“I am from Chaoyang Village, and I want to retire here.” This simple statement from the late elderly resident Sun Zhanyi reflects the desire of countless rural elderly people for “aging in place”. In Chaoyang Village, Dingyan Town, Rugao City, a micro embedded nursing home transformed from an abandoned village classroom is writing a new chapter in rural elderly care. As rural areas face the dual dilemma of “not wanting to leave home” and “children unable to care for them”, this nursing home hidden in the village is quietly changing the twilight years of some rural elderly.
The Warmth of Familiar Care
“Knowing that you are coming today, I made fried cakes for you.” 85-year-old Zhao Meilan immediately sat up from her bed and said happily upon seeing us. In times of material scarcity, fried dough cakes and boiled egg tea were the highest form of hospitality for honored guests. This ritual, etched in the elderly’s memory, has now become proof of her treating the nursing home as her “home”. “She is very happy to see you all,” explained Tao Zhihong, the head of the nursing home.
When Tao Zhihong entered the room, Zhao Meilan immediately reached out her hand—there were no awkward greetings, only a natural hand-holding and cheek-to-cheek contact. The wrinkles on the elderly woman’s face instantly relaxed, as if a child were meeting a relative. “The elderly ladies in the home are all like this; they want to hold hands and get close to me when they see me,” said Tao Zhihong. This intimacy is not something that can be trained; it is trust that only exists among “family”.
After sitting up, Zhao Meilan began to chat with us. She said, “This place is good; they (referring to the caregivers) are good to us. Don’t leave tonight; stay for dinner. We have new dishes today, and the head chef cooks very well.” Zhao Meilan treats the nursing home as her own home, inviting guests to join her.
Zhao Meilan’s bed faces the only entertainment facility in the room—the television. This is because she is the only one in the room who can “understand” what is on TV. The other two elderly residents in the room have long lost their cognitive abilities and cannot comprehend what is being said on the screen.
The caregiver looking after Zhao Meilan is a 66-year-old woman named Chen Meilan, also from Dingyan Town. She is slightly hunched and shorter than Zhao Meilan, yet she can steadily lift the half-paralyzed elderly woman and move her between the wheelchair and the bed. “She treats me well, just like a daughter!” Zhao Meilan openly expresses her dependence on Chen Meilan.
The 15 minutes of massage time each day is Zhao Meilan’s most relaxing moment. Chen Meilan’s technique may not be professional, but she is attentive, carefully kneading every inch of muscle from the knee to the ankle. “Her legs cannot move, and the muscles will atrophy, so she needs a massage every day,” Chen Meilan explained. Among the four elderly people she cares for, only Zhao Meilan can communicate with her; most of the time, she is “talking to herself” in front of the elderly who are not clear-headed, but she never finds it tedious: “They are all elders from the same village; taking care of them is like taking care of my own family.”
Detailed Services from Feeding to Foot Washing
At 4 PM, the home care service center in Chaoyang Village is filled with the aroma of chive boxes. 98-year-old Fan Yuying sits in a wheelchair while 69-year-old caregiver Shen Dahong gently scoops food with a spoon, cools it down, and brings it to her mouth. Fan Yuying is the oldest resident here, with four children who are too busy to care for her. After moving into the nursing home five years ago, Shen Dahong has become her “close family member”.
Shen Dahong is washing Fan Yuying’s face
“Washing face, feeding, walking, bathing, using the toilet—none of these can be neglected,” Shen Dahong’s care is meticulous down to every detail. Every two hours at night, she gets up to wake the elderly for the toilet, “They are not clear-headed and do not know to get up; some cannot even get out of bed and need my help to stand up.” As summer arrives, she helps the elderly wash their bodies every day, especially between the toes, “We must open them up and wash them clean; otherwise, they can easily stick together and become inflamed.”
At 4:30 PM, the “big project” of bathing begins on time. Caregivers help each other; some assist the elderly into the bathroom, while others push wheelchairs to take them to the shower. The elderly sit on specially designed non-slip chairs, and caregivers hold shower heads to carefully rinse from head to toe. Bathing 12 elderly residents takes nearly three hours; by the time the last elderly person is ready, the caregivers’ clothes are already soaked with sweat.
While bathing is in progress, Shen Jizhong, a 69-year-old retired chef, is busy serving meals to the elderly. Having cooked in social welfare institutions for many years, preparing meals for 12 elderly residents is a breeze for him. Shen Jizhong says that the advantage of having fewer residents is the ability to “customize”—some elderly have poor teeth, so he cooks their meals softer; others want to eat hometown flavors, so he makes pumpkin cakes and fried dough twists when he has time.
Shen Jizhong is preparing dinner for the elderly
That day, he innovatively made a dish of “fried pumpkin flowers”: freshly picked pumpkin flowers from the garden, coated in a thin layer of batter and fried, filling the nursing home with a golden, crispy aroma. “The elderly have lived to this age; we try to satisfy whatever they want to eat,” Shen Jizhong’s words are full of understanding for the elderly.
A Harbor Close to the Countryside
The home care service center in Chaoyang Village is located within the village party and community service center, a standalone building without steps, making it particularly convenient for the elderly to enter and exit. Upon entering, there are bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and an activity room, and the most surprising feature is the small vegetable garden in the yard—eggplants, peppers, and pumpkin vines are thriving, managed by the staff as a “happy farm”.
89-year-old Zhang Guifang sits in a wheelchair, gazing out at the vegetable garden. Upon seeing Tao Zhihong approach, she immediately waved, “Pick the persimmons down.” Zhang Guifang suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and cannot remember many people and things, but she can accurately name the fruits and vegetables in the garden. “Sometimes when fresh vegetables are picked, Chef Shen (Shen Jizhong) cooks them the same day, and the elderly enjoy them very much,” said Gu Xiu Fang. This vegetable garden not only provides fresh ingredients but also brings joy to the elderly.
Zhang Guifang and Tao Zhihong
This “small but exquisite” nursing home has now become a model for elderly care in Rugao City. 88-year-old Chen Shaoliang, who lives in the neighboring Liu Hai Village, came here over a month ago on his electric scooter with luggage. “The service here is good, and it is close to home, making it convenient to go back and visit,” Chen Shaoliang’s choice reflects the core needs of rural elderly care—staying close to familiar surroundings while receiving care. Elderly residents who can take care of themselves pay 2400 yuan per month, while those who are completely disabled pay 3600 yuan per month, which is the maximum fee.
Zhou Jiali is the director of Changshouxing Nursing Home and also serves as the director of the home care service center in Chaoyang Village. The caregivers and chefs have undergone unified training at Changshouxing Nursing Home, which she personally assesses. Since many of these caregivers are older, Zhou Jiali has to teach them some operations several times. However, this is not her biggest headache. She picked up the nursing records at the elderly residents’ beds to show us. The handwriting is crooked, and there are missing records. “The three caregivers we hired are all local aunties who do not know many characters, so these records are often incomplete and need the administrator’s help to supplement them,” Zhou Jiali said. The process of supplementation is also a review of their nursing work. Although it is a small institution, Zhou Jiali has not lowered her management standards.
Li Guifang and Gu Xiu Fang
At the end of the interview, 75-year-old Li Guifang repeatedly urged Gu Xiu Fang, “You must come to see me again tomorrow; remember!” The elderly’s dependence reflects the urgent need for rural elderly care. The data from the seventh national census more intuitively shows this reality: Dingyan Town has a total resident population of 39,822, with 15,246 people aged 60 and above, and 12,144 people aged 65 and above. The high level of aging makes the issue of rural elderly care increasingly urgent. This micro embedded nursing home with only 19 beds has broken the barrier of rural elderly’s reluctance to leave home, allowing them to enjoy their twilight years on their native soil.
Source: Jiang Hai Evening News
