China is moving beyond traditional pension increases to implement a diversified model for dealing with its aging rural population, as demographic shifts leave villages with a growing density of senior residents.

With rural areas aging faster than urban centers due to the continued migration of younger workers, experts said diversified approaches should be encouraged, including strengthening home-based care, building centralized elderly care facilities, applying smart technologies and developing elderly care services as a new driver of the rural economy.

Raising basic pensions for farmers and developing rural elderly care services have attracted recent public attention and have been highlighted in major national policy documents, including the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and this year's Government Work Report.

Du Zhixiong, Party secretary of the Rural Development Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the demographic trend makes rural elderly care increasingly challenging.

He said older residents are often scattered across villages rather than concentrated in large communities, making it more difficult than in cities to provide services such as healthcare, daily assistance and emergency support. The issue will become more prominent in the years ahead.

China has already signaled stronger policy support to address the challenge. The 15th Five-Year Plan for national economic and social development calls for improving the mechanism used to determine and adjust pension benefits and gradually raising the basic pension for urban and rural residents.

This year's Government Work Report also pledged to strengthen social security and services, including raising the minimum monthly basic pension for urban and rural residents by 20 yuan ($2.9) and actively developing rural elderly care services.

During this year's two sessions, which concluded last month, topics around raising rural pensions trended online, with many lawmakers and political advisers calling for enhanced payment capacity for farmers and new approaches to address the problem.

Lu Qingguo, a deputy to the National People's Congress from Hebei province, proposed a phased increase in rural basic pensions — to around 300 yuan per month by 2026,500 yuan by 2030 and 800 yuan by 2035 — as a way to narrow the gap between urban and rural residents and strengthen social security for older farmers.

According to this year's No 1 central document, China's annual blueprint for rural development, the country will improve services for elderly people in rural areas. It proposed a system based primarily on home care while encouraging areas with suitable conditions to expand services such as meal assistance, day care and rehabilitation.

It also stresses strengthening care and visits for vulnerable groups, including elderly people living alone, rural left-behind children and people with disabilities.

"Technology could also play a greater role in supporting seniors who prefer to age at home," Du said. Wearable devices and monitoring platforms could track seniors' health conditions and allow emergency services to respond quickly if needed.

On-demand services such as home visits for haircuts or other daily needs could be arranged through digital platforms to make life easier for elderly residents, he added.

Guo Wenxia, a deputy to the National People's Congress from Shaanxi province, suggested promoting age-friendly home renovations in rural areas, including installing anti-slip flooring, handrails and emergency call devices. She also called for strengthening community-level support systems to encourage families to fulfill elderly care responsibilities and provide legal assistance for seniors when necessary.

Jin Li, a national lawmaker and vice-president of Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, emphasized the need to support family caregivers. He suggested integrating home caregiving into the expanding domestic services sector and establishing training programs for family caregivers.

"Professional caregivers are expected to temporarily take over from family members so they can take a break from the pressures of long-term caregiving," Jin said.

He also suggested turning community elderly care stations into hubs that provide frequently needed services such as meals, medical assistance and bathing support, while encouraging local governments to purchase services from professional organizations.

Younger seniors are also encouraged to help care for older residents and earn credits that can later be exchanged for services themselves, which could help mobilize local resources and build more sustainable support systems for the aging population in rural China, he added.