BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has rolled out a nationwide subsidy program to support elderly people with disabilities who purchase care services in 2026, as authorities seek to ease family financial burdens to foster a senior-friendly society.

Some elderly people learn to play the Hulusi, a traditional Chinese wind instrument, at an elderly care service center in Qiongshan District of Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua)

The program, starting on Jan. 1, was launched by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.

It provides seniors who have difficulty taking care of themselves with monthly electronic vouchers over a 12-month period, partly offsetting costs for home-based, community-based and institutional elderly care services.

The vouchers, which worth up to 800 yuan (about 114 U.S. dollars) per person per month, can be used to cover a wide range of services such as meal assistance, bathing assistance, housekeeping assistance, mobility support, emergency aid, medical assistance, rehabilitation nursing, and daytime care.

The policy initiative comes amid increasingly serious elderly care challenges in China. Data shows that by the end of 2024, the number of elderly people having difficulty taking care of themselves had hit 35 million, accounting for 11 percent of the total elderly population. By 2035, that demographic is projected to reach 46 million.

During the program's pilot period last year, eligible seniors in four Chinese cities and three provincial-level regions -- including Shandong, one of China's most populous provinces -- received a total of 365,100 elderly care service vouchers. These vouchers were used over 240,000 times, with the total value redeemed exceeding 180 million yuan, benefiting tens of thousands of households.