Elderly Health Club

If you want to ask who is the most underestimated elderly care helper in the community now, the answer must be the elderly health club - it is neither a health product sales den that only cheats the elderly, nor is it an idle interest class that can only do square dancing, but is currently the most down-to-earth grassroots elderly care supplement carrier that can combine the three core needs of the elderly, namely medical care, social needs, and self-worth.

Last week, I stayed at the health club in Zhaohui District 2, Hangzhou. As soon as I entered the door, I met 68-year-old Aunt Zhang Guiying, holding the blood pressure sheet she had just measured and smiling. Six months ago, she always forgot to take antihypertensive medicine. Her daughter, who was far away in Shenzhen, couldn't keep an eye on her even if she called three times a week. Follow-up visits from the community hospital only came once every half month. Sometimes her blood pressure soared to 160 and she didn't even feel it. Now she goes to the club to have her blood pressure taken every morning while taking a walk. Dr. Chen, the resident general practitioner, remembers her situation and always asks a few more questions about what she ate yesterday. Her old friend who takes her blood pressure together will also remind her, "Did you take your medicine today?" I just finished eating." Her blood pressure has been stable at around 130/80 for the past six months, so her daughter specially sent a pennant.

Of course not everyone finds this useful. Last month, I met Li Jianguo, who had just retired, at a health club in another community. He walked in with a sports bag and walked around for ten minutes before leaving. He said, "They are all for old men and women who can't walk. I feel very comfortable at home by masturbating and watching short videos." This is also the true thought of many young and healthy elderly people. They feel that the three words "health society" are linked to "old and useless", and they are not willing to join in the fun.

In fact, health clubs in various places are no longer the same as everyone thinks, and the direction of the industry is also different: some focus on the care of the elderly, disabled and demented elderly, focusing on home care, chronic disease management, rehabilitation training, and can also connect with long-term care insurance, helping the elderly save a lot of money.； Others specifically set up a platform for the younger elderly. For example, many community health clubs in Shanghai operate "time banks". The younger elderly serve as volunteer health managers, helping the elderly buy medicines and accompany them to medical appointments. The service time is deposited into the account, and they can redeem free services when they need care in the future. Many recently retired elderly people are willing to participate. They can not only help others, but also have something to do themselves.

According to statistics on grassroots elderly care services released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2024, there are currently more than 32,000 community elderly care service sites across the country, with a coverage rate of nearly 62%. However, the operating conditions are very different. Only about 30% of them can provide services into the hearts of the elderly. The rest are either no one to reduce them to decorations, or they only have the function of playing cards and chess, which is no different from ordinary elderly activity rooms.

The industry has been arguing for almost two years about whether health societies can introduce commercial institutions. Opponents feel that as long as businesses come in, promotions are unavoidable. It has indeed been reported in some places that health clubs colluded with health product merchants to trick the elderly into buying physical therapy devices worth tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, many places have simply banned all commercial projects and relied on government funding to support them. However, this means limited funds and few services can be provided. It is difficult to add new content other than measuring blood pressure and blood sugar. Those who support it believe that as long as supervision is in place, the introduction of regular merchants can enrich services. The whitelist system currently being piloted in Guangzhou and Shenzhen is good. All institutions settled in must announce the service content and prices in advance. The profit margin cannot exceed 10%, and more than three elderly representatives must participate in supervision. Last time I saw at the health club in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, the teeth cleaning project they cooperated with a regular dental hospital only charged one-third of the market price. Many elderly people made appointments, and there was no forced sales.

I also encountered a very interesting thing two weeks ago. Aunts from a health club in the west of the city made suggestions and said that the current beauty tutorials are for little girls. They also want to learn to clean up beautifully, so the club hired a volunteer to be a beauty instructor every Saturday. There was a beauty class for silver hair, teaching them how to choose lip balm suitable for dry skin and how to draw eyebrows that show their complexion. When I went there, I happened to encounter a group of 70- and 80-year-old aunts applying lipstick in the mirror. The old man next to me came over and asked, "Is there any class that teaches us how to cut our hair?" A haircut outside now costs 30 yuan, which is too expensive."

In fact, in the final analysis, there has never been a standard template for the elderly health club, nor is it a "panacea" suitable for all elderly people. It is like a convenience store that has been open for several years downstairs in your home. Some people think the food is fresh and cheap and go there every day. Some people think it is more convenient to buy food online and never go there. As long as it can really solve the practical problems of some elderly people, it has the meaning of existence.