Six caregivers in a nursing home need to take care of over 70 elderly people? Why is it difficult to find good caregivers with money? Journalist Investigates Zhang Xin | For Mother | Institution
Since the Spring Festival this year, Tianjin citizen Zhang Xin has been worrying about finding a caregiver for her mother. Until now, she has not found a suitable caregiver.
According to a survey conducted by Xinhua Vision reporters, with the arrival of an aging society, hiring caregivers has become a necessity for some families. But many people feel that it is difficult to find good caregivers with money. At the same time, the problems of low entry barriers, low social recognition, and low income of caregivers are still difficult to solve.
Caregivers are hard to find, and good caregivers are even harder to find
Zhang Xin's mother can no longer take care of herself after falling ill. Zhang Xin and her husband have to work during the day, so they hope to find a home-based caregiver to help their mother change clothes and take care of daily life. "The caregiver introduced by the intermediary came over to check on my mother's condition and refused. Later, they finally asked an acquaintance to introduce a caregiver, who had just worked for a month and left," Zhang Xin said.
Ma Dan, CEO of Tianjin Hetong Public Welfare Elderly Care Group, introduced that in 2020, the number of elderly people aged 60 and above and 65 and above in Tianjin accounted for 21.7% and 14.8% of the total population, respectively, exceeding the national average level and entering a moderately aging society ahead of schedule. According to industry estimates, there is a shortage of over 10000 elderly care workers in Tianjin in the short term.
There is a shortage of home-based elderly care workers, and the caregivers in elderly care institutions are also struggling. The head of a elderly care institution in Tianjin admitted that there are currently more than 70 elderly people in the institution, but only 6 caregivers, and it is not possible to arrange shifts. Even if some caregivers are lazy or lack skills in their work, they dare not be easily dismissed, otherwise it is difficult to recruit suitable people.
A recruitment advertisement for caregivers on a certain platform.
There is also a significant gap for hospital caregivers. The reporter found through interviews with multiple hospitals that there is a widespread shortage of caregivers. "The existing nursing staff is simply unable to meet the demand, and there are even fewer nursing staff who have obtained qualification certification through standardized training. Sometimes we find that some cleaners have switched careers to become nursing staff," said the person in charge of a tertiary hospital in a certain city in North China.
Among the top 100 professions in the country with the most shortage of workers released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, elderly care workers are among the top in the field of health. Industry data shows that there are approximately 40000 qualified elderly care workers in China; According to the 1:3 ratio of disabled population care, the shortage of elderly care talents may be in the tens of millions level.
Caregivers are hard to find, and good caregivers are even harder to find. Mr. Liang, a resident of Guangzhou, fell out of bed during his hospitalization due to his caregiver leaving without permission. "We wanted an explanation, but afterwards we couldn't even get through to the caregiver's phone," Mr. Liang said. "It feels like finding a caregiver is like opening a blind box." Searching for "caregivers" on complaint websites and many social media platforms can reveal a large amount of negative information and complaint content, involving a variety of issues.
The problem of "three lows" hinders the healthy development of the industry
Journalists have found through research that there are currently "three low" problems in the field of nursing, which seriously restrict the healthy development of the industry.
——The entry threshold is low, and under the huge gap, one can do as long as they are willing. Mr. Guan, the regional head of a chain domestic service company, admitted that some caregivers often have multiple domestic service companies affiliated with them at the same time, resulting in strong liquidity and difficulty in management.
Most caregivers have not received professional training. The reporter contacted 5 domestic service companies located in Beijing, Tianjin, and Ningxia through intermediary platforms, and two of them clearly stated that only a few of the company's caregivers hold certificates. One company said, "You can get a certificate by attending classes for a few days and spending a few tens of yuan." "It's useless to rely on experience." Another company bluntly stated, "There is a shortage of caregivers, and finding a suitable one is already good. Family members usually rarely look at certificates."
Ma Dan explained that currently, the certificates held by caregivers are divided into skill level certificates for elderly care workers, medical care workers, or training completion certificates. The skill level certificate issued by the human resources and social security department is generally recognized in the industry. "However, elderly care institutions generally do not require caregivers to obtain a certificate from the human resources and social security department."
——Low social recognition. "Some people think that caregivers are just 'carrying feces and urine', and their work lacks technical skills." 57 year old caregiver Wang Xiufang has been working in this industry at the hospital for more than four years. She said that she often encounters patients and their families with bad attitudes, faces vicious competition among peers, and needs to handle relationships with medical staff. "It's difficult to persevere if you can't bear injustice or endure hardship."
Wang Hua, a male caregiver working in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, said that working as a caregiver is a strenuous job and very difficult. The demand for male caregivers in the market is generally concentrated on caring for elderly people who cannot take care of themselves or are overweight. "Frequently helping the elderly turn over, using the restroom, and getting into a wheelchair can cause back pain and soreness throughout the day. It's also common to not be able to get a full night's sleep."
Nursing staff are working in the Hetong Huayuan Elderly Home in Tianjin.
——The income is not high. "Young people think it's better to become a nanny," Ma Dan said. The nursing workforce is mainly composed of middle-aged and elderly women, with low educational levels, older age, and slower learning of professional skills, making it difficult to increase their income.
Mr. Guan said that different caregivers have different incomes. Local caregivers serving in hospitals generally earn between 240 to 260 yuan per day, while residential caregivers typically earn around 4800 yuan per month. Nursing workers often prioritize hospital services with short working hours and high income, followed by home-based work where the elderly can take care of themselves or partially take care of themselves. A caregiver said, "This industry can't retain people. Young people work for a while and then leave. It's more profitable to become a baby sitter or a nanny, and even go out to deliver food. Their income is higher than this industry."
Intensify the training of caregivers
Data shows that there are about 190 million elderly people in China suffering from chronic diseases, about 40 million disabled or semi disabled elderly people, and about 15 million elderly dementia patients.
The interviewed experts believe that with the deepening of China's aging population, the demand for elderly care is increasing day by day, and it presents a trend of multi-level, diversification, and specialization. The supply-demand contradiction between medical care, elderly care, and nursing will become increasingly prominent, and the gap in the quantity and quality of caregivers urgently needs to be filled. Establishing a professional nursing team that can meet market demand is related to the normal operation of the entire social elderly care system.
At present, the government is exploring the establishment of a standardized management system for caregivers. At the beginning of last year, the State Council issued the "14th Five Year Plan for the Development of National Elderly Care and Elderly Care Service System", which proposed requirements such as "improving the salary and social insurance policies of elderly care workers" and "expanding talent training channels". The National Development Plan for Nursing issued by the National Health Commission proposes to "promote the establishment and improvement of nursing position management systems in medical institutions" and "explore the establishment and development of a professional team of medical nursing staff".
An elderly person is taking a walk in a nursing community in Tianjin.
Yuan Xin, Vice President of the China Population Society and Professor at the School of Economics at Nankai University, believes that as the aging population deepens, the shortage of caregivers will continue. The key to filling the gap lies in improving the income of caregivers through market regulation, enhancing their sense of professional belonging and employment stability. At the same time, vocational colleges can appropriately increase the training of relevant talents.
In response to the issue of improving the quality of caregivers, Sun Zheng, Vice President of Jinsong Nursing Home in Heping District, Tianjin, and other industry insiders suggest that the situation of "low threshold" and "weak supervision" should be further changed. For issues such as the lack of transparency in the qualifications of caregivers, which are strongly reflected by the public, effective measures such as obtaining certification and establishing employment records can be taken to ensure entry control. Trade unions and other organizations in various regions can further increase investment in vocational training for caregivers.
Industry experts believe that hospitals and large elderly care institutions can play a demonstrative role in improving the management system of nursing positions internally. By signing labor contracts, increasing salary and benefits, participating in social insurance, implementing paid leave, and enjoying free medical examinations, nursing staff can further enhance their sense of achievement and professional honor.
