Seniors looking after one another

Guideline casts light on community care culture in rural nursing homes

On a recent afternoon, dozens of elderly farmers were playing chess in a courtyard awash with sunshine, a common scene at the Madongchuan Township Zhaotai Village Mutual Support Nursing Home.

Situated behind them was their dormitory — rows of cave dwellings, a unique form of residence in Yan'an, a hilly part of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

There are no caregivers in sight. Instead, the residents look after one another at the self-service nursing facility, which was repurposed from a deserted primary school in Madongchuan township.