Present and Future Trends of Sustainable Eldercare Services in China

Abstract

Ageing population is one of the most fundamental socio-economic transformations of the twenty-first century, with significant policy implications. China, the world’s most populous nation, is no exception. The necessity for cost-effective, culture-appropriate and sustainable eldercare services is one of the Government’s priorities, in both present and future. This research uses a focus-group interviews methodology to explore sustainable models of eldercare services through an in-depth comparative analysis of care demands and service provision in two Chinese cities. The study reflects a prevailing trend of the integrated-care service mix in line with the United Nations’ five most relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 3, 5, 10, 11) for older adults. In addition to the 7Ps of the service marketing mix, this article highlights the particular importance of ‘Partnership’ in sustainable care delivery in China. The past-present-future scenario and the thematic analysis of older adults’ pattern-matching add two unique dimensions to population ageing and eldercare studies: ‘People’ and ‘Partnership’.