Elevators make life easier for elderly

Elevators installed in old residential buildings make life easier for elderly. He Qi and Cao Chen report from Shanghai.

Li Baozhen lives in downtown Shanghai's Hongkou district. For decades the 93-year-old had felt trapped and isolated from the rest of the world due to there being no elevator in the building to service her sixth-floor apartment.

That all changed in February this year when an elevator was installed in the residential building, built nearly half a century ago, allowing Li to avoid the slew of stairs that were previously the only means of access.

Climbing up and down the stairs had become an arduous task for Li in the past decade, only managing one trip downstairs a day with the use of a cane for support.