Fugu Builds Three-Tier Rural Elderly Care Network to Deliver Targeted, People-Centred Support

Serving as a core pillar of rural revitalisation and a key benchmark for people’s wellbeing, comprehensive elderly care provisions stand central to Fugu County’s rural governance agenda in Shaanxi Province. The county records an ageing rate of 20.4 per cent, and local authorities have rolled out sustained investment in funding, infrastructure and staffing to construct an integrated county-township-village care framework. Fresh operational models, tailored welfare policies and upgraded frontline services are being put in place to address gaps in rural elder support, bringing accessible, considerate care within easy reach of older residents living across the countryside.

Local authorities frame infrastructure expansion as the foundation of viable elderly care. Vacant rural premises are repurposed to upgrade service venues across urban and rural zones, resolving historic issues including scattered service points, incomplete coverage and ageing facilities. The county now operates a holistic care model centred on home-based support, backed by community provision, institutional facilities and integrated medical and wellness services.

County-level hubs house standardised facilities for vulnerable seniors, medical-nursing combined complexes and smart home care centres, forming a 15-minute care service zone within urban areas that radiates support to surrounding villages. At township level, 12 regional care hubs have been created by repurposing disused government buildings and school campuses. These hubs deliver one-stop support including residential accommodation, daily living assistance and rehabilitation care for low-income, disabled and left-behind seniors. Village-level facilities close the final service gap, with 113 mutual aid care yards and 70 neighbourhood dining halls established to cover 80 per cent of all administrative villages. Catering delivery services run for housebound seniors in remote hamlets, ensuring hot meals are delivered without the need for travel.

Further capital expenditure is scheduled to lift hardware standards. An investment of 8 million yuan will fund age-friendly renovations across 80 village care sites, alongside fire safety upgrades for 14 dedicated care institutions and standardised fire equipment installations at 156 service locations. The county now operates 218 elderly care facilities in total, offering 2,550 accredited beds, marking a substantial upgrade to rural care infrastructure capacity.

Improved facilities run alongside refined operational mechanisms to boost service efficiency. The county adopts a diversified governance structure with government oversight, village committee leadership, public participation and professional contracted operation, aligning provisions closely with local rural demands.

A standardised three-tier supervision system linking county, township and village authorities governs daily operations, with mandatory service commitments, transparent financial disclosures and resident satisfaction surveys built into routine oversight. Problem rectification follows a checklist-based clearance process, while cadres carry out regular on-site inspections and joint dining supervision visits to maintain consistent service standards. Facilities are allocated differentiated management models according to their functions. Township regional hubs remain state-led and run by local town administrations, prioritising fully subsidised accommodation for vulnerable seniors. Village mutual aid yards and dining halls fall under collective village management, with social organisations invited to supplement daily operations. Urban and township venues outsource daily management to municipal investment firms and third-party professional operators, with cleaning, security, nursing and logistics staff recruited via labour dispatch and public welfare posts, all holding relevant professional qualifications.

A county nursing facility acts as a benchmark for refined rural care delivery, with 200 beds including 180 specialist nursing spaces catering specifically to partially and fully disabled seniors. Zoned functional areas accommodate intensive care for severely impaired residents and comfortable living quarters for self-sufficient elders, alongside multi-purpose activity spaces, handicraft workshops and dedicated dining zones to combine care, leisure and light industrial activity.

Stable fiscal backing underpins all targeted welfare measures. Roughly 20 million yuan of special annual funding is earmarked for developing the county’s elderly care system, delivering tiered subsidies and targeted safeguards covering all groups of rural seniors.

All 183 eligible fully subsidised seniors receive full residential support, with an annual stipend of over 7,300 yuan disbursed through public finance. Accommodation and daily services remain uninterrupted even during temporary leave from residential facilities. Disabled seniors access special care vouchers, with fully disabled elders entitled to an 800-yuan monthly allowance to ease household care burdens.

A graded subsidy scheme applies to grassroots venues. Village mutual aid yards receive annual operational grants ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 yuan, while township care hubs and community canteens operate under a base-plus-variable subsidy framework where funding rises in line with service user volumes. Separate policy support covers smart home care and meal delivery programmes. Additional regular allowances cover healthcare supplies, free senior citizen cards and accident insurance policies for elders. Cumulative subsidies of 6.2987 million yuan have been distributed this year, reaching more than 90,000 individual recipients.

Local authorities expand provision beyond basic subsistence support to cultivate high-quality wellness and cultural experiences for rural seniors, merging medical rehabilitation, wellness programmes and cultural activities to enrich later life.

A dual-layer medical support system combines routine on-site treatment and expedited hospital referrals. Medical consultation stations operate within every care venue to deliver chronic disease management, minor ailment treatment and prescription collection services, removing barriers to local medical access. Fast-track referral channels connect severely unwell seniors with county hospitals, with medical insurance and civil affairs subsidies applied concurrently to cover treatment costs.

Cultural and recreational provision includes satellite branches of county senior universities, offering regular tuition in vocal music, calligraphy and handicrafts alongside weekly, monthly and quarterly group activities and seasonal outdoor excursions, all funded via dedicated venue budgets. The county has launched the Fuzhou Silver Age Initiative, setting up volunteer teams of older residents to deliver peer support. Two national age-friendly communities have been accredited, enabling seniors to pursue learning, social activity and voluntary work within their neighbourhoods.

Fugu’s rural elderly care framework has undergone comprehensive transformation, evolving from scattered basic provision into integrated high-standard wellness services. The county has been designated a provincial demonstration zone for community and home-based elderly care networks, with multiple local facilities and frontline practitioners recognised at provincial and municipal levels. Ongoing work will target remaining gaps in rural elder support, redistributing care resources, refining service delivery models and lifting overall service standards to sustain steady progress in high-quality rural elderly care development across the county.