Addressing the challenges of an aging population is a matter of national development, the well-being of hundreds of millions of people, and social harmony and stability. Since the beginning of 2025, Yichun City in Heilongjiang Province has been deeply implementing its home and community-based basic elderly care service improvement initiative. By coordinating resources across various sectors and focusing on standardized renovations, menu-based services, whole-process supervision, and long-term support mechanisms, the city is actively exploring new approaches to institutional building and service innovation. These efforts include carrying out home adaptation and smart technology upgrades for elderly individuals in special difficulty, as well as providing in-home care services for those in need, turning the aspiration of "aging in place without leaving home" into a tangible reality.

Strengthening Coordination and Clarifying Responsibilities

The Yichun Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government place high importance on the home and community-based basic elderly care service improvement project. They have convened special meetings to advance the project, refine working mechanisms, and assign clear responsibilities at every level. The city has established a framework of "Party committee leadership, government dominance, civil affairs coordination, departmental cooperation, and social participation" to consolidate collaborative efforts. The civil affairs department leads the development of plans, standard setting, and whole-process quality control, while the finance department manages fund disbursement and performance reviews. Health authorities work with grassroots medical institutions to conduct regular health check-ups for the elderly, and townships and communities carry out door-to-door surveys and policy promotion. A dedicated project task force has been established, operating with a zone-based responsibility system, placing one regional manager in each county or district to oversee construction responsibilities, milestones, and work tasks, ensuring accountability is assigned to specific individuals and posts. The task force holds regular scheduling meetings to review project progress and challenges across all areas, promptly resolve issues, optimize workflows, and coordinate development across regions. The Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau strictly aligns with the requirements of the municipal party committee and government, implementing a routine scheduling mechanism of "daily progress summaries, weekly problem reviews, and monthly rectification reviews." Coordination meetings are held to dynamically track project progress, identify bottlenecks, maintain a problem ledger, and manage issue resolution through a closure system.

Developing Standard Lists and Improving Service Standards

Yichun City has compiled the "Reference List for Home Adaptation, Smart Renovation, and Equipment Configuration for the Elderly" and formulated operational specifications for construction, archive management, and in-home services to ensure projects are implemented with clear guidance. The city specifies that adaptation projects include basic items such as installing bed rails and various bathroom grab bars, as well as optional projects like removing thresholds and widening doorways. Smart renovation projects include installing basic devices such as one-button emergency callers and home smoke alarms, along with optional equipment like gas leak detectors and water overflow alarms. Senior assistive devices cover mobility aids, magnifying tools, and various types of hearing aids. Standardized in-home assessments are conducted, with "one household, one plan" customized solutions developed, and strict archive management requirements are implemented to ensure orderly project execution. Yichun also regulates in-home care services by detailing standards for six categories: daily living assistance, basic rehabilitation care, health monitoring, safety visits, commissioned errands, and psychological support. An in-home service operation manual has been compiled, specifying visit frequency and requirements for dual documentation both online and offline. Additionally, differentiated service plans and accompanying practical training manuals have been created for urban elderly living in concentrated communities and forest farm elderly living in dispersed settlements, enhancing the level of service standardization.

Given the harsh winter conditions, the prevalence of old single-story houses, and the dispersed nature of elderly residents, Yichun City is taking targeted measures to resolve bottlenecks. Material transfer and temporary storage points have been set up across counties and districts, equipped with winter slip-resistant transport vehicles. Construction workers have been provided with complete cold-weather protective gear, and work schedules are adjusted to avoid extreme cold periods. Village cadres and forest farm rangers are mobilized to assist elderly residents living scattered in remote forest areas with transporting materials.

Closed-Loop Supervision and Enhanced Project Quality

Yichun City has established a quality control system featuring "institutional self-inspection, county-level spot checks, municipal special verification, and third-party acceptance." A comprehensive supervision mechanism has been refined to enhance project quality and efficiency. The Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau fulfills its project supervision responsibilities by forming special inspection teams and conducting field visits. Strict control is exercised over the quality of home adaptation renovations, with household-by-household checks on equipment types, installation techniques, and assistive device provisioning. Issues identified during inspections are listed with clear requirements and deadlines for rectification. Door-to-door visits are made to recipients of in-home care services to verify service duration and visit frequency, alongside conducting service satisfaction surveys. Regarding the safety of funds, Yichun strictly adheres to the national and provincial management measures for the central special lottery public welfare fund supporting home and community-based basic elderly care service improvement projects. Supporting implementation rules for fund management have been issued, and a comprehensive supervision framework has been established to ensure standardized and efficient use of funds. Clear procedures for tiered fund disbursement and performance evaluation standards are defined, with a publicity mechanism for service recipients in place, actively inviting social oversight.

Looking ahead, Yichun City will further consolidate the project's achievements, conduct routine return visits to service recipients, respond rapidly to seniors' needs, and achieve dynamic resolution of issues. It will continue to utilize elderly care support funds effectively, promote the upgrading of forest farm mutual aid elderly care stations, urban day care centers, and senior meal service points, equip them with rehabilitation and health monitoring devices, and develop distinctive home-based elderly care service brands. Additionally, efforts will be intensified to cultivate professional elderly care talent through skills training in daily care, emergency response, and smart device usage. Post-based subsidy and incentive mechanisms will be improved, grassroots volunteer service teams will be expanded, and continuous efforts will be made to enhance seniors' sense of gain, happiness, and security.