China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently released the special plan on developing and revising a batch of elderly-oriented national standards to assist in implementing the national coping strategy for aging population.
The plan includes 39 national standards basically covering the common life scenarios of the seniors, which fully considers the elderly-oriented requirements and services on facilities, articles and appliances.
In terms of household environment and products for the elderly, the development of general standards on elderly-oriented design of household products is put in the first place, and the elderly-oriented technical requirements in the standards on consumer products for the elderly will be strengthened.
In terms of transportation, the basic and general standards on public information guidance system and graphic symbols, and the standards on elderly-oriented allocation of facilities and equipment in the areas of urban rail transit, bus and electric vehicle, and civil aviation will be developed to continuously improve the transportation services for the seniors.
In terms of elderly care, the standards on friendly environment setting and evaluation will be developed for providing the community-oriented, home-based and institution-based senior care, especially taking into account the special requirements of seniors with cognitive disorder, to ensure their safety, comfort and dignity.
In terms of travel and leisure activities, the elderly-oriented requirements for hotels, scenic spots, and centers for leisure and health purposes will be systematically raised, and the requirements for the quality of travel agencies’ tourism products for the seniors will be provided to further regulate the order of the senior tourist market and safeguard the legal rights and interests of the seniors.
In terms of culture, sports and fitness, the standards on the quality of books with large fonts will be developed to meet the reading demands of people with low eyesight. The elderly-oriented requirements for venues and equipment for fitness and sports as well as sports and health monitoring equipment will be developed to help the seniors to hold fitness and rehabilitation activities in a more reasonable, efficient and safer manner.
Source: China Standardization Magazine, 3rd issue, 2023.
