SAMR (SAC) recently released a batch of elderly-oriented national standards to drive the implementation of the national strategy for actively addressing population ageing.

GB/T 44691-2024, Requirements for indoor exercise and health facilities for older adults, puts forward the risk assessment, safety, usability, reliability, comfort, materials, equipment, structure and other requirements for indoor exercise and health facilities for seniors, and specifies additional requirements, indications and instructions as well as test methods.

The standard provides important technical support for meeting the elderly-oriented needs in the sports and fitness fields, and facilitating the industrial development for seniors in a health and orderly way.

GB/T 44704-2024, Accessible bath machines, defines the structure, technical requirements, inspection rules, packaging, indications, transportation and storage of accessible bath machines, and describes relevant test methods. It stipulates in detail the assembly quality, control panel, emergency stop-gear, voice broadcast, moving pusher and other technical requirements, especially the lifting range, lifting times, caster load performance and static load strength of the moving pusher.

The standard provides a technical basis for the manufacturing and testing of accessible bath machines, and help people with functional disabilities to bath safely and easily. It improves the self-care ability and life quality of the elderly and disabled people, and reduces difficulties in the bathing process for themselves and nursing staff.

GB/T 44311-2024, Guidelines for elderly-oriented environment assessment, proposes the principles, contents and procedures of elderly-oriented environment assessment, defines the specific indicators of assessment and scientifically guides assessment at homes, communities and nursing homes, and gives suggestions for assessment reports. The standard is of fundamental significance for various regions to expedite the senior-oriented transformation in multiple scenarios.

GB/T 44437-2024, Elderly oriented design furniture—General technical requirements, stipulates the size, appearance and materials of elderly-oriented furniture as well as its physical and chemical, mechanical, safety and other performance requirements, gives relevant test methods, and puts forward requirements for suitable furniture according to different capability levels of the elderly. The standard lays a solid foundation for further improving the elderly-oriented level of the furniture industry in China, and raising the comfort level of the elderly at home.

All of the three national standards on wheelchairs adopt ISO international standards, including GB/T 18029.6-2024, Wheelchairs—Part 6: Determination of maximum speed of electrically powered wheelchairs, GB/T 18029.30-2024, Wheelchairs—Part 30: Wheelchairs for changing occupant posture—Test methods and requirements, GB/T 30661.13-2024, Wheelchair seating—Part 13: Determination of the lateral stability property of a seat cushion. They help scientifically evaluate the performance indicators of wheelchair products, improve their quality and safety, take test results as reference for related parties, and improve the convenience of consumers.

In the next step, SAMR (SAC) will work with related departments to continuously improve the elderly-oriented standards system, focus on the urgent problems for seniors, and fully consider the elderly-oriented concept in the development of national standards. Meanwhile, they will actively establish a batch of national standardization pilot projects in the elderly-oriented transformation field, and promote the in-depth implementation of relevant standards in cities, streets, communities, medical and healthcare institutions and elderly care institutions, providing support for comprehensively building an elderly-friendly society, and improve the sense of gain, happiness and security of the elderly.