A free service provided by the Yuexiu district government is making life more enjoyable for the city's elderly.

Each morning after breakfast, 73-year-old Liang Guanmei travels with her helper to a retirement home in the downtown area of Guangzhou. There, with her friends, she spends the morning chatting, singing songs, watching TV and performances of Cantonese opera, or even having a checkup.

"I feel very happy and I really enjoy my life," Liang told China Daily. "I really appreciate the local government's care for us elderly people."

Thanks to the new services and care, she said, her sons and daughters have no need to worry about her.

Since the middle of 2004, the district government has provided a range of services completely free of charge to almost 4,400 elderly citizens.

Xu Hairong, an official with the local civil affairs bureau, said: "The district government has spent about 150 million yuan (US$20 million) on a support and care system for the aged."

He said by the end of this year, every neighborhood committee in the district will have at least one person to help the elderly and each street will have at least one center offering temporary care.

"Most old people prefer to live in their own homes, which they can continue to do with our help and support," Xu said. "No elderly people will be left to feel lonely or isolated."

As well as 16 temporary care centers, the district has a headquarters and four branches to provide services to the elderly living in their own homes. The service covers all 22 streets in the district.

The team boasts 160 "helpers", all of who were formerly unemployed, and 60 doctors.

The range of services covers day care, physical checkups and consultations, psychological comforting and accompanied sightseeing.

As well as those people who are entitled to the free services, Xu said more than 86,000 old people also benefit from associated services provided by the district authorities.

Yuexiu has 193,000 registered residents aged over 60, accounting for 20 percent of the elderly population of Guangzhou.

(China Daily September 4, 2007)