Homes for elderly face nurse shortage

In a nation that traditionally sees an elderly person's family as the primary care giver, commercial nursing homes for the elderly in China are in their infancy and face a litany of problems.

At one such home in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, it's common to see managers join nurses in helping elderly residents move and bathe.

Established in 2013, Zhongqiao Nursing Home has 260 beds but only 20 nurses. Most of the nurses are older.

"We need young workers badly but haven't been able to find any in the recruitment process," said Shang Fuming, chairman of the nursing home.

While China is ramping up elderly-care services, there are not enough nurses to handle the growing number of older people.

Decades of a strict family planning policy and a longer life expectancy have left China with a demographic challenge: a quickly growing elderly population.

There were more than 200 million people over 60 years old last year, accounting for more than 16 percent of the population. The number over age 65 stands at 144 million.

To tackle the talent shortage, the Ministry of Education and eight other government departments issued a joint circular in July 2014, encouraging colleges to set up majors related to elderly care, including elderly health and nutrition, psychology of aging, geriatric nursing and bioethics.

However, few graduates actually choose jobs related to the major.

Zhang Meng, 20, a sophomore majoring in elderly service and management at Beijing Youth Politics College, said she would like to work in elderly services, but only wants to chat and organize activities. She has no interest in looking after the bedridden.

Nursing homes actually prefer workers without diplomas, as they are more experienced in nursing and command lower salaries.

Du Shuyun, head of Hengchun Nursing Home in Beijing, said she welcomes student interns who have creative ideas, such as games or exercises, but when it come to recruitment, the home is more likely to get middle-aged former nannies.

"Graduates demand high salaries and better benefits, but they lack experience in taking care of the elderly," Du said.

She said that as more investment is poured into the elderly care sector, competition will prompt nursing homes to upgrade, with mental health services and physical therapy.