On May 9, Chen Sheng (left) communicated with the elderly at the Guanshanhu District Elderly Care Service Center in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Si

Xinhua News Agency, Guiyang, May 12 (Reporter Wu Si) Turning over for bedridden elderly people, sucking phlegm, and oxygen... Chen Sheng, a young man born in the 1995s who works in an elderly care service center in Guiyang, Guizhou, can now skillfully apply the nursing skills they have learned to elderly care work, which makes him feel accomplished, who has "a natural sense of intimacy with the elderly."

Chen Sheng studied in clinical nursing and worked as a nurse in the hospital after graduation. In 2018, by chance, he entered this elderly care service center in Guiyang.

At first, the work difficulties far exceeded Chen Sheng's expectations. As a novice, he gets up at 6 a.m. every day, prepares breakfast, cares for bedridden elderly people, changes diapers, and sometimes does not rest until 11 p.m. Chen Sheng admitted that at first he wanted to give up, but in the process of getting along with the elderly, some warm moments gradually changed his mind.

A 80-year-old Grandpa Li suffers from a variety of chronic diseases and complications. When he was transferred to the elderly care service center, he had a catheter and gastric tube inserted. After two months of comprehensive treatment and nursing, Grandpa Li not only successfully extubated the tube, but also was able to walk by himself.

"The elderly recovered because of my efforts, and that's the significance of my work." Chen Sheng said.

In addition to nursing work, Chen Sheng pays more attention to emotional communication with the elderly. He once cared for a grandfather who chatted with him every day and often shared what he thought was the best. After his grandfather passed away, his family expressed their sincere gratitude for Chen Sheng's careful care. This recognition made Chen Sheng more determined to continue moving forward in the nursing position.

Data shows that by the end of 2024, China's elderly population aged 60 and above reached 310 million, accounting for 22% of the country's total population.

Chen Sheng noticed that with the increasing demand for elderly care services in China, more and more young people have begun to devote themselves to the elderly care industry. In the past three years, more than a dozen young people, including the post-00s, have joined the team of his elderly care service center.

In January 2024, the "Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of the Talent Team for Elderly Care Services" was announced. As China's first comprehensive policy document on the construction of the elderly care service talent team, the opinions carry out comprehensive system design from broadening the channels for talent sources, improving talent quality and ability, improving talent evaluation mechanisms, paying attention to talent use and management, and improving guarantee and incentive measures.

The post-90s girl Zhao Xue graduated from the clinical nursing major of Central South University in Hunan Province. Since 2017, she has worked as a nurse at the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University. During her studies, she focused on research on chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. This knowledge reserve allows her to calmly deal with a variety of problems in clinical nursing work.

A patient in his sixties suffered from cerebral infarction many times and was admitted to the hospital for treatment. When communicating with this patient, Zhao Xue keenly noticed abnormal symptoms such as ambiguity in his speech and numbness in his hands, and immediately reported it to the doctor. Subsequently, the medical team conducted thrombolysis treatment on the patients to resolve the crisis in a timely manner.

The "Introduction to the Discipline and Majors of Graduate Education and Basic Degree Requirements (Trial Version)" released by the official website of the Chinese Society of Degrees and Graduate Education determines geriatric nursing as a secondary discipline in nursing.

Relying on his outstanding professional ability and rich clinical experience, Zhao Xue was hired as a young supervisor for master's degree in this discipline. She incorporated clinical experience into the classroom, led students to the ward to carry out practical teaching, organized students to conduct case discussions on elderly care, and cultivated students' ability to solve practical problems.

"The elderly often suffer from a variety of chronic diseases and have higher requirements for clinical care. I hope more young people will devote themselves to elderly care and let more elderly people enjoy their old age." Zhao Xue said.