Embracing Challenges for Population Aging in China: Building Scientific Evidence to Inform Long-Term Care Policymaking and Practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT In China, rapid aging of the population is driving up demand for healthcare and long-term care services for older adults. This special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy features a collection of studies that provided timely analyses and fresh insights into a wide range of policy relevant topics concerning long-term care for older adults in China. In this introductory article, we orient readers to these studies organized under four themes: migration, caregiving, and elder care challenges; long-term care service users, frontline workers, and workforce challenges; unmet needs across the care span in healthcare, long-term care, and end of life care; and long-term care financing. We highlight major findings and contributions of each study and provide perspectives on key issues within China’s evolving healthcare and social policy contexts. Collectively, these studies contribute to building scientific evidence where it is lacking and supporting evidence-based long-term care policymaking and practice to meet the mounting challenges of population aging in China.