The city's first "intelligent" rest home for seniors--using computer technology to improve care for the aged--has started construction in Changning District, and is expected to receive seniors next year, the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau said yesterday.

The Changning District No. 3 Rest Home, which will hold about 1,000 seniors, will be the biggest rest home for seniors in Shanghai, officials with the bureau said.

The rest home will be set up with monitoring systems covering public areas of the rest home, such as the canteen and library, to ensure seniors' safety and to trace their health condition.

It will also be equipped with a network for families to stay abreast of their loved ones' latest health condition. And seniors will be able to communicate with families through an audio-visual system.

Caretakers' working records will be kept in an online management system, said the bureau.

Near Xiehe Road and Xianxia Road W., the rest home will cover about 14,910 square meters, providing single rooms, double rooms and multi-shares. It will also provide entertainment and medical care for the seniors, officials said.

"With the development of an aging society, the rate of Alzheimer's disease in the city has risen," said Qiu Gang, director of the bureau. "Thus half of the beds in the rest home will be for Alzheimer's disease patients and seniors who will stay in bed all the time."

Officials said the rest home will target needy and mid-income seniors, rather than the high-income group, thus the charge will not be high.

(Shanghai Daily January 6, 2010)