The Study on Innovative Development of the Elderly Care Industry under the Community-based Elderly Care Model Based on the SERVQUAL Model

Abstract

Background: China's rapidly aging population has highlighted the importance of community-based elderly care, particularly in urban areas like Shanghai, as traditional family-based care declines due to urbanization, smaller families, and shifting dynamics. Community care models provide scalable solutions to address the healthcare and social needs of elderly individuals while fostering innovation in service delivery. Objective: This study investigates how the quality of community-based elderly care services influences elderly satisfaction and drives innovation within the elderly care industry. Using the SERVQUAL model, it explores the impact of service dimensions—reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles—on satisfaction and their role in promoting new care models and technologies. Methods: The study surveyed 622 residents in Shanghai and analyzed the data with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). It assessed the relationships between the five service quality dimensions, satisfaction, and innovation in elderly care, offering insights into how these factors interact. Results: Reliability (β = 0.42), responsiveness (β = 0.35), assurance (β = 0.28), and empathy (β = 0.33) significantly enhance elderly satisfaction, which mediates their impact on innovation. Tangibles (β = 0.09) had minimal influence, suggesting emotional and relational factors are more important than physical care environments. Satisfaction was a key driver of innovation, encouraging the adoption of personalized and technology-driven care models. Conclusion: High-quality services that improve elderly satisfaction are essential for boosting industry innovative. Smart technology, telemedicine, and remote health monitoring are critical for addressing the challenges of China’s aging population, closing service gaps, and creating responsive and efficient care systems. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Open.