Recently, the Provincial Department of Civil Affairs released the "Implementation Plan for the Active Development of Meal Assistance Services for the Elderly in Guangdong Province (Draft for Comments)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") on its official website to solicit opinions from the public, and the deadline is December 20 this year. The plan clearly states that all localities should include meal assistance services for the elderly with special difficulties in the list of local basic pension services. Explore the digitalization of the whole chain of meal assistance services for the elderly, and take inclined measures to support the expansion of service supply in rural areas, and promote the construction of "elderly canteens" to expand the scope and improve quality and efficiency.
The village collective economic income can be used to support the meal assistance service.
In October this year, 11 departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Finance, jointly issued the "Action Plan for Actively Developing Meal Assistance Services for the Elderly" to deploy relevant work.
The formulation of the "plan" in Guangdong is to implement the plans of the above 11 departments and the work requirements of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the province. Among them, it is clear that it focuses on the practical difficulties of the elderly in dining, and adheres to public welfare positioning, professional operation, social participation, and systematic construction. By the end of 2023, we will find out the demand for meal assistance services for the elderly, and create a number of well-operated, distinctive, and dynamic meal service demonstration sites for the elderly. By the end of 2026, the quality and efficiency of meal assistance services for the elderly will be further improved, the sustainable development capacity will be consolidated, the synergy with the construction of the elderly care service system will be further improved, and the convenience and satisfaction of the elderly will reach a high level.
The plan proposes to build a multi-participatory service supply system. All localities should adhere to the combination of overall planning and utilization of existing resources and moderate new construction, and incorporate meal service facilities for the elderly into the construction of a quarter-hour home-based elderly care service circle and a quarter-hour convenient living circle in the city, so as to promote convenient and accessible services. Optimize meal delivery services and expand service coverage. Guide the active participation of public welfare and charitable forces. Support all localities to establish an information docking service platform for the needs of meal assistance services for the elderly in light of actual conditions.
In terms of strengthening meal assistance services for the elderly in rural areas, the "Plan" makes it clear that inclined measures should be taken to support the expansion of service supply in rural areas, and that they can rely on qualified village-level good neighbor (neighborhood) mutual aid points, rural happiness homes and other carriers to open canteens for the elderly, set up meal assistance points for the elderly, etc., and explore models such as neighborhood meal assistance, multi-family partnerships, paired assistance, and mobile food trucks, so as to flexibly and diversely solve the needs of rural elderly meal assistance services. Widely mobilize party members and cadres, young and healthy elderly and other groups to actively participate in the elderly meal service. Village collective economic organizations that have the capacity may use collective economic income to support meal assistance services for the elderly through democratic deliberations.
Service providers should publish information such as subsidy donations.
The plan proposes to build a high-quality and standardized service guarantee system. All localities should formulate norms for meal assistance services for the elderly in light of actual conditions. Guide all types of meal assistance service establishments for the elderly to give priority to providing lunch services, and provide breakfast and dinner services where possible, and ensure the continuity and stability of meal assistance services. Provide convenient dining services for surrounding residents, and carry out other services for the elderly during non-dining hours. Encourage the production of distribution maps such as "elderly canteens" and meal assistance for the elderly, explore the digitization of the whole chain of meal assistance services for the elderly, and implement big data management.
At the same time, the Plan clearly builds a healthy and sustainable operation support system. In the construction of supporting old-age service facilities in new urban areas and residential areas, and the completion of old-age service facilities in old urban areas and completed residential areas, the construction of meal service facilities for the elderly or the use of sites should be solved simultaneously. Establish a pluralistic financing mechanism of "individuals give a little, enterprises let a little, make up a little, collectively add a little, and the society donates a little". Establish a reasonable return mechanism for meal assistance services, and operators are to determine charging standards based on actual service costs and moderate profit levels.
The plan also proposes to implement a categorical subsidy for meals. Persist in paid services, and where conditions permit, they may combine the level of local economic development and financial resources, and give differentiated subsidies to the elderly who enjoy meal assistance services based on the degree of economic hardship and disability of the elderly, and the scope, methods, and standards of subsidies are to be researched and determined by the local civil affairs departments in conjunction with the financial departments, and included in the fiscal budget. All localities should include meal assistance services for the elderly with special difficulties in the list of local basic elderly care services.
In terms of building a multi-party co-management supervision and management system, the "Plan" requires that the food safety guarantee, supervision and assessment, emergency response, and accountability systems for the elderly meal service be improved. Meal service providers for the elderly shall publish information such as **, subsidies, and receipt of charitable donations. Southern ** reporter Wu Xiaoxian.