The length of one’s life is not decided by the gods; the blessings of a contented life can lead to a long-lasting existence.
This is the reflection of the poet, Cao Cao, at the age of 53. Nothing in this world is eternal; the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death is a fundamental law of nature. However, by nurturing the body and mind, and maintaining a proactive and optimistic spirit, one can extend their life.
In 2007, inspired by a wedding, Chen Dongsheng, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Taikang Insurance Group, turned his long-contemplated vision for elderly care into reality. He led a team to conduct global research on elderly care models, recognizing that addressing the challenge of seniors living with chronic illnesses and leading a high-quality centenarian life would be urgent issues in the Era of Longevity. As a result, after a decade of meticulous preparation, Taikang introduced the "Taikang Home Elderly Community" to provide high-quality elderly care solutions. In 2023, after much accumulated prestige, Taikang Home became the first Chinese elderly care institution to receive a Renowned Brand Certification.
On August 26, 2023, Taikang Community: Peng Garden, built by the Fortune Global 500 company: Taikang Insurance Group, was officially completed in Shenzhen. Becoming the first large-scale, fully functional, international standard, high-quality elderly care community in China. Peng Garden is not just Taikang's second elderly care community in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but, more importantly, the final piece of the puzzle after establishing Taikang Homes in the four major first-tier cities. It will provide innovative one-stop services to seniors in the Greater Bay Area.
Hong Kong is one of the longest-lived regions in the world. According to the latest statistics, the average life expectancy of Hong Kong residents has reached 84.7 years, ranking first globally. The Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department predicts that by 2050, about one in three Hong Kong residents will be elderly, and the proportion of those aged 80 and above will surge from 5.2% to 15.6%. Hong Kong is expected to become the city with the highest proportion of elderly population in the world.
However, the flip side of Hong Kong's longevity is the difficulty, cost, and scarcity of elderly care services. Currently, public elderly care homes in Hong Kong have long waitlists, averaging 2 to 3 years, while private elderly care homes are expensive, understaffed, and have suboptimal living conditions.
To alleviate the pressure of elderly care in Hong Kong, this year, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have introduced a series of favorable policies and measures for Hong Kong seniors to receive "cross-border elderly care." This not only helps solve the issue of insufficient elderly care resources in Hong Kong but also brings opportunities for the development of mainland elderly care services. The completion and use of Taikang Community: Peng Garden provides a new way of life for elderly people in Hong Kong, creating modern medical and care benchmarks in the Greater Bay Area.
Taikang Home: Peng Garden is located in the Dapeng Peninsula, renowned as the "last untouched paradise in Shenzhen." It is nestled amidst mountains and pristine waters, enjoying superior sea views and beach resources. It is an ideal location for leisure, vacation, and elderly care. Peng Garden can accommodate around 1,300 elderly care units, and is equipped with a secondary rehabilitation hospital along with about 100 medical beds, offering comprehensive health services covering the entire life cycle of seniors, including: independent living, assisted living, professional care, memory care, elderly rehabilitation, and senior medical care.
As a high-quality and international elderly care community serving the Greater Bay Area, Peng Garden has accumulated reservations for more than 500 households, totaling over 700 residents, including more than 50 residents from Hong Kong. In order to better meet the personalized medical and care needs of Hong Kong seniors, Peng Garden has introduced a series of targeted service measures, such as offering Hong Kong-style breakfast in the dining hall, planning special community shuttle routes to border crossings, requiring management staff to be proficient in Cantonese, and adding English to informational signage within the community. These efforts standardize, internationalize, and characterize medical and care facilities, joining hands with Hong Kong seniors as we step into the Era of Longevity.
When sharing Taikang's future strategic layout within the Greater Bay Area, Yin Qimin, Principal of the Taikang (Hong Kong) Preparatory Office, mentioned replicating the “four-in-one” business model, encompassing "dynamic elderly care, high-end medical care, excellent financial management, and life care," in Hong Kong. This model not only provides diversified elderly care choices for Hong Kong customers, but also helps the Hong Kong government alleviate the pressure posed by the region's aging population through "cross-border elderly care" and similar initiatives.
However, due to the completely different financing mechanisms of the social security systems in Hong Kong and the mainland, achieving unified conditions for participation and benefit enjoyment is one of the biggest challenges in the short term. Qiu Jianwei, a member of the Taikang Insurance Group's Management Committee and CEO of Taikang Home, stated that Taikang is actively negotiating and communicating with relevant government departments in Guangdong and Hong Kong to jointly explore the integration and connectivity of elderly care and medical policies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The process is currently underway.