For elderly, mobile baths more than getting clean

HANGZHOU－For many seniors with mobility issues, taking a shower or a bath is a distant luxury, but not for 92-year-old Hangzhou resident Yun Hongzhang.

The Zhejiang provincial capital offers elderly residents a mobile bathing service in the form of a customized van equipped with a thermostatic bathtub, cozy reclining chairs, fully accessible facilities and trained caregivers, which allows some 800 seniors, Yun included, to once again enjoy the pleasure of a bath. Taking a shower is something most people take for granted, but for the elderly, it can be a tricky undertaking. Yun lives in a small apartment in Hemu subdistrict, where around 36 percent of residents are over the age of 60, and many live alone.

He and his wife, Wu Meizhen, live apart from their adult children. Suffering from multiple health conditions, including trembling hands, Yun finds it difficult to bathe himself.