Actively integrating into the digital society, China takes multiple measures to promote "smart elderly care"
Beijing, July 5th (Xinhua) - Actively integrating into the digital society, China takes multiple measures to promote "smart elderly care"
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Heng
How to help 280 million elderly people bridge the "digital divide"? Recently, it was learned through research that multiple departments and measures have been taken in China to carry out the "Smart Elderly Assistance" campaign, enabling elderly people to "retire" and "enjoy old age" in the digital age.
Encourage publicly published books and newspapers to be equipped with accessible formats such as audio, large characters, and electronic versions, making it easier for the elderly to read; Encourage Internet websites and mobile Internet applications in the fields of social communication, life shopping, health care, transportation and travel, and gradually comply with the accessibility website design standards and national information accessibility standards... The accessibility environment construction law just passed by the vote is an important step in China's active response to population aging.
The "Implementation Plan for Effectively Solving the Difficulties of the Elderly in Using Intelligent Technology", the "General Design Specification for Internet Website Adaptation to Aging" and the "General Design Specification for Mobile Internet Application Adaptation to Aging" were released, and the "Smart Help the Elderly" action was carried out... A series of documents and action measures are constantly advancing.
To help the elderly better adapt and integrate into a smart society, many regions have also introduced corresponding measures. Beijing accelerates the promotion of barrier free transformation of websites and APP applications; Shanghai has launched the action of integrating digital education for the elderly into communities, serving every elderly person in need and allowing them to enjoy the convenience brought by urban intelligence and digitization
In Zhejiang Wuzhen Home based Elderly Care Service Center, there is an intelligent device with one click call for help. When the elderly fall down and press the SOS button, the staff can locate the elderly in real time on the Wuzhen Internet intelligent elderly care service platform for assistance.
"The older you get, the more you pay attention to your health," said Hu Hui, an elderly person from Wuzhen, Zhejiang. Last year, the local community equipped Grandma Hu with smart wristbands that can be closely monitored anytime, anywhere.
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On December 9, 2020, at the Beijing Temple of Heaven Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, staff were helping elderly people use self-service machines to search for information sources. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Zhonghao
At the end of June, the Beijing Elderly Care Service Network was officially launched and put into operation. The website gathers 574 registered elderly care institutions and 1469 elderly care service stations in Beijing, making it convenient for the elderly to understand the elderly care service resources at their doorstep.
In recent years, with the gradual emergence of aging friendly transformation and information accessibility services in China, many elderly people have begun to integrate into the digital society.
In March this year, the 51st Statistical Report on the Development of Internet in China released by China Internet Network Information Center showed that by December 2022, the number of Internet users in China had reached 1.067 billion, and the Internet penetration rate had reached 75.6%. Among them, the proportion of people aged 60 and above has significantly increased, reaching 14.3%.
To ensure that the elderly use intelligent technology to meet their medical needs, some hospitals are also constantly innovating and practicing. For example, the Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has launched a caring version, with optimizations such as large fonts, icons, and high contrast text, while retaining core business functions and streamlining user operation processes.
The relevant person in charge of the Aging Health Department of the National Health Commission introduced that in the face of the practical needs of billions of elderly people, various regions and departments are strengthening work coordination and information sharing, forming a work pattern of coordinated promotion, division of labor and responsibility, and linkage between upper and lower levels, and accelerating the establishment of a long-term mechanism to solve the problem of the "digital divide" faced by the elderly. At the same time, we will continuously improve regulations and norms, effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly in the process of using intelligent technology, and make promoting the integration of the elderly into a smart society a key focus of national education on population aging, promoting a social trend of respecting and caring for the elderly.