Many foreign senior citizens are turning their attention to China as an ideal place to grow old. Photo: IC

 

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you," sang staff members at Hebei Medical Qigong Hospital. They were singing to Sergei Shcherbinin.

It's his 80th birthday, and instead of spending it at home in Russia, Shcherbinin opted to spend it with the staff at the hospital.

"I am deeply attracted to this place where I can be healthier and happier through exercises," said Shcherbinin. "My kids had called to ask me to come home for my 80th birthday, but I insisted on celebrating it here with the staff members, most of whom have become my good friends."

Shcherbinin has been visiting Hebei Medical Qigong Hospital, a Beidaihe-based institution that combines caring for the elderly with traditional Chinese medical treatment and qigong (Chinese breathing exercise), annually for 15 years. He spends three months in the summer doing qigong training every year.

One of the many foreign senior citizens who are turning their attention to China as an ideal place to grow old, Shcherbinin enjoys his stays at the nursing home. He not only appreciates the clean environment but also feels at home when he sees the doctors and nurses every day.

Like Shcherbinin, over recent years, many foreign senior citizens are traveling to China for varying periods each year, attracted by the peaceful nursing home environment and the Chinese approach to aging.

Foreign senior citizens enjoy their stays at Chinese nursing homes. They not only appreciate the clean environment but also feel at home and make many friends. Photo: IC

 

Aging the Chinese way

Shcherbinin is interested in Chinese culture. After he was introduced to the nursing home, he immediately fell in love with the environment and the home's holistic approach to caring for the elderly.

He used to suffer from arthritis. It was so serious that he had trouble walking and could only rely on wheel chairs and crutches, but now he does not need either of them.

"I owe it all to qigong. It worked wonders for my arthritis which had not been effectively treated by medication," said Shcherbinin. He practices qigong at about 5 or 6 am every morning.

Shcherbinin is not the only one who has benefited from practicing qigong. Sylvie Faity, a Frenchwoman in her 50s who recently underwent breast cancer treatment, went to the nursing home this summer and found a new life.

When she was little, she suffered from growing too fast. At 13, her spine was curved by 49 degrees due to scoliosis; one degree more and she would have needed surgery.

The scoliosis severely limited her ability to breathe. So, to decrease the curvature, Faity was put on many kinds of medicine and had to endure endless examinations and radiographies for many years; pills and hospitals were the center of her daily life for a time.

"From the age of eight to 18, I had motor skills training three times a week and had to wear a plaster cast day and night for three years," she said.

At 27, she had a mastectomy. It seemed her life was an endless struggle.

Seeing her battle with her health problems, some of Faity's friends recommended that she try a different approach and visit the nursing home in Beidaihe. They had heard of its health and wellness program which features care for the elderly and traditional Chinese treatments and exercises, including tai chi and qigong.

Faity took their advice and journeyed to China for treatment. Through daily exercises, her body has already begun to show signs of recovery.

"My arthritis has been relieved; my body has become softer, and my spine has become more agile," she said.

According to Xiao Yuande, the director of the qigong department at the nursing home, the facility has attracted hundreds of foreign senior citizens throughout the years. There is even a group of Japanese seniors who have been regular clients for 26 years until now.

Zhang Ping (pseudonym), the operations manager at a nursing home in Beijing, has also noticed the growing interest among foreign seniors toward Chinese nursing homes.

"Although there are no concrete statistics concerning how many foreign senior citizens are coming to Chinese nursing homes, it is safe to say there are more than before. Twenty or even 10 years ago, there were no foreign faces in Chinese nursing homes, but now I can see some emerging."

Concerning why some foreign senior citizens have begun to view Chinese nursing homes as an ideal place to spend their twilight years, Zhang suggested that the main reason is an increased acceptance of Chinese culture, healthcare, and medical practices abroad.

More affordable private care

The main reason Emily Wang, a 65-year-old Chinese-American graphic designer from New York, returned to China and now lives in a nursing home in Beijing is that she can enjoy equally good service with less money.

Initially planning to stay in a state-run facility in the US, Wang found that there were not many affordable public nursing homes in New York, and the waiting list to get a room was very long. She said in one nursing home, there were about 20,000 people ahead of her on the waiting list, so she chose private care. However, she soon realized that she could not continue to pay the $3,800 monthly fee and left.

"The other day, I was looking for relevant information when a nursing home in Beijing suddenly caught my attention. It said the monthly fee ranged from $500 to $1,500. Even the highest price of $1,500 is only half the money I have to pay here," she said.

Attracted by the lower price, Wang began to think that maybe returning to China could be a good option.

"I talked with my son. Although he agreed that it would be nice to pay less for nursing care, he was reluctant at first because there would be a long distance between us, and he was worried he could not be [there for me] when I need help."

In the end, Wang persuaded her son that things would work out nicely in a Chinese nursing home since she knows the language and is familiar with the culture. They reached an agreement that her son would visit her twice a year in China and she would go back to the US in the winter when Beijing is too cold.

With State-owned nursing homes closed to them, foreigners who want to access nursing homes in China must stay in privately-operated facilities. But, as Wang pointed out, the cost of a private nursing home in China is quite competitive.

"Although the nursing homes are relatively high-end, with monthly expense ranging from 5,000 yuan ($754) to 10,000 yuan, they are still more affordable than their Western counterparts," said Zhang.

"In the US, senior citizens ordinarily need to pay $4,000 per month for their nursing care. In the UK, they usually have to pay around $2,600 a month. Therefore, many foreign seniors who are in a lower income bracket and are interested in Chinese culture tend to choose nursing homes in China."

Seasonal travelers

As traveling becomes more financially feasible for a greater number of people, staying in nursing homes is less restrained to one place. Many nursing homes in China have built trans-provincial or even transnational cooperative relationships with other institutions. Senior citizens who stay in these nursing homes can go to different locations at different times of the year based on climate and personal preference.

The nursing home in Hebei is a part of such a transnational agreement. It cooperates with an institution in France. Under the agreement, foreign senior citizens can travel to China and stay in the nursing home for a period to escape the heat in France and learn tai chi and qigong.

"It is gaining popularity among foreign senior citizens because they are happy to experience Chinese culture," Xiao said.

At the same time, challenges do exist. According to Xiao, without many full-time interpreters and language teachers in the nursing home, the biggest problem is communication.

Outside of the language barrier, Xiao said it is relatively easy and equally convenient for foreigners to access the nursing home.

"They just need their passport, and it would be better to have a certificate of physical examination," Xiao said.

"If they haven't done their physical examination, we would schedule one for them."

Concerning whether physical exam results would affect foreigners' access to the home, Xiao said it would depend on the type of illness they had. "If it's some kind of chronic disease, then they can still enter our nursing home," he said.

For many elderly foreigners, living in a different country for a period is an opportunity to experience a different culture, new friendships, and see more of the world.

"I would never have made friends with so many nice people who live hundreds of miles away and don't even speak my language if I hadn't taken the step to go to a Chinese nursing house," said Shcherbinin. "I feel my life has been greatly enriched."