Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
Hello, welcome to Roundtable,
where we serve up piping hot debates on the issues that sizzle in China and beyond.
As China enters the face of depopulation aging,
the question of how to care for and expanding elderly population has become more urgent and more complex.
Traditional family support is weakening while institutional care alone cannot meet growing demand.
In response, communities across the country are experimenting with new methods of Mutual care,
or mutual aid, searching for solutions that are sustainable, humane, and rooted in everyday life.
Today,
Roundtable invites you to have a look at the latest trends in the world of elder care in China.
For this episode, I'm joined by Fei Fei and Steve Hathorley.
Now grab your virtual compass and follow us to the heart of the discussion.
Across continents, societies are grappling with the same question.
How do we care for a rapidly aging population when professional care is costly and human connection is increasingly fragmented?
From neighborhood programs in Europe to community pilots in China,
time banking has reemerged as a practical response.
Instead of replacing formal care systems,
it reframes care as something communities can help generate them But how much long-term elder care can it help to cover?
And can a system built on trust really scale up?