Having elderly relatives living with you often means that the main problems aren’t a lack of money, but failing to discuss matters clearly and sign the necessary documents in advance. The final section looks at pressure ulcers in bedridden patients; it calculates costs based on mortality rates and isn’t meant to be compared with the other items in this chapter.
English text comes from the independent translation maintained by dlgrv. New entries without a translation appear in Chinese. The author's Chinese original is authoritative for the latest content. Translation snapshot: dlgrv/HowToLiveBetter · 11818c6
While the elderly are still lucid, designate a future guardian in writing
While an elderly person still has a clear mind, it’s worth spending a few hundred yuan to have a written document notarized, naming who will serve as their guardian. Without such a document, once they lose decision-making capacity, a court must decide who gets to sign on their behalf and manage their finances. If family members disagree, the process can drag on even longer.
Cost
It costs only a few hundred yuan to have a notarized docum…
Benefit
Under civil law, adults who are mentally sound and capable of independent decisions (legally termed “adults wi…
02Evidence A
Make a will — remember that later ones override earlier ones, and notarized wills no longer take priority
The law recognizes six types of wills, but a single mistake in the format can render the entire document invalid — this is the most common pitfall. A handwritten will must be written entirely by the testator, signed, and dated. If multiple wills exist and they conflict, the last one signed prevails. Since 2021, a notarized will no longer automatically takes precedence over others.
Cost
Writing a will by hand costs nothing. Having it notarized…
Benefit
The Civil Code acknowledges six legal forms of wills: handwritten, dictated to a scribe, printed, recorded on…
03Evidence C
Keep the elderly person’s money in a separate account and set a rule requiring two people to approve any large withdrawals
Scammers targeting seniors for health products, collectibles, or financial schemes all follow the same pattern: they spend months building rapport, then strike all at once. By establishing a rule that any withdrawal above a certain amount must be approved by another person, you effectively delay the spending decision until the initial impulse fades.
Cost
This costs nothing. You only need to discuss it once with…
Benefit
Most scams aimed at older adults rely on building trust over weeks or months before making a large financial d…
04Evidence C
A ready-made phrase for seniors to deflect unwanted offers
Sales pitches and scams rely on creating immediate pressure, making it hard for people to say no on the spot. By agreeing beforehand on the phrase “I need to go home and discuss this with my family,” the senior has an easy way out whenever needed. This works far better than trying to reason with them later.
Cost
No cost at all. It only takes a few minutes to discuss thi…
Benefit
Both sales tactics and scams depend on on‑the‑spot pressure. Having a pre‑arranged line such as “I need to go…
05Evidence A
Avoid any “investment-based senior care” schemes that require upfront payments: card enrollment, prepaid care fees, buying senior housing units, travel-based care programs, and sales of senior products all fall under the same category of illegal fundraising.
Any senior care program that demands an initial payment while promising financial returns is essentially a scam. These schemes include selling membership cards, collecting prepaid care fees, selling senior housing units, offering travel-based care packages, and promoting various senior products. Under current regulations, recovered funds are extremely rare; victims usually bear the full financial loss. Official reports document cases where fraudsters raised 136,000,000 yuan by marketing “pre-booked senior housing units,” defrauding over 2,100 people. Another case saw fraudsters collect 620,000 yuan through similar tactics, affecting more than 2,100 people. The only effective preventive step is stopping the initial payment.
Cost
No cost at all. Simply read the following list of common t…
Benefit
The Civil Affairs Bureau has identified five primary patterns used by fraudsters;
06Evidence B
Apart from the housing reverse mortgage insurance offered by insurers, you should avoid all other “housing-for-pension” schemes — never mortgage your home to buy financial products.
The only legitimate “housing-for-pension” option is the housing reverse mortgage insurance provided by insurers, which is currently still in the pilot phase and used by very few people. Door‑to‑door sales pitches have nothing to do with this official program. Scammers trick seniors into mortgaging their homes so they can use the borrowed money to buy financial products recommended by the fraudsters — essentially a “pay‑old‑debts‑with‑new‑money” Ponzi scheme. Regulators report cases where seniors were unaware their homes had been mortgaged; as a result they ended up losing their property while still owing a loan.
Cost
There’s no cost involved. Keep your property deed in your…
Benefit
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission’s Consumer Protection Bureau clearly distinguishes betwe…
07Evidence A
For elderly individuals at home who are bedridden or severely disabled, apply to the local yibao (basic medical insurance) office for long-term care insurance; it is not limited to seniors only.
Long-term care insurance helps cover the cost of hiring caregivers. Those who are severely disabled and have remained in that condition for at least six months may apply to their local yibao office. Eligible care expenses do not need to be paid upfront; roughly 70% is reimbursed for employees covered under the worker policy, while about 50% is reimbursed for residents enrolled in the urban/rural resident policy. However, costs such as room charges and meals are not covered. Though often mistaken for a senior-specific program, official documents refer to “insured persons” without any age restriction — even younger individuals with severe disabilities may apply.
Cost
You only need to visit the local yibao office once to subm…
Benefit
There is no deductible threshold for approved long-term care services;
08Evidence B
For families with someone bedridden at home, pressure ulcers are a top concern: use an electric alternating-pressure air mattress, turn the patient regularly, and check bony areas daily
Pressure ulcers are far more than just superficial skin injuries. Among 19,520 patients undergoing hip‑fracture surgery, those already having pressure ulcers at admission had a roughly 20% higher chance of dying within 30 days. Three evidence‑based actions help: using an electric air mattress cuts new ulcer formation by about 60% compared with ordinary hospital mattresses; consistently turning the patient reduces risk by roughly 70% versus standard care; and keeping the person from lying prone for long periods also helps. Check the sacrum, heels, hips, and shoulders each day; if any area shows persistent redness that doesn’t fade when pressed, contact a nurse or doctor right away. A total of 1,226 patients showed similar trends, and 116 patients demonstrated a clear increase in ulcer risk under prone positioning.
Cost
Electric alternating-pressure air mattresses for home use…
Benefit
Data come from 19,520 hip‑fracture patients in the U.S. NSQIP registry (2016‑2019). Those with pre‑existing pr…