platform for university-enterprise cooperation.

Wu Yushao, director of the China National Committee of Aging (CNCA) and China Research Center of Aging, delivered a speech on "Implementing the Healthy Aging Strategy, Lowering the Cost of Aging Population". Ru Xiaomei, leader of the home healthcare group at the National Health and Family Planning Commission, delivered a speech on "Implementation and Progress of Sino-Japanese Home Healthcare Service". Chang Hua, director of the Beijing First Social Welfare Institute; and, Ding Xinya, vice-president of HVC delivered speeches on "Innovating Holistic Health Care Service, Enjoying a Dignified Old Age" and "Improving Public Living Condition, Cultivating Professionals of Health Management", respectively.

Experts from different institutions comprehensively discussed the demands, status quo, modes, and specialization of pension services, and exchanged their opinions on talent cultivation and the management of nursing institutes for the aged.

The conference not only presented the service concepts and practical achievements of healthy life and aging issues from colleges and universities, government organizations, private enterprises and NGOs, but also provided a platform for connecting the demand for professional healthcare training and management personnel between enterprises and public institutions. In addition, it helped to further push forward vocational education, improved the service quality for aging citizens, and provided some references for raising their standards of living.

(Source: China Women's University/Translated and edited by Women of China)