Chongqing- Smart technology will no longer be a difficulty in the elderly’s lives, where 39 effective measures in the use of smart technology have been put into place to solve their most pressing problems, according to the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission February 8.

According to the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission's relevant person, statistics show that as of the end of 2019, the number of elderly people aged 60 and above in Chongqing’s permanent population reached 6,436,100, accounting for 20.6% of the city’s total population. It is also 2.5 percentage points higher than the national average, entering into a moderate aging stage.

In order to further solve the difficulties encountered by the elderly in the use of smart technology and to allow the elderly to apply the results of informatization development better, the General Office of the State Council has issued an implementation plan on effectively solving the difficulties of the elderly in using smart technology.

The implementation plan focuses on the seven types of high-frequency matters and service scenarios for the elderly, including travel, medical treatment, consumption, entertainment, and service in daily life; 20 specific measures and requirements are also proposed.

For example, for the elderly who prefer to use intelligent products and services, the business halls of the three major operators, including China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, have set up special service posts to guide the elderly. Significantly, the elderly over the age of 65 who register with their real names can dial the customer service numbers and enter into the manual service directly with one click, without going through complicated procedures of voice prompts and number selection.

In addition, through relying on urban community service facilities, the Chongqing Civil Affairs Bureau provides essential life services, including daily care, rehabilitation care, leisure and entertainment, cultural education, compassionate care, and spiritual comfort and emotional interaction for the elderly at home during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Daily medical treatment also plays an important role in the lives of many elderly people. The Chongqing Health Commission requires medical institutions with the second-level and above in the city to open up to the primary medical and health institutions through resources such as no less than 20% of the appointment number source and a certain percentage of hospital beds. This will make it easier for the elderly to make appointments for medical treatment through the community.

Other heart-warming measures are embodied in retaining manual services and telephone lines for the elderly to reserve various cultural tourism stadiums. This is to make sure a certain number of offline places are retained for the elderly to enter or purchase tickets without making an appointment to carry out cultural and sports activities.

Next, the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission will work with the Chongqing Health Commission to strengthen the departmental work coordination and information sharing through tracking and analyzing the real-time progress and effectiveness of relevant measures and ensuring the implementation of various policies can be conducted smoothly.

By the end of 2022, the elderly will enjoy a significant improvement in intelligent services. The convenience will also continue to improve, where the elder can get access to efficient and coordinated online and offline services.