On April 12, 2018, PUMCH received a plate of “Age-Friendly Hospital”. It is one of the 20 medical institutions in Beijing which were the first to receive such qualification after procedures including application, district-level assessment, municipal re-assessment and comprehensive scoring.

Meeting needs of the time

Statistics showed that life expectancy in Beijing has reached 82.15. As healthcare improves, the city has been aging and by the end of 2017 there were 3.582 million permanent residents aged 60 and above, or 16.5% of its permanent population. This gives rise to new challenges as old-age care requires efforts from all sides: medical, social and psychological, given that the aged may have multiple illnesses, loss of capabilities and intelligence which add to the sophistication of treatment and nursing.

Need-oriented healthcare

The construction of age-friendly hospitals is to meet the comprehensive needs of the aged and aims at providing layered, seamless healthcare for them. Compared with ordinary hospitals, age-friendly hospitals focus more on caring for the aged in terms of their culture, management, services and environment.

Assessment based on WHO standards

Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, according to WHO standards, organized experts to formulate the Beijing Standards for Construction of Age-Friendly Hospitals (Trial), which adopted a 100-point system to assess hospitals which applied.

PUMCH as an example

PUMCH, in applying for the title, made hospital-wide efforts to improve its facilities and environment so as to best serve aged patients.

Safety and comfort for the aged

An age-friendly hospital is an important measure for a healthier aging society. Being “friendly” is to make the aged feel safe and comfortable in the whole course of healthcare seeking. They can ask for help if a problem arises, and feel safe even if the problem is not always solved. This is a feeling expected from healthcare providers, especially by aged patients.

Wider coverage expected

Healthcare for the aged in Beijing also includes contracted family doctors and daily clinics. It is planned that by the end of 2018 health management for the aged will reach 68%. Efforts are also being made in the fields of prevention of old-age illnesses, palliative care and medical care at home.

It is hoped that in the near future all medical institutions could join the rank of age-friendly hospitals and help improve healthcare for the aged.