Changing Trends and the Effectiveness of Informal Care Among Rural Elderly Adults in China

Abstract

The economic and social transformation of rural areas, coupled with the decline of family-based elderly care and increasing health risks, necessitates in-depth research on the effectiveness of informal care for rural elderly adults. Utilizing 10-year, four-period follow-up data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2008 and 2018, this study empirically examines the changing trends and heterogeneity of informal care. In addition, this paper identifies factors impacting on the satisfaction of rural informal care services, providing a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of these services for different segments of the rural elderly adults. The results indicate that the changing trends of informal care for rural elderly adults follows a differential pattern, with over 60% relying on their children, and 7.79% to 13.27% on their spouses. Only a small fraction of elderly individuals relies on institutional care and market-oriented care, with percentages below 2% and 3%, respectively. While over 95% of rural elderly adults express satisfaction with their informal care services, less than 50% are fully satisfied, and the proportion of dissatisfied elderly adults is increasing annually. Key variables impacting on the effectiveness of informal care services include marital status, health status, living arrangement, care intensity, care expenditures, pension insurance, and daily community care support. Policy options such as financial support for informal care, enhancement of the old-age security system, and the establishment socialized formal care can help alleviate the burden of informal care for rural elderly adults.