Aging with Dignity: Integrated Nursing to Support Community Elder Care in China

We are supporting the collaboration between Buurtzorg and Guangxi New Life Healthcare through their pilot project, “Integrated Nursing to Support Community Elder Care”. The initiative was officially launched on May 28, 2025, at a ceremony held in Nanning, China. United by the shared mission of delivering “lower costs, better care,” all organizations aim to reshape community-based elder care in China by introducing a new, integrated, and empowering care model.

The event was attended by representatives from numerous government bodies, including the Provincial’s Federation of Industry and Commerce, the Government of Nanning, and various municipal bureaus overseeing civil affairs, medical insurance, health, and foreign affairs. Also present were leaders from international organizations, hospitals, academic institutions, industry experts, associations and media outlets, all gathered to witness the launch of a “cost-effective, high-impact” initiative designed to address the urgent challenges of population aging.

A New Vision: Empowerment-Based Elder Care

The project’s core philosophy—“helping the elderly regain their ability to care for themselves”—addresses the heart of elder care challenges. It views elder care not merely as a responsibility to provide assistance, but as an opportunity to empower seniors to regain autonomy, reduce reliance on family, and decrease the societal cost and burden of care.

Mr. Stephan Dyckerhoff emphasized Buurtzorg’s innovative, patient-centered, and community-based model, which has gained international recognition. By adopting a self-managed team structure and focusing on care outcomes, Buurtzorg has transformed home and community care in many countries.

"Every elder deserves to age with dignity. True care is not only about meeting daily needs—it’s about restoring autonomy and ensuring they continue to participate meaningfully in society."

Stephan Dyckerhoff, Buurtzorg President of Asia Pacific

Bridging International Expertise and Local Needs

The launch marks a major milestone in collaborative innovation, promoting a model driven by government guidance, international experience and local practices. Key areas of development include:

Policy Integration: Collaborations with government departments responsible for civil affairs, medical insurance, and health will be actively carried out to align the project with the State Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) policies. This combination of public and private pay schemes will make the services much more accessible and affordable to those seniors who are in general vulnerable groups, strengthened by high-quality, offers a “Nanning model” for nationwide reference and scaling up.
Talent Development and rural women economic empowerment: A local talent development program will be launched to address the rural elder care workforce gap. By combining Dutch care model with local training, the program aims to cultivate multi-skilled caregivers came from rural areas, increase their income, and encourage them to return to their home villages to start businesses and invigorate rural eldercare services.

The project embraces “empowerment-based care,” transforming elders from passive care recipients to active participants in their own lives—delivering not only economic benefits but also restoring dignity and independence.

As this pilot progresses, the collaborations among Bayer Foundation, Buurtzorg and Guangxi New Life is expected to redefine the future of community elder care in Nanning, Guangxi province, and further to be scaled up in China, bringing high-quality, accessible community eldercare services to more seniors. It fulfills the shared vision that “every elderly person deserves a happy, dignified later life.”

"The collaboration between Buurtzorg and Guangxi New Life is a significant step forward to reshape China's community-based elder care system. This initiative is closely aligned with Bayer Foundation's commitment to improving access to healthcare for underserved communities through community health workers and women economic empowerment, and entrepreneurship."

Peng Zhong, Bayer Foundation Social Innovation Director