From 2005, the former Dongshan District of Guangzhou (the district was merged with Yuexiu District) started to offer "elder ring", an emergency service, to the elders. Last month, a survey found 1,155 families had the ring installed in their home, 94.6 percent of the families are satisfied with the service.

In Yuexiu District, every community clinic has two doctors and they are responsible to offer medical treatment to the elders who ring. Now the district is considering adding a doctor to each clinic.

Currently, installing a bell costs a family 800 yuan. The district will start to accept "one-year progressive payment" for the installation before July this year. That means the elder pay less than 90 yuan (11.7 USD) every month for a year and can enjoy the emergency service.

The district plans to expand the ring users to 3,000 at the end of this year, and the ultimate target is 10,000 users. The district government promise to improve its service and calls for more help from NGOs for building a service centers for the elders in every two resident communities, which is considered a big step forward in "elder bell service".

Editor: Yan