Integrated communities give elderly residents comfort, purpose

Ups and downs

Integrated community managers have been encouraged to address the issue of whether elevators should be installed in older residential buildings.

Many older buildings lack elevators, making it difficult for residents to get around. The absence of elevators impacts the elderly more severely as they find it difficult to go up and down stairs, which restricts their daily outings and social activities.

To address the issue, a community needs to persuade residents to agree to install an elevator and address issues such as where it will be located and construction costs. Other matters to be looked at are the impact of the loss of light on the ground floor and the installation of wider elevator cabins to facilitate wheelchair access.

The local government provides a subsidy of 280,000 yuan for each elevator, and the remaining costs are borne by the building's residents in proportion to the height of the floor they live on, ranging from some 30,000 yuan to about 150,000 yuan. However, this can lead to disagreements as some residents, especially more able-bodied ones, do not see the need for the elevators and are unwilling to bear the costs.

As of February, standards have been met to install elevators in 15 buildings in the 380 Lane Community, with six already put into use.

In addition to elevators, the community builds or renovates various public amenities, including medical clinics, canteens, repair centers and nurseries.

High-tech security

However, not all the communities involved in the pilot program are old, and some are testing new technologies.

Built around 2010, Park Community in Jiujiang's Chaisang district, Jiangxi province, is relatively new.

It is using advanced technology to enhance the security of the community and provide extra safety for the elderly.

Park Community has installed facial recognition and AI-monitoring systems, and intelligent security cameras to prevent unauthorized entry by strangers and eliminate potential safety hazards.

Sponsored by local tech companies, the community has provided smart bracelets to its nine elderly residents aged 80 and above living alone. The bracelets can conduct real-time blood pressure and heart rate monitoring and send alerts to the user's emergency contacts. A warning is also sent when the user stays at home for three consecutive days.

Sun Zhaoyang, a 22-year-old community worker, said that the elderly residents' children and community workers are listed as emergency contacts.

"I'm responsible for three of them, and I visit them two or three times a week. ... there has not been a single instance of them staying indoors for three days," Sun said.

Cao Jianbei, 85, lives in the community. His son, who works in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, told Sun that he felt more reassured with the changes that have happened in the community.

Although the public response to the Park Community pilot program has been positive, significant hurdles remain in renovating residential areas and improving public services.

Huang He, deputy head of Chaisang district, said that 6 million yuan has been spent as of November on the construction of the integrated community.

Government funds have been mainly used for road improvements and upgrades to rainwater and sewage pipes. Huang said a financing company had raised funds for improvement work on surrounding parks and roads and the construction of leisure areas.

He said the biggest challenge to the long-term operations of such communities is attracting external investment to provide the services. "It's hard for us to find another 6 million yuan (as of November) for other communities," Huang said.