Childless elderly people are being well cared for - not in homes for the aged but at their own houses - in the port city of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The model was initiated to help 13 childless pensioners in Minquan neighborhood last March, when 13 laid-off women aged above 40 were hired to tend to the aged in their own homes.

Other neighborhoods soon followed suit; and about 500 people get help from carers in the city, said Yang Fubing, director of the social welfare office of the Civil Affairs Bureau of the city, adding that the program will cover about 2,000 aged residents by the end of this year, Yang said.

It would take about 10 homes, each with 200 residents, to handle that number - and the expenditure on building them would be around 100 million yuan (US$12 million), said Yang, describing the initiative as a "contribution to the care of old people in the city."

Though government spending has gone up, "it's far from enough to meet the increasing needs of the aged," said Zhong Siping, vice-director of the bureau, who hopes that society as a whole lends a helping hand.

To ensure smooth operation of the program, Shakehou District set up a charity fund of 500,000 yuan (US$60,240) last year; and donations from enterprises and individuals are also a big help.

ING Capital Life Insurance Company Limited (ING Cap), a Dalian-base Sino-Dutch joint-venture, donated 300,000 yuan (US$36,100) last year for salary subsidies and training of 100 carers.

(China Daily March 9, 2004)