Young woman volunteers at nursing home to pay cheaper rent
A 22-year-old woman in Suzhou, China, has found an unorthodox way to save rent — by living in a nursing home.
The woman named Zhang Jin has been living in the home for two years and pays RMB200 to RMB300 (S$37 to S$55) monthly.
However, the cheap rent comes with a small catch.
Ms Zhang has to work at the elderly home for 45 hours each quarter, or an average of four hours per week, which she does every weekend.
Source: Litchi News
Young woman found work at elderly home ‘interesting’
According to Litchi News, Ms Zhang moved from Jiangxi to Suzhou for work in 2023.
She previously rented an apartment, which her parents helped her pay.
However, Ms Zhang would eventually find an alternative arrangement that would benefit her financially, and emotionally.
She stumbled upon the nursing home’s post seeking volunteers who could provide companionship, entertainment, and education to the elderly in exchange for a monthly rent of only RMB200 to RMB300.
Wanting to save money and escape loneliness, Ms Zhang signed up and found herself falling in love with the job.
Currently, the young woman works for a state-owned enterprise in Suzhou High-tech Zone and volunteers at the nursing home every weekend.
Source: Litchi News
She reportedly lives in a 20 square-metre room by herself, which would normally cost RMB2,000 (S$370) in Suzhou.
When asked why she chose to live in a nursing home, she replied, “One reason is the rent reduction policy, and another reason is that I found it novel and interesting.”
Young woman feels taken cared of by elderly
Ms Zhang added that working at the nursing home enriched her spare time and gave her the warmth of family, as she didn’t know many people when she first arrived in the city.
Source: Litchi News
The elderly had also given her the emotional support she had previously lacked.
For instance, one of the residents, an 89-year-old man, had once brought her soup at 6am when she was sick.
“I used to think they were nagging, but now I realise that their nagging is a form of care,” said Ms Zhang, who added that she has learnt to be patient with the residents as well.
Nursing home to recruit new volunteers
The general manager of the nursing home, Shen Rong, shared more about the requirements of the volunteer programme.
These include being under 35 years old, not owning a house in Suzhou, and having certain skills or hobbies.
He revealed that, out of 40 to 50 applicants, only five were selected.
Volunteers were initially required to render 60 hours of service quarterly, but this was reduced, in consideration of the volunteers’ heavy workload.
The nursing home hopes that the arrangement will allow the elderly to interact more with youngsters and also alleviate the pressure of paying rent on the younger generation.
The manager assures that the volunteers undergo a strict selection process, and the scale of volunteers have not been expanded to avoid disturbing the elderly.
However, Ms Zhang is the only volunteer remaining as others have moved away due to marriage or busier work schedules.
As such, the nursing home will soon be recruiting new members.
Also read: 18-year-old girl in China sleeps & eats in company toilet to save money, pays S$9 monthly rent
18-year-old girl in China sleeps & eats in company toilet to save money, pays S$9 monthly rent
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Featured image adapted from Litchi News.
