An elderly woman talks with a member of a volunteers group from a primary school at a seniors home in Shanghai’s downtown Huangpu District yesterday. The volunteers group visits seniors at the facility each month. But more volunteers are needed to help with the elderly and to support the sick. — Xinhua

The city needs more volunteers to help with the elderly and support the sick, a report released yesterday said.

The study surveyed 1,005 volunteers and more than 2,000 residents.

It was carried out by the Institute of Sociology of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the Shanghai Volunteer Association.

At the end of last year, the city had more than 2.6 million registered volunteers, with 22,000 voluntary organizations and more than 110,000 volunteer service projects.

The report said only 5.8 percent of the elderly wanting volunteer help received it.

And only 6.4 percent received voluntary medical help. But there is a shortage of volunteers in emergency situations due to a shortage of people with the necessary skills.

Half the volunteers are real volunteers. Eighteen percent do so to meet requirements of employers, schools or community organizations.

The report said about 40 percent of those surveyed participated in activities including road guiding and community service.