Young people "flock" to nursing homes, both happy and making money

After the final exam, Wang Yatao (22 years old) immediately moved to Xiyangfu Nursing Home in Jilin City (Jilin Province, China) to become a special "guest" in a group of senior students who came here together.

The sophomore at Jilin University of Agricultural Science and Technology decided to spend two weeks at the nursing home before returning to his hometown in Yingtan City, Jiangxi Province.

Người trẻ đổ xô vào viện dưỡng lão, vừa hạnh phúc vừa kiếm được tiền - 1 — A volunteer teaches the elderly how to use smartphones at the Xiyangfu Nursing Home in Jilin City, Jilin Province (China) (Photo: China Daily).

"I was drawn to a short video posted on social media in early January. In the video, the nursing home owner was recruiting young people to be boarders," Wang said.

At this nursing home, people under 35 years old and with a university degree will be given a single room, 3 meals/day and a subsidy of 300 NDT (more than 1 million VND), with the requirement to perform 20 hours of volunteer service.

In addition, applicants must have a stable job before or be in college; must not drink alcohol or smoke.

“In fact, what attracted me was not the grant but the volunteering,” Wang said.

It is known that the young man has joined the volunteer team since entering university. Wang and the volunteer team have initiated many different activities throughout the city. Such as visiting nursing homes; tutoring poor or abandoned children...

"This is a completely different volunteer experience. I have never lived and learned so deeply about the lives of seniors," Wang confided.

Wang said he and other volunteers have spent the past few days performing, painting and exercising with the elderly.

"It gives me a warm feeling. They treat us like their own grandchildren, sharing fruits and snacks with us. I will continue to visit the nursing home after returning to university in the spring semester," Wang said happily.

Zhou Weihong, the owner of the nursing home, said he hoped to build a platform for both the elderly and the young. Zhou noticed that many young people had to leave their hometowns to study and work, resulting in missed opportunities to go home to be with their families and understand their grandparents.

"Living in a nursing home will help young people understand and communicate with the elderly better. In return, these young people can bring new things and new vitality to the elderly, making them feel much happier, like having children and grandchildren come to visit," Mr. Zhou explained.

His post about hiring houseguests has attracted more than 1 million hits and hundreds of applications since he posted it on social media. After screening, Mr. Zhou has selected six people, all college students from Jilin, Changchun and Baicheng. This group will spend about two weeks of vacation before the Spring Festival in nursing homes.

In addition, the nursing home will also have 10 more people coming after the festival.

Mr. Zhou's nursing home opened in 2004 and cares for about 100 elderly people (50-100 years old). There are 30 staff members.

Người trẻ đổ xô vào viện dưỡng lão, vừa hạnh phúc vừa kiếm được tiền - 2 — China records an increasingly high proportion of elderly population in the country (Photo: Hu Xiaofei).

According to Mr. Zhou, the proportion of elderly people in China is increasing, especially in the northeast. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, more than 280 million Chinese people (nearly 20% of the population) will be over 60 by the end of 2022; more than 210 million people (nearly 15%) will be 65 or older.

"I hope young people will be able to reduce loneliness, understand the difficulties of the elderly, and have a deeper awareness of respecting and loving the elderly," he said.

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