Da Nang works to care for the elderly

Da Nang (VNA) – The Elderly People’s Association of Da Nang has taken numerous activities, aimed at caring for local elderly people.

Da Nang is home to more than 90,000 elderly people, accounting for some 10 percent of the population, over 19,000 of whom receive monthly state allowances. The city has three care centres for lonely elderly people or those without a home.

In the city, every elderly person, with or without a retirement pension, is entitled to a monthly allowance and provided with free health insurance and arrangement benefits when they die.

The association has raised funds to present gifts for the elderly on New Year holidays or on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons. The city allocates a considerable amount of its budget to supporting vulnerable people, including the elderly who normally receive money and 15kg of rice per person annually.

No elderly person is Da Nang has to live on the street, beg for a living, or stay in poor living conditions.

The Elderly People’s Association of Da Nang has been awarded with the third-class of Labour Order on September 17 in recognition for its excellent social work throughout the 2013-2017 period.

Speaking at the event, Le Van Kien, head of the board of representatives of the city’s Elderly People’s Association, said that the local elderly population have received good care from state agencies in order to lead more fulfilling lives.

In response to the national action plan for elderly people, the city aims to have all elder persons with access to medical care when they are ill, all lonely older persons to receive community-based care, and all district medical clinics to have a gerontology department. –VNA