By Gu Li
"Thank you for your concern for us. We truly feel the care for the elderly and the weak." Recently, Hongkou District Veterans Bureau received a thank-you letter from two people in North Sichuan Road Sub-district. The letter expressed the gratitude for the livability dream of the district for the reconstruction project of kitchens and bathrooms for the elderly. Since the pilot project was launched in 2018, promoted in 2019 and popularized in 2020, the project has realized the livability dream for 44 elderly families in the district.
The service station strengthens multi-party cooperation to solve problems
90-year-old Zhou Zhengsheng is a family member of a martyr in North Sichuan Road Sub-district. The house he lived in was built in the 1930s, with a total area of over 70 square meters. The last decoration was conducted more than 20 years ago. Zhou Zhengsheng's daughter has been taking care of him at home with his wife because of his physical inconvenience.
In the reconstruction project of kitchen and bathroom suitable for the elderly, Zhang Wei, director of the armed department of North Sichuan Road Sub-district and head of the veterans service station, immediately connected with the third-party decoration company on knowing that Mr. Zhou was crippled. After on-site evaluation, they worked out a plan to dismantle the bathtub and transform it into a shower room. Later, Zhang Wei suggested that the construction team install a folding seat under the shower head in the bathroom.
Then, it comes to a trouble. Where will Zhou’s family live during the 2-month reconstruction project? Considering Mr. Zhou's age, his physical inconvenience and his unwillingness to leave the familiar living environment, Zhous' family still lived in the original residence during the reconstruction period. "Please wait a few more days, and the reconstruction will be finished soon. If you have any questions, please contact us at any time", Zhang Wei and Feng Zhiye, chief of the Party general branch of the Nankejian Neighborhood Committee, often came to the construction site and try to solve the problems in the construction. At the beginning of the construction, buildings and elevators were also repaired in the residential quarter where Mr. Zhou lived. He lived on the sixth floor, and the decoration materials could sent to his home. After the negotiation among Zhang Wei, Shen Yuanhua, a cadre of double support and veteran benefit of the Nankejian Neighborhood Committee, and the property management company, the construction team was able to enter the site for construction, so as to guarantee the progress in Mr. Zhou's home decoration.
Zhang Wei told that before and after the start of the project this year, the project team had held several special meetings to understand the progress. Meanwhile, a special WeChat group was established to report the progresses in the project every day and actively coordinate and solve the problems arising from the reconstruction process. In addition, the service station gave full play to the role of volunteers, and arranged one volunteer for each household for resolving disputes.
One-to-one design of personalized decoration scheme
The originally mottled wall is pasted with brand-new ceramic tiles. A sink is installed in the place where the stove was. The oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, which had to be placed on the ground, are put a cupboards. The pink cabinets fill the kitchen with a warm feeling. Yu A'ming, an old soldier once fighting in the Korean War and living in Ouyang Road Sub-district, is joyful these days. It turns out that his long-standing wish has come true. The kitchen and bathroom have always been the most disturbing place in my family. Out of my expectation, the government is so considerate and gives me a free reconstruction.
88-year-old Yu A'ming lives in a 65-square-meter old house with his wife and his eldest son. It has been 30 years since the last decoration. The kitchen and bathroom equipment is aging, and the water pipes are often leaked and clogged. "My wife and I are old, and we are not able to repair them." Yu A'ming right ankle was injured in the war. Now he is old and has chronic heart disease. Based on this, a folding chair is specially installed in the shower room for him in the reconstruction process, and the armrest for the elderly has also been installed in the bathroom.
It is learned that in 2018, the District Double Support Office, together with the Hongkou Sub-foundation of the Shanghai Foundation for Offering Preferential Treatment to Families of Soldiers and Martyrs, established the "Livability Dream" project to improve their housing conditions. Through detailed investigation and research and on the premise of minimizing the impact of life and solving the most urgent needs, decoration schemes are determined after soliciting the opinions of all parties, so as to improve their housing conditions. In 2018, the pilot project was carried out in Liangcheng Xincun Sub-district, which was praised by the people. This year coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. Five families of the soldiers living in difficult conditions were included in the project. Affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the project has been completed successively, and entered the acceptance stage since it started in September. An official of the District Veterans Bureau said that the "Livability Dream" project would be publicized, so that more people could enjoy the benefit.