A senior citizen orders food via a self-service machine. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, has recently unveiled specific guidelines tailored to addressing the needs of the elderly in both urban and rural settings, marking a significant step towards enhancing elderly care services.

The new policy is set to take effect on May 1.

According to the guidelines, urban community elderly canteens will primarily operate under market-oriented principles, with a focus on exploring various operational models such as public-private partnerships tailored to local conditions. The initiative aims to encourage high-quality social catering enterprises to participate, offering discounted prices and a diverse range of meal services.

Zheng Ying, deputy director of the Hangzhou civil affairs bureau, highlighted that urban community elderly meal service providers, while meeting the dining needs of the elderly, will also be open to the general public. They will operate during multiple timeframes to provide convenient dining services accessible to all those in need, Zheng said.

The guidelines emphasize the importance of developing rural elderly canteens as a key component of urban-rural integration, advocating for flexible and diversified service expansion. Given the vast geographical expanse and dispersed population in rural areas, the promotion of mobile meal delivery services is actively encouraged.

Measures will be implemented to manage food safety standards in elderly canteens. Facilities and environments in elderly canteens will be optimized to cater to the needs of seniors.

A village in Tonglu county uses drones to deliver food for the elderly. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]