Yingshan, Sichuan: Multi dimensional efforts to paint a colorful and happy "sunset" scene

Currently, there are over 130000 elderly people aged 65 and above in Yingshan County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province. In the face of increasingly prominent elderly care issues, Yingshan County has always adhered to the work philosophy of "government led, policy supported, multi-party participation, and coordinated development", linked forces from all sectors of society, and solidly promoted the construction of an elderly friendly society through measures such as carrying out activities to respect and love the elderly, promoting filial piety and respect for the elderly, and assisting elderly people in need, effectively safeguarding the lives and rights of the elderly, and making the "sunset red" shine with a unique brilliance.

Centralized support, weaving, and health care guarantee network

On October 26th, the regional elderly care service center in Xindian was filled with laughter and joy. Volunteers from the Yingshan County Morning Light Public Welfare Volunteer Association arrived early, set up dam mats, and carried out the "Joyful Song Celebrating the Double Ninth Festival with Laughter and Warm Sunset" condolence activity, welcoming the Double Ninth Festival with the elderly. On the dining table, sweet and delicious glutinous rice, clear stewed Yingshan black goat, and fat but not greasy roasted white... The aroma of the "nine big bowls" is overflowing; On stage, artistic performances are spectacular and diverse. The elderly people enjoyed the program while tasting delicious food, with smiles on their faces.

Volunteers also carry out volunteer services simultaneously: shaving and hairdressing for the elderly, foot care, and cleaning of the courtyard, busy and enthusiastic. Subsequently, everyone held a collective birthday party for the elderly who had recently celebrated their birthdays. The elderly clasped their hands together and made wishes, sharing a birthday cake together. The scene was warm and peaceful.

In the near future, we will also visit other regional elderly care service centers to offer condolences, "said Zhang Junfeng, Vice President of the County Morning Light Public Welfare Volunteer Association. Respecting the elderly is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and such activities are meant to bring warmth to the elderly and make them feel social care.

In towns and villages, there are a total of 18 centralized elderly care centers such as Xindian Regional Elderly Care Service Center in Yingshan, effectively solving the problem of elderly care in the surrounding areas; In the county town, the county-level elderly care service park, which will be completed and put into use in 2023, has a larger scale, more complete equipment, and more complete functions, and can provide medical rescue, psychological counseling, full-time companionship and other services.

We have introduced Yingshan Yishou Elderly Care Service Co., Ltd. and Jiushan Elderly Care Home, which are under the unified guidance and management of the County Elderly Care Service Center and operated independently by the institutions. The relevant person in charge of the County Civil Affairs Bureau introduced that the center is not only equipped with complete sports and fitness facilities, but also has various functional rooms to facilitate the elderly to carry out cultural and sports activities.

The recipe for the elderly is formulated one week in advance, with daily meat and vegetable combinations and balanced nutrition to ensure full and good eating, "said Li Xiaohua, the person in charge of Yingshan Yishou Elderly Care Service Co., Ltd. The living environment is also considerate, with each dormitory equipped with air conditioning, TV, water heater, independent bathroom and other facilities, and some dormitories even installed underfloor heating. In addition, the center has a second-class specialized hospital, offering specialties such as internal medicine, geriatrics, rehabilitation, and psychiatry. Elderly people can receive professional medical treatment on site.

In recent years, Yingshan County has accelerated the construction of a three-level elderly care service system at the county, township, and village levels: one county-level elderly care service park (county health center) has been built; Integrate and retain 18 township nursing homes with convenient transportation and complete functions, and continuously invest in renovation and upgrading funds to transform and upgrade all of them into regional elderly care service centers; Pilot the construction of village level elderly mutual aid stations in towns such as Taipeng and Damao. As of now, 7 elderly nutrition institutions in the county have completed registration and are operating normally; The County Civil Affairs Bureau has also collaborated with some township central health centers, street communities, etc. to build 7 elderly care service complexes, and set up 8 elderly meal assistance service points in the urban area.

We actively strive for funding to implement aging friendly transformation for families of elderly people in special difficulties, provide centralized care for economically disadvantaged disabled elderly people, and offer custodial care services for disabled and extremely poor individuals. According to the relevant person in charge of the County Civil Affairs Bureau, in 2024, the county will only provide nearly 75 million yuan in special hardship pension funds and elderly allowances for those over 80 years old, laying a solid foundation for the livelihood of the elderly.

Diversified Activities for Elderly Life with Flavor

On October 28th, at the vocal training site of Yingshan Senior University, the crisp sound of piano played, and more than 60 elderly people stared closely at the sheet music, focusing on practicing the fusion of high and low voice parts in "On the Water Side". This is the third vocal class we have organized, "said Wang Huaiquan, the president of the Senior University. Since the establishment of the vocal class in 2018, more than 120 elderly people have successfully graduated.

It is reported that the school has hired three middle and high school music teachers in the county to teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays, covering music theory knowledge, singing skills, and Mandarin training. After three years of systematic learning, the elderly can basically reach the level of a second year vocal major in university, and some students also have the ability to write music lyrics and compose music.

Xiong Jianguo is the first outstanding student representative. His creation "The bravest person" has a high popularity and has been showcased on national and provincial platforms such as "Study Strong Country" in terms of audio and video; Another work, 'Tower Bell', restores the local customs and traditions of Yingshan, showcasing the uplifting spirit of the local people. With its melodious melody and down-to-earth lyrics, it has been widely circulated on the land of Suishan. At the senior college, I not only learned new knowledge and made new friends, but also found the joy of life in my later years. Xiong Jianguo said that he will continue to persist in artistic creation and give back to society with better works.

The graduates of the vocal class are highly enthusiastic about the music industry, and we will recommend them to the Tianyi Choral Art Troupe of the Yingshan County Elderly Sports Association, "said Wang Huaiquan. Every major festival, we can always see the elderly members of the choir performing on stage.

The Tianyi Choral Art Troupe of Yingshan County Elderly Sports Association is a directly affiliated branch of the association, "said Wang Fuchu, Vice Chairman of the County Elderly Sports Association. The association has also established five project branches, including gateball, fishing, table tennis and badminton, chess and card games, and boxing, fencing, singing and dancing. Each branch will hold different competition activities every month.

On October 27th, the author saw elderly people sitting around the mahjong table in the activity room of the County Elderly Sports Association, carefully analyzing the game and playing cautiously - this is the competitive mahjong preliminary organized by the Chess and Card Branch every month, and the champion will be determined at the end of the year to participate in the final jointly organized by the County Committee Elderly Cadres Bureau and the County Elderly Sports Association.

The County Committee Senior Cadres Bureau holds monthly gateball, Sichuan card, bridge, and competitive mahjong competitions. The monthly champion holds the final at the end of the year, and now there are activities every ten days, competitions every four seasons, and finals every year. "Zhong Xingchun, deputy director of the County Committee Senior Cadres Bureau, said that the final jointly organized with the County Elderly Sports Association has been held for 16 years, and not only senior cadres can participate, but also the elderly in society enjoy equal participation rights, truly realizing resource sharing, promoting social harmony, and winning unanimous recognition and praise from the elderly.

The County Committee Elderly Cadres Bureau, Elderly University, County Elderly Association, County Elderly Sports Association, and other organizations have established various communication platforms to attract many elderly people to participate. This not only exercises their bodies, improves their mental health, but also enriches their later life, achieving happiness and security in old age, "said the person in charge of the County Elderly Committee.

Silver Age Volunteer Writing a New Chapter of Dedication

On October 28th, the Yingshan County Elderly Volunteer Service Brigade was officially established. The brigade is composed of four volunteer service teams: the County Rural Revitalization Association, the Association of Senior Science and Technology Workers, the Elderly Association, and the Elderly Sports Association. It focuses on the two themes of "assisting rural revitalization" and "caring for young people", leverages the experience and wisdom of the elderly, promotes the standardized and professional development of elderly volunteer services, and provides strong support in rural revitalization, social welfare, community care, and other fields.

Recently, the "Lujing Scholarship" distribution ceremony in Yingshan County, jointly initiated by the County Rural Revitalization Association and the County Customs Working Committee, was held at Yingshan Middle School and Lifan Guangcai Primary School. This time, a total of 200000 yuan of financial aid was granted to outstanding college students who graduated from Yingshan Middle School, outstanding college students with registered residence in Lujing Town, 2025 grade high school freshmen in Yingshan Middle School, and primary and secondary students who are excellent in character and learning in Lifan Guangcai School.

After the distribution ceremony, the author contacted retired veteran cadres, the president of the County Rural Revitalization Association, and the executive deputy director of the County Customs Working Committee, Ning Youkang, to inquire about the details of this donation for education. Ning Youkang said that at the beginning of this year, he met Deng Guangyao, a fellow villager from Lujing Town and the chairman of Sichuan Xinrui Hekang Medical Technology Group Co., Ltd. When talking about the development of education in his hometown, Deng Guangyao learned that the County Rural Revitalization Association and the County Customs Working Committee have long been committed to the cause of education in his hometown. He immediately expressed his willingness to give back to education and his hometown. The two sides hit it off immediately, and Deng Guangyao generously donated 200000 yuan to support the development of education in his hometown.

Ning Youkang introduced that this year the county has taken frequent actions in donating funds for education: in addition to the "Lujing Scholarship" of 200000 yuan, the "Golden Autumn Scholarship" activity was launched in September, distributing 50000 yuan in scholarships to 10 families in sudden difficulties; At the beginning of the year, nearly 100000 yuan in financial aid was distributed to 300 students in the county during the "Warm Winter Education Assistance" campaign. At present, we are preparing for the 'Warm Winter Education Assistance' activity at the end of this year, and plan to distribute approximately 100000 yuan in scholarships to 300 students

We not only provide material assistance to children, but also pay more attention to the cultivation of the red spirit, "Ning Youkang said. This year's" Five Elders "propaganda team went deep into urban and rural schools such as Laolin Primary School, Huayu Middle School, and Chengguan Middle School to carry out propaganda on the" Two Virtues "spirit. As the main speaker, he gave a lecture on the topic of "Remembering Instructions, Gratitude, and Striving Forward"; In early July, the County Customs Working Committee organized a summer camp activity for 80 county-level students, leading them to visit the Patriotic Education Base in Yingshan County, the Memorial Hall of Comrade Zhu De's Former Residence in Yilong County, and the Zhang Side Memorial Hall. They talked about the history of the Red Revolution, sowed red seeds in children's hearts, and reminded them to inherit the red genes, cultivate red beliefs, and continue the red bloodline.

The care of the County Rural Revitalization Association not only covers students, but also extends to the field of agricultural industry development.

In September and October this year, due to continuous rainfall, multiple embankments of Dengchao Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative in Yingshan County collapsed. After understanding the situation, Ning Youkang led volunteers to the scene to verify the disaster situation, and immediately disbursed 20000 yuan for the recovery and reconstruction of the cooperative after confirmation. Thank you very much for the help of the association, which helped me overcome difficulties and reignite my confidence and enthusiasm for agricultural production, "said Zhou Dengchao, the person in charge of the cooperative, gratefully. The cooperative has rectified more than 400 acres of abandoned land before and after, and the facilities were damaged this time. The association's funding has helped him solve his urgent problem.

Ning Youkang led the County Rural Revitalization Association and the County Customs Working Committee to extensively connect social resources, actively seek funds, and devote himself to the growth of students and the development of agricultural industries. With solid work results, he won wide recognition from society and was awarded the title of "Top Ten Five Elders in Sichuan for Caring for Tomorrow" at the 12th session. This is the best praise for his outstanding performance and dedication.

It is understood that the County Elderly Association, County Elderly Sports Association, and County Elderly University have organized a variety of sports and fitness activities to make the lives of the elderly colorful; The County Rural Revitalization Association and the County Customs Working Committee gather strength for the growth of students and rural revitalization; The County Elderly Promotion Association actively collects revolutionary historical materials, compiles multiple books reflecting the red history of revolutionary old areas, and is committed to the inheritance of red culture; The County Association for Science and Technology leverages the intellectual advantages of retired technology workers to build platforms and create conditions for county-level scientific and technological reform, popularization of scientific knowledge, and academic exchanges.

The elderly organizations and volunteers in the county, with their high prestige, warm-hearted nature, and strong appeal, have taken the initiative and taken on practical responsibilities. They not only build a platform to enrich the elderly's later life, but also care about the economic and social development of Yingshan and have made positive contributions in various fields, "said the person in charge of the county's elderly committee. (Guo Ming)