Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Dec;31(12):2764-73.
doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0535.

China's rapidly aging population creates policy challenges in shaping a viable long-term care system

Zhanlian Feng  1 , Chang Liu, Xinping Guan, Vincent Mor
Affiliations
Review

China's rapidly aging population creates policy challenges in shaping a viable long-term care system

Zhanlian Feng et al. Health Aff (Millwood). 2012 Dec.

Abstract

In China, formal long-term care services for the large aging population have increased to meet escalating demands as demographic shifts and socioeconomic changes have eroded traditional elder care. We analyze China's evolving long-term care landscape and trace major government policies and private-sector initiatives shaping it. Although home and community-based services remain spotty, institutional care is booming with little regulatory oversight. Chinese policy makers face mounting challenges overseeing the rapidly growing residential care sector, given the tension arising from policy inducements to further institutional growth, a weak regulatory framework, and the lack of enforcement capacity. We recommend addressing the following pressing policy issues: building a balanced system of services and avoiding an "institutional bias" that promotes rapid growth of elder care institutions over home or community-based care; strengthening regulatory oversight and quality assurance with information systems; and prioritizing education and training initiatives to grow a professionalized long-term care workforce.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

EXHIBIT 1
EXHIBIT 1
Age Structure Of China’s Population, 1950 SOURCE United Nations. World population prospects: the 2010 revision (Note 8 in text).
EXHIBIT 2
EXHIBIT 2
Age Structure Of China’s Population, 2010 SOURCE United Nations. World population prospects: the 2010 revision (Note 8 in text).
EXHIBIT 3
EXHIBIT 3
Age Structure Of China’s Population, 2050 (Projected) SOURCE United Nations. World population prospects: the 2010 revision (Note 8 in text).
EXHIBIT 4
EXHIBIT 4
Elder Care Homes’ Residents And Sources Of Daily Operating Revenue, Nanjing (2009) And Tianjin (2010), China SOURCE Authors’ analysis of data from elder care homes in Nanjing and Tianjin. NOTE Numbers are means across facilities in each column.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kinsella K, He W. An aging world: 2008. Washington (DC): Census Bureau; 2009.
    1. Hesketh T, Lu L, Xing ZW. The effect of China’s one-child family policy after 25 years. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(11):1171–1176. - PubMed
    1. Flaherty JH, Liu ML, Ding L, Dong B, Ding Q, Li X, et al. China: the aging giant. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007;55(8):1295–1300. - PubMed
    1. Feng Z, Zhan HJ, Feng X, Liu C, Sun M, Mor V. An industry in the making: the emergence of institutional elder care in urban China. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011;59(4):738–744. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wu B, Mao Z, Xu Q. Institutional care for elders in rural China. J Aging Soc Policy. 2008;20(2):218–239. - PubMed

Publication types