Elderly people prefer in-home care: report

Elderly people in China prefer in-home care services, with a greater need for household cleaning, meal services and social interaction, a survey on elderly care in 2022 revealed, Beijing Daily reported on Wednesday.

In contrast, demand for institutional care services is focused on the integration of medical treatment and support with increased need for special care products and auxiliary aid, the report, released by the China Consumers Association on April 19, also asserted.

Of those surveyed, 53.81 percent said they preferred to live with their children and family members, and 41.20 percent, provided they are physically capable, are willing to live at home with their spouse or alone.

Household cleaning, meal services and social interaction are the top requested services for elderly in-home care, accounting for 24.6, 23.4 and 23.4 percent, respectively.

Additionally, elderly people aged 80 and above require rehabilitation and day-care services.

However, the percentage of elderly people who actually purchase these services is low, with only 27.84 percent of respondents doing so.

Even fewer went further than this, with 22.48 percent ordering medical services such as chronic disease treatment and rehabilitation nursing and 20.59 percent paying for food service.

As for institutional care, the report said services have expanded from basic living care to medical, entertainment and cultural education services.

Elderly people surveyed said they require more medical and leisure services after their basic needs are met. Specifically, 51.48 percent of respondents demanded higher levels of medical care services, followed by 35.02 percent for entertainment and 31.65 percent wanting daily living services.

The service value of elderly care institutions is also receiving more attention. Over 40 percent of consumers believe fees charged by those institutions are of average fairness, with 62.03 percent of services getting a satisfactory rating from survey participants.

However, concerns over quality persist. 33.72 percent of respondents believe elderly care institutions have poor conditions, 32.37 percent think they are unreliable and 29.24 percent think they are too expensive.

The CCA recommends more emphasis be placed on home-based and institutional elderly care services, with increased policy subsidies and support.

It suggests building brick-and-mortar stores for elderly products and promoting the integration of elderly care services with other industries by leveraging technology to create a more elderly-friendly consumer environment.