At-home care benefits seniors, trial finds

Rehabilitation at home can reduce by 50 percent the chance a senior has to return to a hospital for treatment of the same ailment, according to a trial led by the Beijing government.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Pinetree Senior Service, a private nursing care provider, worked with the Beijing government to study the best recovery path for seniors after they have been discharged from hospital for strokes, bone fractures and other problems associated with age.

Officials from Shanghai elderly care associations said at-home care is available in the city. They added it often improves life quality and reduces the medical burden.

By 2020, about 90 percent of the elderly in Shanghai will have to receive home-based care offered by the family and private service providers.