People dine in a community canteen in Qingdao in East China's Shandong province. [Photo/WeChat account: qbguanxiangshan]

Qingdao in East China's Shandong province has rolled out a slew of policies aimed at nurturing the silver economy and improving the wellbeing of its senior citizens.

By the end of 2022, the number of permanent residents aged 60 and above in Qingdao had reached 2.38 million, ranking first in Shandong province. The proportion of elderly among the general population reached 23 percent, creating high demand for elderly care services.

At the end of last December, the local government issued guidelines for promoting the introduction of basic elderly care services, and supporting policies on further promoting home-based aging-friendly renovations for the elderly were recently introduced as well.

To develop the basic elderly care service system, Qingdao has established a comprehensive list of basic elderly care services, formulated and released a list of basic elderly care services in Qingdao, which includes three major categories and a total of 37 service items. This ensures that the quality of services in the city continues to lead the country and province, continuously enhancing the happiness index of the elderly population.

Qingdao has also implemented policies such as entry incentives and job subsidies for elderly care service personnel, provides incentives and commendations according to regulations, and is focusing on cultivating a large and highly professional team of elderly care service talent.