Niu Siyu, a primary school student, performs an Indian dance for the elderly at a seniors' apartment in Xuchang, Henan province, on Oct 8, 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

A joint venture of French nursing home operator Colisee Group plans to open its first Chinese complex in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in January next year as a starting point for its ambition to tap the rapidly growing demand for elderly care services in the country.

The high-end medical nursing home by joint venture Guangzhou China Merchants－Colisee Senior Care Service Co Ltd combines independent living communities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and care options to provide a "continuum of care" for residents, said General Manager Olivier Dessajan.

In the 12,000-square-meter, 132-bed facility in Panyu district, a joint venture with China Merchants Shekou Holdings Co Ltd, 66 beds will be dedicated to those with Alzheimer's disease or other associated diseases.

"We are mostly focusing on the wealthy class," Dessajan said.

"Based on our expertise of senior care services in France, especially with taking care of elderly people with Alzheimer's or other cognitive dysfunctions, semi-dependent and dependent elderly people are mainly our service targets."

Each resident will have their own room and a customized daily program based on their experience, habits, tastes and health condition, with a nursing service always on hand.

Innovative health and care programs will be provided to help improve the residents' mental and physical condition, combining medical treatment, non-drug therapy, occupational therapy, the Montessori method and an adapted nutritional diet.

"As an Alzheimer's expert, we work step-by-step with the elderly and their family to understand and diagnose the disease in order to accompany the elderly in the best way until the final stage of life," he said.

"As there is no or not yet a pension institution in Guangzhou which can provide some particular services for Alzheimer's, when we talk about our project and expertise, lots of people have shown interest," Dessajan said.

Guangzhou has seen a drastic increase in the demand for senior care services with the proportion of elderly in its population continuing to grow, said Ye Fen, director of the social welfare division of the Guangzhou civil affairs bureau.

The number of seniors in its population currently stands at 1.48 million－or 17.3 percent of the total population of the city－including 238,000 above the age of 80 and 268,000 people in families with only seniors.

Ye said the senior population in Guangzhou was expected to surpass 1.85 million by 2020, creating growing demand in the elderly care service market.

About 59,000 beds are provided in Guangzhou currently, averaging 40 beds for every 1,000 elderly people.
Last month, a new nursing home complex was opened in Luogang district in Guangzhou, which offers 1,300 beds.

Guangdong Trading Holding Group Co announced in February it plans to invest in a 5,000-bed nursing home project in Conghua district.

"According to official studies, the Chinese market for goods and services for seniors is growing very fast, both for the high-end and low-end market. China will be without doubt the largest potential market for elderly care in the world," Dessajan said.

The senior care industry has developed quickly over the last five years, but remains woefully inadequate to cope with the projected increase in the elderly population in China, according to a recent report by Savills, an international real estate adviser.

Documents from China's State Council and Guangzhou city government highlight Sino-foreign cooperation in the sector.

The French consulate general in Guangzhou and the civil affairs bureau of Guangzhou signed a memorandum of understanding last month on elderly care cooperation. That was an outcome of the long-term blueprint for the development of Sino-French ties, published during a visit to France in 2014 by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Cooperation over elderly care has become a new priority in bilateral ties, said Pierre Martin, economic counselor with the consulate.

With 30 years' experience in senior care and management, Colisee Group runs 77 nursing homes and several rehabilitation centers in Europe.

Joint venture China Merchants－Colisee is designing a project in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and conducting a feasibility study for two projects in Beijing and Shanghai.