In just 16 days, a ground-breaking "lifesaving entrustment" was finalized yesterday afternoon as the "Special Trust + Guardianship Agreement" Tongzhou Case No. 10 was signed at Kunlun Trust. This marks the first successful implementation of the Tongzhou initiative's ultra-simplified "Three Documents and One Card" model, which includes a medical decision authorization form, a living will, a low-value trust contract, and a dedicated medical bank card. From the initial consultation to the official signing, the entire process was completed in a record-breaking 16 days, setting a new national benchmark for the fastest establishment of a special needs trust. Through its lightweight structure and low entry threshold, this model effectively addresses the critical issues of obtaining signatures for emergency medical procedures and making payments for elderly individuals without family support.

Currently, China has over 125 million single-person households, leaving a vast number of elderly individuals vulnerable when facing sudden illness. When an elderly person loses consciousness without any immediate family or legal representative present, hospitals are often hesitant to perform surgery without authorization, and pharmacies cannot dispense medication without payment, leading to missed golden windows for life-saving treatment. Zhang Huimin, a lawyer at Dacheng Law Offices, highlighted the core problem: "Guardianship agreements typically require a complex court procedure to become effective, which takes considerable time. However, the golden window for treating acute conditions like heart attacks or cerebral hemorrhages is only tens of minutes. This gap between the onset of illness and the activation of guardianship is the most fatal flaw in emergency care for solitary seniors, and a lightweight solution has long been absent."

This new streamlined plan effectively resolves the bottleneck in emergency medical care for the elderly. The medical decision authorization form, signed in advance while the senior is conscious, permits a designated third party to immediately sign medical consent forms on their behalf should they become incapacitated, thereby covering the assistance gap before guardianship officially takes effect. Furthermore, the living will clearly outlines the individual's treatment preferences for terminal or incurable conditions, providing clear guidance for agents and medical staff and helping avoid ethical dilemmas surrounding aggressive treatment or life-sustaining measures.

On the financial security front, a tiered and highly efficient payment system has been established. Geng He, a representative from Kunlun Trust, explained, "The project is based on a low-value trust model with a 100,000 RMB principal. Kunlun Trust acts as the trustee, responsible for fund custody and designated payments." A dedicated medical bank card is pre-loaded with several tens of thousands of RMB as a "medical deposit." The card is kept by the medical decision agent, while the attorney holds the PIN, creating a "dual-key" system that allows for immediate card payments during emergencies. Once the deposit is depleted, the trust account's medical support funds automatically take over payments, creating a "deposit for small expenses, trust for large costs" mechanism that balances the need for rapid emergency payments with long-term, stable financial management. "We have combined the immediacy of direct payments with the security and longevity of a trust structure, thoroughly resolving the dual challenges of getting signatures and making payments in emergencies, ensuring rapid assistance for the elderly in critical situations," Geng He added.

The project's completion in just 16 days represents a significant breakthrough compared to previous efforts that typically took three to five months. Lin Wei, a specially appointed expert for the Tongzhou District Government, attributes this rapid success to three key factors: a simple plan that seniors are willing to sign, a comprehensible contract that facilitates smooth discussions, and a well-established ecosystem that ensures speedy execution. "All three core documents are templated and come with a plain-language translation of the trust contract. For the senior, signing up is as straightforward as filling out a form," Lin Wei said. Tongzhou has also fostered a collaborative ecosystem of 62 professional institutions specializing in trusts and guardianship. Coordinated by the Tongzhou District Trust and Guardianship Consultation Service Center (in preparation), legal firms, trust companies, notary offices, and banks worked seamlessly to complete the entire process within 16 days. Li Qing, Vice President of the Phoenix Notary Research Institute, praised the model: "This streamlined approach is highly adaptable and practical, and can be rapidly replicated across different regions and scenarios. It provides a mature, practical blueprint for improving elderly welfare safeguards and building an inclusive pension finance system."

"Completing this streamlined process so quickly also signals that the socialized entrustment solution advocated by Tongzhou has crossed the two stages of pilot exploration and plan refinement, and has stepped into a new phase of standardization and small-scale replication," Lin Wei concluded.