Taikang Community Sets a New Benchmark in High-Quality Elderly Care Following China's First Silver Economy Policy

Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Enhancing the Well-being of the Elderly” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”), marking China’s first policy document titled with the term “silver economy.” The document focuses on four key areas and introduces 26 specific measures. In accordance with the overall requirements set forth in the “Opinions,” China will strive to cultivate high-end, sophisticated products and high-quality service models, enabling older adults to share in the fruits of development and enjoy a happy and fulfilling later life, thereby continuously realizing the people’s aspiration for a better life.

As one of the largest high-quality senior care and medical-nursing combined chain institutions in China, Taikang Community has taken a leading position in the industry through years of exploration and development. Whether it is its successful innovative business model, its large-scale nationwide chain layout, or its specific service practices such as active aging, integration of medical and elderly care, smart elderly care, and palliative care, Taikang Community has not only become a “gold-standard” brand for high-quality medical and elderly care services in China but also actively promoted the high-quality development of the silver economy.

“The Opinions” explicitly propose to further expand the supply of elderly care products, improve service quality, accelerate the scaled, standardized, clustered, and branded development of the silver economy, prioritize the cultivation of leading enterprises in the silver economy sector, and support their chain-based and group-oriented development.

 Taikang Community National Layout Map

Renowned as a nationwide chain brand for high-quality medical and elderly care services characterized by large scale, comprehensive functionality, and international standards, Taikang Community has implemented a “cluster-style” layout across 34 cities with 39 projects in key regions including the Yangtze River Delta, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and Southwest China. Among these, 20 communities in 19 cities are currently operational, with the number of resident seniors rapidly surpassing 11,000, earning consistent preference and choice from elders across the country.

Furthermore, in accordance with the requirements set forth in the “Opinions,” vigorous efforts are being made to implement the High-Standard Navigation Initiative, launching standardization pilots in fields such as elderly care services. In 2023, Taikang Community gradually commenced operations at seven senior living communities across China. Despite sustained pressure on service delivery, Taikang Community achieved steady increases in both overall satisfaction rates and Net Promoter Scores (NPS) across all business formats, earning strong recognition from the market and customers. How has Taikang Community delivered high-quality services across its 20 operating communities?

In fact, in terms of building a standardized service system, Taikang Community established a partnership with the China National Institute of Standardization as early as 2018. In accordance with policy requirements such as the Guidelines for the Construction of Elderly Care Service Standard Systems, it actively explored the establishment of an enterprise-level service standard system aligned with national standards. Today, through a series of initiatives spanning standard development, implementation, and reinforcement, Taikang Community has integrated and formed a comprehensive framework of 237 enterprise service and management standards, categorized into three major classes (general foundational standards, service assurance standards, and service delivery standards) and 37 subcategories. It was successfully selected as one of the “National-Level Service Standardization Pilot Projects in 2022,” thereby providing a replicable model for the construction of standardized systems for chain-operated elderly care service enterprises in China.

Service quality has always been the core competitive advantage enabling Taikang Community to maintain long-term stability. After more than nine years of exploration and practice, Taikang Community continuously optimized and innovated its service quality work system, culminating in the major 2023 launch of “Service Quality 2.0.” This initiative successfully established the “1124” framework for its service quality management system: one governance structure—establishing the Taikang Community Service Quality Management Committee; one service culture—covering all business sectors including medical care, elderly care, rehabilitation, and hospice care; two core teams—the butler team and the nursing team; and four support systems—the standardization system, empowerment system, evaluation system, and honors system. Through effective governance and continuous improvement of service quality, Taikang Community aims to build its “gold-standard” brand reputation.

 Taikang Community’s High-Quality Services Are Highly Recognized by Residents

Nowadays, the high-standard service system established by Taikang Community across China has not only received unanimous recognition from resident seniors but also gained official endorsement from relevant national authorities. Recently, Hubei Province and Liaoning Province separately announced their “List of Rated Elderly Care Institutions for 2023,” with Wuhan Taikang Community·Chuyuan and Shenyang Taikang Community·Shenyuan both rated at the highest level—Level 5. Previously, Taikang Community·Yanyuan had already been awarded the title of “Five-Star Elderly Care Institution” in Beijing, while Taikang Community·Yueyuan was twice honored as a “Five-Star Elderly Care Institution” in Guangdong Province. Other operational communities are also actively applying for local star-rated assessments, demonstrating that Taikang Community’s “five-star” high-quality services have become deeply rooted in public perception.

It is worth noting that the "Opinions" also set forth specific requirements for the development of the smart elderly care industry: “Promote the integrated application of next-generation information technologies in scenarios such as institutional elderly care, and encourage the use of virtual reality and other technologies to facilitate the display and experiential demonstration of products and services for the elderly.” In fact, in actively exploring smart medical and elderly care practices, Taikang Community has been committed to leveraging data-driven approaches, supported by informatization, digitalization, and intelligence, to focus on building a trinity smart medical and elderly care service system comprising the “Taile Smart Elderly Care Cloud Platform,” “Digital Humans + Community Brain,” and “Smart Devices + Robots.”

 Xiaotai Smart Speaker

“Xiao Tai, Xiao Tai, what’s the weather like today?” “Xiao Tai, Xiao Tai, what’s for lunch at the cafeteria today?” “Xiao Tai, Xiao Tai, connect me to an online family doctor…” These are snippets of daily conversations between Aunt Feng, a resident of Phase III of Taikang Community·Yanyuan, and the “Xiao Tai Smart Speaker,” reflecting how Taikang residents are embracing smart elderly care. Now, Aunt Feng starts each day with a greeting: “Good morning, Xiao Tai.” She says the introduction of the Xiao Tai speaker has “changed my perspective and enriched my life.”In September 2023, Taikang Community launched its newly upgraded “Smart Community” product system, highlighting two core offerings: “Smart Concierge” and “Smart Operations.” Zhang Huifeng, Assistant President and Chief Operating Officer of Taikang Community, explained that “Smart Concierge” closely addresses the actual needs of senior residents in their elderly care journey. Centered around the Xiao Tai Smart Speaker, it provides comprehensive, integrated online and offline services available 24/7. These services cover eight core scenarios—safety, health, dining, housing, culture and entertainment, social interaction, exercise, and public welfare—and include more than 30 specific services. In case of physical discomfort or falls, seniors can trigger the community’s emergency response process with a single voice command, complementing the pull-cord alarm devices installed in their rooms. When health issues arise, they can instantly connect with online family doctors for video consultations. For daily living assistance, online concierges are always ready to help. To date, over 200 Xiao Tai devices have been distributed in Phase III of Yanyuan, achieving an average daily user activity rate of 81%, an average daily usage time of 70 minutes, a total of 18,000 voice interactions, and more than 200 voice interactions per day on average. Featured modules such as “Nutritious Meals,” “Vital Signs Entry,” and “Weekly Activities” have been particularly popular among elderly residents.

Guided by the development philosophy of “sustainable innovation,” Taikang Community’s smart medical and elderly care system has been continuously iterated and upgraded through exploration and practice. In the “Top 30 Patent Rankings for Smart Elderly Care Operating Enterprises in China” released by IPRdaily.cn, a global integrated intellectual property information service provider, Taikang has retained the top spot for two consecutive years, consistently leading the high-quality development of China’s smart medical and elderly care industry.

Health is the foundation of healthy aging. As we have entered an era of longevity, it has become the new normal for individuals to live with chronic diseases for extended periods. How can we ensure the health and well-being of the elderly in their later years? The "Opinions" clearly outline the direction for development: "Optimize health services for the elderly. Accelerate the construction of rehabilitation hospitals and hospice care institutions, encourage the expansion of integrated medical and elderly care services, and promote the establishment of age-friendly healthcare institutions."

As an innovator in the integration of medical care and elderly care, Taikang Community adopts the “One Community, One Hospital” model by establishing rehabilitation hospitals within its communities. This approach physically embodies the concept of integrated medical and elderly care, enabling residents to access high-quality healthcare services right at their doorstep. It effectively addresses the traditional dilemma where “nursing homes lack medical capabilities, while homes lack medical care,” which has been one of the key reasons why Taikang Community has long been favored by seniors across China.

As of now, Taikang Community has put 13 rehabilitation hospitals into operation across China, 12 of which have been designated as medical insurance-covered institutions. These hospitals generally focus on geriatrics, feature rehabilitation medicine, and emphasize health management, providing seniors with continuous, integrated medical and health services spanning “prevention, clinical diagnosis and treatment, and geriatric rehabilitation.” Moreover, each rehabilitation hospital is linked to the entire Taikang Great Health ecosystem. Medical expert resources deployed by Taikang nationwide, including five major medical centers and over 160 specialized dental clinics, serve as a strong support system for residents, offering comprehensive, multi-level medical security.

High-quality diagnostic and treatment services, a professional medical team, and an age-friendly healthcare environment... have made Taikang Community Rehabilitation Hospitals representative models for the development of elderly-friendly medical institutions across various regions. Currently, Beijing Taikang Yan Garden Rehabilitation Hospital, Shanghai Taikang Shen Garden Rehabilitation Hospital, Suzhou Taikang Wu Garden Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuhan Taikang Chu Garden Rehabilitation Hospital, Chengdu Taikang Shu Garden Hospital, and Nanchang Taikang Community Gan Garden Rehabilitation Hospital have all been accredited as “Elderly-Friendly Medical Institutions,” contributing Taikang’s strength to actively promote healthy aging among local seniors.

Furthermore, Taikang has been actively advancing the development of hospice care in recent years. As a crucial component of Taikang’s full-lifecycle service model integrating medical care, elderly care, rehabilitation, and end-of-life support, Taikang Hospice Care has innovatively established a unique model. Leveraging the ecosystem foundation of long-chain systematic care services distinctive to its elderly care and rehabilitation sectors, it has built specialized end-of-life care services that integrate palliative medicine, comfort care, and humanistic compassion. Within less than three years, Taikang’s hospice care projects have been launched and operated in nine cities across China, with a total of 87 operational beds put into service and nearly 1,000 patients served cumulatively, gradually exploring a path for the development of hospice care with Chinese characteristics.

Developing the silver economy is a crucial pillar of China’s modernization drive and a key measure to enhance public well-being and proactively address population aging. As a core enterprise in national livelihood projects, Taikang is committed to leveraging market-based approaches by integrating virtual insurance with tangible medical, elderly care, rehabilitation, and wellness services. Through this robust service ecosystem, Taikang strives to realize the noble ideal of serving the people wholeheartedly via market mechanisms, contributing the “Taikang Solution” to promote high-quality development of the silver economy in the era of longevity.