Yet, currently, the government is only subsidizing the most needy, said Chen Bei. A monthly 160-yuan subsidy is given to the people living on minimum allowance, those above 80 years old and the aged with chronic illness and motion difficulties.

"We still need to expand the subsidies to more people, and at the same time lower home care costs by using more government finance," Chen said.

Last month, ten government agencies, including the Office of the China National Committee on Aging (CNCA) and the National Development and Reform Commission, issued a guideline, requiring all urban communities to offer home care services for the aged by the end of 2010.

According to the plan, such services shall be available in 80 percent of rural towns and a third of villages across the country.

While urban communities may have the staff and money to provide such home care, the services would be more difficult in villages, where pensions are even lower, and the old people had to take care of their grandchildren left behind by migrant worker parents.

To address the problem, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to reform pension and old-age insurance for urban people, villagers and migrant workers.

Liang Xiaosheng, a famed Chinese essayist and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), highlighted the problem of an aging society in his suggestions to the ongoing session. "The old shall get more out of China's economic achievements for which they have worked for almost all their lives," he said.

The service shall extend from meeting basic needs to offering legal and mental counselling for the old and financial investment options, he added.

Every Friday morning, Ma Jiahui plays electric piano for a chorus of 37 old men and women in the community. "Back to years when I could, I played accordion, but that's too straining for me now," she said.

Ma also taught the group to read music scores and her friends said her unclouded personality was rather inspiring to many.

The old woman has high blood pressure, heart and respiratory difficulties and needs help going up and down the stairs, but still has high hopes for people like her. "Every day I'm alive, I'm living a respectful and happy life, and I wish the same for every old person," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 11, 2008)