Emerging Services for Community-Based Long-Term Care in Urban China

TLDR

China’s rapid economic reforms and demographic shifts have eroded traditional family support, prompting growing attention to community‑based long‑term care models for elders. This study systematically analyzes the current status of emerging community‑based long‑term care systems in Shanghai. The analysis examines key system domains—service delivery, workforce, financing, and quality‑of‑care management. The paper identifies major development issues and outlines corresponding policy implications.

Abstract

Abstract China's rapid economic reforms, coupled with the changes in age composition of the demographic structure, have greatly affected the traditional family support system. In response to these changes, efforts to develop new models of community-based long-term care (CBLTC) for elders in China have received growing attention. This paper provides a systematic analysis of the current status of emerging CBLTC systems in Shanghai, China. It covers several domains of the system: service delivery, workforce, financing, and quality of care management. Several main issues involved in the development of the emerging system are addressed, and relevant policy implications are presented in the paper.