The Way of Aging: "Clockwise Community" Helps with "Sunset Red"

Liu Tianfang

Nowadays, as cities continue to expand and urban life speeds up, residents, especially the elderly, often face difficulties in accessing medical care, shopping, and leisure activities. Building a "clockwise community" has become a feasible solution to this problem. A "clockwise community" takes the home as its center, allowing residents to access basic needs such as shopping, dining, and leisure within a 15-minute radius. Residents can even participate in community governance and achieve shared growth.

In fact, the main focus of a "clockwise community" is on an "aging circle," which is achieved through the construction of a three-level service network covering counties, townships, and villages. This forms a "clockwise" service circle that ensures elderly people can obtain the necessary aging services within 15 minutes. The concept of this idea is based on the fact that China's population is rapidly aging. As of December 2024, there are approximately 31.03 million people aged 60 or above in China, accounting for about 22% of the total population.

Under these circumstances, it is crucial to improve the elderly care service system. The construction of a "clockwise community" can effectively alleviate the pressure on home-based care and enhance the accessibility and professionalism of elderly services, meeting the comprehensive elderly care needs of seniors at their doorstep. This is also an important significance of promoting the formation of a "clockwise community."

In 2021, the Ministry of Commerce published the "Guidelines for Building Clockwise Communities" and proposed that a "clockwise community" should include aging or childcare stations and other public welfare commercial facilities. Subsequently, local governments have launched various modes such as "15-minute living circles" to create "happy communities." The elderly care facilities and supplies have also been built as key contents, laying a good foundation for further construction of 15-minute elderly services.

Looking at the current situation, most seniors in China still rely on family-based aging. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the service system around this model to keep up with the pace of aging construction. This is also the fundamental reason for introducing "clockwise communities" and enhancing residents' quality of life. Especially for seniors, participating in this activity can dispel feelings of loneliness, enrich their late years.

Elderly care services are closely related to every family. In recent years, the government has launched a series of combinations including policy support, financial aid, and service guidance to let seniors live comfortably and happily. In the future, it is necessary to further standardize service standards, strengthen guidance and supervision, and follow up on policy implementation and enforcement to perfect the 15-minute elderly care circle. From this perspective, "clockwise communities" can help "sunset red" and form a happy late life that seniors can enjoy.

The views expressed in this column article are those of the author only.