On the first day of the Spring Festival holiday, Aunt Jia Guiqin, an elderly resident living alone in Yutaoyuan Sanqu, Xicheng District, became one of the first beneficiaries of the newly launched "homecare + elderly care" service. "I never expected to receive door-to-door service right before the New Year," she remarked. Yesterday, the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau, in collaboration with Xicheng District, initiated a pilot program for coordinated homecare and elderly support services, focusing on three core offerings: home cleaning, meal assistance, and short-term residential care, ensuring comprehensive support for seniors during the holiday period.
Aunt Jia, 74, has faced mobility challenges since undergoing hip replacement surgery years ago, making it difficult for her to sit on sofas, walk long distances, or perform tasks requiring bending or reaching. The Spring Festival season often brought her anxiety. "Daily tidying is manageable, but the deep cleaning required for the New Year is beyond me," she shared. This year, the pilot program in Xicheng District provided a solution, with homecare assistants offering services even during the holiday.
The assistant serving Aunt Jia was Xiao Wu from JD.com's homecare team. Learning that Xiao Wu was from Hunan, Aunt Jia warmly asked if she would return home for the celebrations. "No, I’ve brought my family to Beijing—we’re staying here for the New Year," Xiao Wu replied as she mopped the floor, chatting casually with the elder.
Liu Ruogu, a relevant business director at JD.com, noted that nearly a thousand of the company’s homecare staff remained in Beijing over the Spring Festival. "We’ve adapted our cleaning products to be more senior-friendly and introduced services like seated baths, sponge baths, and bed baths for bedridden or mobility-limited elders, along with hair washing, haircuts, and nail trimming," he explained.
The pilot program aims to ensure a warm and comfortable holiday for the elderly by integrating resources from JD.com, Taobao Quick Deals, industry associations, local elderly care institutions, and community service centers. Seniors can request "homecare + elderly care" services via one-click calling, dedicated hotlines, or community groups. Throughout the festival, JD Homecare continued to offer routine cleaning and appliance maintenance, while JD Nurse at Home provided professional nursing services to safeguard seniors’ health.
Additionally, Xicheng District plans to partner with meal assistance associations and Taobao Quick Deals for a "New Year’s Eve Dumpling Delivery" initiative, providing free doorstep dumpling deliveries to solitary and empty-nest elders. To address temporary care needs, the district has coordinated resources from nursing homes and community centers, opening short-term residential care options during the holiday with added temporary beds, offering 24-hour full care, daytime hosting, and short-stay services tailored to individual needs.