From June 21st to 22nd, the first "Elderly Medical Companion Teacher Training Course" of 2025, hosted by the Chinese Society of Geriatrics, was successfully held in Beijing. This innovative training project marks a crucial step forward in the construction of a professional and standardized talent cultivation system for elderly medical companions in China. Inject important impetus into the cross-disciplinary team talent pool for building a continuous and standardized service system integrating medical care and elderly care. More than 90 trainees were awarded the first batch of national certificates of completion for medical escort instructors.

Professional guidance: Focusing on the development needs of active aging

Professor Fan Li, the president of the Chinese Society of Geriatrics, pointed out that in the face of accelerating aging and the increasingly complex medical needs of the elderly, professional medical accompaniment services are the core link to enhance service accessibility and ensure the quality of medical treatment. She emphasized that this training is an important practice to implement the national "14th Five-Year Plan for Healthy Aging", and it is of milestone significance for promoting the standardized and normalized implementation of continuous integrated elderly health services.

Standard Foundation: Innovatively creating a "dual-track" training model

The training course takes the group standards "Service Specifications for Elderly Medical Accompaniment" and "Practical Guide for Medical Accompaniment Services" compiled by experts organized by the society as the core tutorial guidance, and has established a dual-track teaching system of "theory + practice". More than 20 authoritative experts from various fields gave in-depth lectures on core contents such as chronic disease management, medication safety, emergency response and humanistic care. The course innovatively sets up a "senior Citizen Experience Service" section, allowing participants to personally experience the medical treatment difficulties faced by the elderly. By integrating immersive teaching methods such as scenario simulation and on-site visits, and conducting dual skills tests of theory and practical operation, the professional service capabilities and practical operation levels of the trainees are comprehensively strengthened.

Multi-disciplinary collaboration: Gathering professional forces from various fields

This training attracted over 90 medical experts from 10 provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Shanxi, Hebei and Henan (with over 90% being medical staff and 81% coming from various levels of medical institutions), and brought together multiple forces from vocational colleges, elderly care and rehabilitation institutions, and pharmaceutical enterprises, achieving a deep integration of cross-industry professional resources. Professor Hu Yixin, the project leader, stated that this is an innovative practice of the society in exploring the cultivation of interdisciplinary team talents for the elderly. In the future, they will take the construction of teaching staff as the starting point, deepen cooperation with local institutions, accelerate the popularization and implementation of service standards across the country, and assist in building an elderly health service network covering both urban and rural areas.

Continuous Empowerment: Safeguarding a Healthy Future for the Elderly

The successful conclusion of the first training session marks a new beginning. The Chinese Society of Geriatrics will continue to deepen cooperation with various units at all levels in the elderly health service system. By promoting a series of training sessions and academic exchanges, it will improve the standard system for accompanying medical services and drive the industry to develop in a standardized and professional manner in depth. By cultivating more high-quality medical accompaniment talents, we can effectively enhance the sense of gain and happiness of the elderly in seeking medical treatment, and contribute solid strength to promoting the construction of a Healthy China and achieving active aging.