As China faces an aging society, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) suggests the government should establish a specialized agency to improve social services for the elderly who live alone, Guangzhou Daily reported on Friday.

Special coverage: 2011 NPC & CPPCC Related readings:  Dialogue with the public stressed  Top political adviser delivers work report  Economist spotlights inflation, growth  Calls for improving rural education, health care

China will have more than 40 million rural elderly living alone during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015) due to their children working elsewhere, testing the country's social services and insurance system, said officials with China National Committee on Ageing.

With the current situation and the acceleration of the rapid increase in our aging population, "the government should work out a long-term plan to well take care of the seniors and provide better services for them, especially the empty-nesters, such as to set up special medical stations and to better the nursing homes' supporting facilities," said Zhang Yubiao, an NPC deputy.