Seniors watch TV programs at an elderly care center in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

The National Health Commission and the China National Committee on Ageing recently designated 999 communities across the nation as national model age-friendly communities.

Of the 999 listed communities, four are in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, namely Hongfeng community in Wuxing district, Xingshan community in Deqing county, Taiyuanxincun community in Changxing county and Sanyanjing community in Anji county.

China plans to create 5,000 age-friendly communities around the country from 2021 to 2025, according to the National Health Commission.

Creating age-friendly communities is not a new thing as the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a Global Age-Friendly Cities Project, which began in 2006 and was estimated to cover 158 million people in 533 cities in 37 countries.

According to the WHO, in an age-friendly community, policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to support and enable older people to "age actively" – that is, to live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society.