Psychological health of elderly a priority

The National Health Commission said on Thursday that it has launched a two-year pilot program to evaluate the psychological conditions of senior residents and improve the ability of health workers at the primary level to offer help.

The program, covering 1,600 urban communities and 320 villages, will conduct evaluations of the psychological conditions of residents age 65 and older to learn about the common psychological issues they face, said Wang Haidong, head of commission's department of aging and health.

Under the program, psychological assessments will be carried out on a voluntary basis, and interventions and suggestions for medical treatment will be offered depending on the results, he said.

The commission said the program has been prompted by an increase in mental problems among the elderly in recent years. More senior citizens are now part of the migrant population or have been left behind at home by their children, making them vulnerable to mental issues, especially when they catch chronic diseases or lose their spouses or friends, it said.

The program is expected to improve the ability of medical workers at the primary level to identify common psychological issues and offer corresponding help, Wang said.