The Special Online Meeting to Inject Impetus for Senior Care Associations under the COVID-19 Pandemic Successfully Convened

On the afternoon of June 1st, 2022, China Association of Social Welfare and Senior Service (hereinafter referred to as CASWSS) successfully convened the Special Online Meeting to Inject Impetus for Senior Care Associations under the COVID-19 Pandemic. CASWSS together with senior care associations at the provincial level jointly explored methods for tackling difficulties and pursuing joint development. Feng Xiaoli, President of CASWSS presented at the meeting and delivered the opening and concluding speeches. Li Jianjun, Vice President of CASWSS hosted the meeting. Vice Presidents of CASWSS Yao Li, Lan Tianning, Guo Qing, Zhu Yaoyin, Guo Xiaozhong, Xu Jiazeng, Yang Naifa, Che Chengjun attended the meeting. More than 30 principles from provincial and municipal senior care associations in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanxi, Liaoning, Guangdong, Shanxi, Xinjiang and others participated.

Feng Xiaoli, President of CASWSS attended the meeting and delivered the opening and concluding speeches.

Li Jianjun, Vice President of CASWSS hosted the meeting.

In the opening speech, President Feng Xiaoli firstly extended her warmest welcome to the heads and friends for participating in the meeting despite their busy schedules, and her sincere gratitude to all the colleagues for their long-term care and support and their dedication to contributing to the senior care course. She pointed out that this year’s June 1st, the International Children’s Day, is of special significance. It is on this day that Shanghai lifted its COVID restrictions with people’s life back to normalcy, and that the State Council convened an executive meeting on the arrangement of implementing a package of policies to speed up economic stability. It is on this joyful day that we gather here on the cloud to communicate with each other, listen to one another, express our true feelings and jointly discuss the challenges and problems faced by senior care associations under the pandemic, the breakthrough of our work, and the intention of the associations to expand cooperation with CASWSS. All the principles are invited to speak out freely.

Heads of senior care associations at the municipal and provincial level attended the meeting.

At the meeting, Xu Bing, Vice President of Shanghai Municipal Elderly Service Association, Xu Jiazeng, President of Zhejiang Provincial Elderly Service Association, Guo Xiaozhong, Chongqing Pension Service Association, Yang Naifa, Qingdao Municipal Elderly Service Association, Li Dong, Secretary-General of Beijing Association of Senior Care Industries, Ma Linyin, President of Jiangxi Provincial Elderly Service and Social Welfare Association, Xu Xiaoling, President of Guangdong Province Pension Service Chamber of Commerce, Wang Jun, President of Elderly Service Association of The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and other 17 heads of elderly service associations pointed out the challenges faced by the associations under the pandemic from different perspectives and levels, including the plunge of social capital investment for elderly service construction, the hardship to promote key cooperation projects, the inability to conduct offline exchange and communication activities and the decline in membership fees due to the slowdown of membership expansion, etc. They shared their successful experiences in suggesting the government to establish supportive policies for senior care institutions to overcome difficulties and implement special subsidies. They also introduced their intention to further cooperate with CASWSS in key fields of Group Standard R&D, Vocational Talents Training, and the China International Senior Services Expo (hereinafter referred to as CISSE), etc. CASWSS Vice Presidents Zhu Yaoyin and Tian Lanning shared their reflections on work practices and their creative ways of thinking.

In her concluding speech, President Feng Xiaoli said that today’s Special Cloud Meeting to Inject Impetus for Senior Care Associations under the COVID-19 Pandemic, though being short, had yet witnessed our close ties and amity like members of one big family. The speeches delivered by those present today are quite touching, they revealed the dedication and boundless love of our fellow colleagues in serving the overall interests, caring for the elderly, and jointly boosting the cause of China's elderly services.

She concluded the results of the meeting and put forward implementing methods from the following perspectives:

Firstly, we shall earnestly reflect on the speeches delivered at the meeting to form a special survey report and promptly submit it to the competent government departments;

Secondly, in response to the urgent needs of senior care institutions, we shall introduce a series of non-profit training courses to support senior care institutions in tackling challenges and boosting development, introduce psychological counselling training for the elderly in senior care institutions and the service teams, so as to defuse pressure for the institutions, enhance team culture building, and promote advanced experiences in management risk control.

Thirdly, CASWSS shall continue to service fellow colleagues wholeheartedly, strive to deepen cooperation in key programs with elderly service associations at municipal and provincial levels, and dedicate ourselves to the cooperation of Group Standards R&D, the promotion of pilot projects and high-quality programs of graded and classified vocational training, and the cultivation of high-quality elderly service brands with Chinese characteristics, so as to jointly advance the capacity building and coordinated development of regional elderly service associations.

Fourthly, we shall fully play the advantage of Welfare China, the association’s journal and other media resources, to promote and publicize the work experiences and creative results of elderly service associations at the municipal and provincial levels, so as to attract further care and support from all social forces towards elderly service associations.

All the participating parties at this meeting have made thorough preparations, delivered enthusiastic speeches and shared conductive suggestions. They all agreed that this meeting was convened in times of need and had greatly cemented confidence in the industry. Under the guidance of CASWSS, all the parties would join hands to tackle tough issues head-on, give full play to the social organizations’ role in serving the country, the society, the general public and the industry, and pull through with devotion to embracing a shared future, contributing our part for enhancing the quality, efficiency and capability of the service industry.