Enhancing healthcare for the elderly at community level

COVID-19 is an example of the greater vulnerability of the elderly given the significantly high fatality rate among the aged with underlying diseases, which is one of the reasons the country is adhering to its dynamic zero-COVID approach, although the policy implementation needs to be fine-tuned to ensure that it fulfills its function of protecting the vulnerable, such as the elderly, while minimizing the disruption to the rest of society.

The elderly usually refer to individuals over the age of 65, many of whom may have functional impairments. Compared with teenagers and the middle-aged, the elderly are a vulnerable group needing more protection in areas such as healthcare and consumer rights.

In addition, the contradiction between scarce medical resources and the huge elderly population in China create an even more challenging job for healthcare delivery. Especially in the less-developed areas with dense populations, "running to hospital" is the bottom line that needs to be avoided to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed.