Beijing joining 'time bank' to improve care for elderly, volunteer services

Aging society

Society is getting significantly older on average. People 65 and over account for 14.2 percent of the total national population.

Shanghai has a particularly high elderly population. People 65 and older account for 24.6 percent of the total.

The city started a time bank program in two of its districts in 2019 and then expanded to five more districts in August last year. Two years ago, the government of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, also started a program, mostly involving volunteers for the elderly community.

Li Hongbing, deputy head of Beijing's Civil Affairs Bureau, said the time bank will help to create a sustainable cycle of resources between individuals, families and society.

Meanwhile, authorities in Beijing are discussing the possibility of expanding the usage area of the coins to nearby Hebei province and Tianjin.

The time bank not only responds to the challenge of an aging population, but also promotes the overall development of volunteer services, said Lin Fan, a 36-year-old Beijing resident.

"As a volunteer who does some charity work, I feel that the new policy has given us more confidence that we are doing something valuable," he said. "I would love to do more volunteer work for the elderly in the future because it also helps me support my parents."