The first half of the year has seen the development of 290 standardized regional senior care centers at the township and subdistrict level, according to a recent report. These centers are being built to meet specific standards, ensuring more professional services for the elderly.

At the San Si Town Regional Senior Care Center in Nanhe District, Xingtai City, a shaded greenhouse provides a cool retreat where several elderly residents sit chatting. 83-year-old Bai Xiaoguo has lived there for nearly a year. "My children were worried, but once I came here, I didn't want to leave. The accommodations are good, and the meals are excellent, with a different menu every time," she said. After her husband passed away, she lived alone while her four children worked away from home. Based on an existing private elderly care institution, the San Si Town center was upgraded to meet the standards of a two-star facility. It now features five functional zones: full-time care, day care, medical services, meal services, and cultural activities. Che Like, the center's director, explained that triple rooms were converted to doubles, cement floors were replaced with slip-resistant tiles, safety handrails and emergency call systems were installed in restrooms, beds were widened from 1 meter to 1.25 meters, and new nursing beds were added.

This transformation is not an isolated case. The "2026 Hebei Province People's Livelihood Project Implementation Plan" clearly aims to cultivate 400 standardized regional senior care centers at the township and subdistrict level. In the first half of this year, the province has completed 290 such initiatives, achieving 72.5% of the annual target. So, how are the standards for these centers defined? In Xingtai City, the process involves unified construction standards and service norms, focusing on "utilizing existing resources, improving quality and efficiency" without large-scale demolition and construction. The city relies on upgrading existing private institutions and public nursing homes, integrating medical and elderly care resources. Hengshui City, for instance, mandates that centralized care areas have at least 10 beds, with nursing beds comprising no less than 80% of the total. Day care areas must provide at least three services, including daily living assistance and meal services.

Beyond physical upgrades, service improvements are equally heartwarming. Recently, resident Yao Huxi at the San Si Town center experienced sudden difficulty swallowing and slurred speech while eating fruit. A caregiver immediately noticed the anomaly, alerted the on-site medical room for emergency response, and simultaneously called 120 and contacted the family. From symptom onset to emergency room arrival, the entire process took less than 10 minutes. Doctors diagnosed a recurrence of a chronic cardiovascular condition, and thanks to timely treatment, Yao was discharged after a week of hospitalization. The San Si Town center currently employs 13 certified caregivers who receive weekly skills training. The on-site medical room has dedicated staff who monitor residents' blood pressure and blood sugar daily. A green-channel referral agreement with the district people's hospital ensures that emergency cases can be transported within 10 minutes.

Furthermore, Hebei Province has included geriatric care workers in its list of urgently needed occupations and provides training subsidies. This year, the province plans to add over 3,000 certified caregivers, using a four-tier training mechanism at the provincial, municipal, county, and institutional levels to continuously enhance staff professionalism. During the development process, various regions have explored diverse paths. In Yuxian County, the idle Bei Dong Zhuang Primary School was repurposed into the Tao Hua Town Regional Senior Care Center, co-established with nearby village happiness homes. "This maximizes fund utilization and functional complementarity, making it more effective for 'bottom-line' centralized support," said Xu Qian, Party Secretary of Tao Hua Town. In Guantao County, two regional senior care centers were built, integrating full-time care, medical health, and other functions, achieving full coverage of elderly care services across the county. From having a place to be cared for to achieving high-quality care, Hebei is accelerating the construction of standardized regional senior care centers, weaving a dense service network to bring professional, attentive services to the elderly and support their happy later years.