Life expectancy rises

Liu believes it is necessary to give the healthy "young old" (those in the 65 to 74 age group) more work opportunities and social support to cultivate a positive mindset and embrace the arrival of an aging society.

"In view of China's huge population, the official retirement age was set at 60. But average life expectancy in the nation has reached 78.2 years, and in many developed countries a retirement age of 65 is preferred," Liu said.

"In active aging, those in the 'young old' age group receive pensions and see themselves as contributing to society. As a result, their social psychology is healthy and they have a sense of happiness, which is the modern health concept of contributing both to society and their neighbors."

In March, a research report by the McKinsey Health Institute showed that average global life expectancy rose from 30 to 73 years from 1800 to 2017. But the proportion of those in poor health has not diminished over time. On average, 50 percent of people are in less-than-good health, including 12 percent in poor health.

The report said that if people improve their environment, change their lifestyle and take good care of their health, they can achieve about six years of healthy aging.

Liu agrees with the notion, and said nursing, medical treatment, and social and environmental support are areas in which healthy aging can be attained.

Improving the health of its aging population is part of China's long-term plan to promote care for seniors.

"It doesn't make much sense to the elderly if we only focus on the diseases they've got.

"The goal is to maintain and perform the function of the elderly, improve their quality of life, and make their families happy. We're improving seniors' healthy life expectancy, which means giving them more time to live on their own," she said.