Demand For Elderly Care Services Research Articles

Research on How the Digital Economy Contributes to Achieving A High-Level and Balanced Development of the Elderly Care Service Industry

Abstract China’s aging population has gained significant attention. Population aging implies that the demand for elderly care services will be on the rise. However, China’s aging exhibits a notable characteristic of getting old prior to achieving affluence, which directly constrains the enhancement of the level of elderly care services. The Communist Party of China and the government attach considerable importance to the issue of population aging and pensions. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee adopted the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization, emphasizing that “we should actively respond to population aging and improve the development of elderly care and elderly care industry policy mechanisms.” Regarding the supply of pension services, due to the professional and long-term nature of pension services, the supply cost remains high. The contradiction between the low level of demand and the high cost of supply might lead to the “low-level equilibrium trap” of the elderly service industry. The digital economy has achieved remarkable effects in promoting the elderly care service industry. It has played a vital role in optimizing the allocation of elderly care resources, reducing the cost of elderly care services, and creating a superior elderly care ecosystem. In this context, it holds considerable academic value and practical significance to study the impact of the digital economy on the development of pension service industry, to analyze the digital divide and bridge the path for the development of the pension service industry, and to explore the countermeasures and ideas of the digital economy to facilitate the high-level, balanced, and high-quality development of the pension service industry.

Research on the supply and demand of elderly care service resources in China.

This study aims to assess the current status and spatial distribution differences of elderly care service resources supply and demand in China. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were utilized to gather participants' insights into the current demands for elderly care services, the status of resource allocation, and related indicators. The entropy weight method was employed to determine indicator weights, yielding objective demand and allocation indices for elderly care service resources. Kernel density estimation was used to illustrate the distribution characteristics of the demand and allocation indices. The coupling coordination degree model was applied to measure the coupling coordination level of China's elderly care service resource supply and demand system in 2020. The demand index ranks highest in Beijing (0.3291), Shanghai (0.2941), and Tianjin (0.2563), while the lowest are found in Tibet (0.1673), Guangxi (0.1727), and Guizhou (0.1737). Kernel density estimation shows that the demand index is concentrated in the range of 0.1800 to 0.2000. The top three regions for allocation index are Shanghai (184.0007), Qinghai (129.8177), and Beijing (109.5941), with the lowest in Liaoning (34.8558), Hainan (35.3168), and Yunnan (36.6366). Kernel density estimation indicates that the allocation index is concentrated in the range of 25-75. Calculations of coupling coordination degree show that Shanghai has high coordination quality (0.9368), Beijing has good coordination (0.8392), while Hainan and Yunnan experience severe imbalances (0.1990, 0.1831). There is a significant lack of coordination between the demand for elderly care services and the allocation of resources in Hainan and Yunnan provinces in China. Most provinces, with the exception of Beijing and Shanghai, exhibit some degree of misalignment. The Chinese government should address the varying needs of the elderly population in different regions, pay timely attention to regional disparities, enhance regional cooperation, and dynamically allocate elderly care resources in a rational manner.

Survey on the Demand for Elderly Care Services of Community Residents in Beijing and Analysis of Influencing Factors

Objective: To investigate the current situation of the demand for geriatric care services of community residents in Beijing and analyse the factors affecting it, so as to provide a reference basis for meeting the demand for diversified and professional geriatric care services. Methods: A random sampling method was used, employing a self-made questionnaire to randomly survey 1558 elderly individuals at community health service centers in eight urban districts where elderly care centers are planned to be built, analyzing the influencing factors of different characteristics of the elderly care service needs from three aspects using a dichotomous logistic regression model: predisposing, enabling, and need factors.Results: 69.7% of the elderly had the need for home care services, 22.8% wanted to get care services at elderly care centres, 15.9% wanted to get care services at nursing homes, 12.3% had the need for community care services, and 7.4% didn't know where to get care services; 68.5% had the need for care services for the elderly with disabilities/semi-disabilities, 58.0% for care services for the elderly with dementia, 58.0% for care services for the elderly with common diseases, and 58.0% for care services for the elderly with dementia. 58.0 per cent, 54.7 per cent for care for the elderly with common or frequent illnesses, 34.9 per cent for rehabilitation training, 33.0 per cent for plumbing care, and 7.5 per cent for hospice/hospice care. At the same time, there were urban-rural differences in the demand for elderly care services, with suburban elderly having a higher demand for care services than urban ones (P < 0.05). Elderly people's demand for care services was mainly related to age, place of residence, and gender in the causative factors, mode of residence and physical condition in the able factors, and mode of care services and care needs in the need factors(P <0.05). Conclusion: The demand for elderly care services is differentiated by the factors of residence, age and gender; accurately matching the demand for elderly care services, innovating the mode of elderly care services and improving the quality are important strategies to improve the elderly health service system.

Study on the measurement of coupling and coordinated development level between China’s internet and elderly care services and its influencing factors

BackgroundWith the intensification of China’s aging population, the demand for elderly care services has become increasingly prominent. At the same time, rapid development of internet technology provides more convenience and possibilities for the elderly. However, the coordinated development between the internet and elderly care services still faces challenges. This study aims to measure the level of coupling and coordinated development between the internet and elderly care services in China, and analyze the influencing factors, in order to provide reference for promoting elderly care services.MethodsIn this paper, the entropy method and coupling coordination degree model were used to measure the coupling coordination development index of the internet and elderly care services in China from 2012 to 2021. In addition, considering that the coordinated development between the two is affected by many factors, the Tobit model was used to analyze the main factors affecting the integration of the internet and elderly care services.Results(1) The coupling and coordination of the Internet and senior care services is in its infancy, but the coupling and coordination of the two is on the rise, and there is still a lot of room for development in the future. (2) In terms of time scale, the coupling coordination development level between the internet and elderly care services in China has gone through three stages of “disorder recession-transition coordination-coordinated development”. (3) In terms of influencing factors, government management ability has a more positive impact on the development of the integration of the Internet and senior care services, financial support, scientific and technological investment and the level of innovation play a mild pulling role, while the level of informatization to a certain extent restricts the level of integration of the Internet and senior care services.ConclusionIn order to promote the coordinated development of China’s Internet and senior care services, it is necessary to comprehensively understand the current situation and development space of China’s Internet and senior care services coupling coordination degree, accurately grasp the dynamic trend of China’s Internet and senior care services coupling and coordinated development, promote the stage of leapfrogging, and fully consider the influencing factors, so as to realize the optimal allocation of policies and resources. These measures will help to promote a more coordinated and sustainable development of the internet and elderly care services in China.

Impact of Japan’s Aging Population on Healthcare Costs and the Long-Term Care Insurance System

Japan’s demographic landscape is rapidly changing, leading to an unprecedented increase in the aging population. This demographic shift presents significant challenges for the healthcare system, particularly in escalating healthcare costs and the sustainability of the Long-term Care Insurance (LTCI) system. This paper examines the impact of these demographic changes on healthcare costs and evaluates the current LTCI system’s ability to meet the increasing demand for elderly care services. Through a thorough review of existing literature, demographic data analysis, and policy evaluation, this study proposes strategic recommendations to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of Japan’s healthcare system in the face of an aging society.

Spatio-temporal Analysis of Demand for Elderly Care Services and Its Key Influencing Factors in Chinese Cities: A Web Search Engine Approach.

The demand for elderly care services (DECS) in Chinese Cities is one of the most concerned issues. The aim of this study was to understand the spatial and temporal evolution and external factors of DECS in Chinese cities and support the formulation of elderly care policies. We collected Baidu Index data for 287 prefecture-level and above cities and 31 provinces in China from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2020. The Thiel Index was employed to describe the differences of DECS at different regional levels, and multiple linear regression was used to explore the external factors affecting DECS by calculating the variance inflation factor (VIF) to identify multicollinearity. The DECS of Chinese cities increased from 0.48 million in 2012 to 0.96 million in 2020, and the Thiel Index decreased from 0.5237 in 2012 to 0.2211 in 2020. Per capital GDP, number of primary beds, proportion of population aged 65 and over, number of primary care visits, and proportion of illiterate population over the age of 15 have significant influences on DECS (P < .05). DECS was on the rise in Chinese cities, with significant regional differences. At the provincial level, regional differences were influenced by level of economic development, primary care provision, aging population, educational attainment, and health status. It is suggested to pay more attention to DECS in small and medium-sized cities or regions, to strengthen primary care, and to improve the health literacy and health status of the elderly population.

Research on the Promotion of College Community Elderly Care Service Based on Community Economy

With the increasing aging population, the demand for elderly care services in the community has become increasingly prominent. However, the traditional elderly care services cannot meet the diversified needs of the elderly in the community, especially in the context of the limited resources in the community. To address this issue, this study aims to explore the potential of community elderly care services in university communities and provide practical suggestions for improving the quality of elderly care services. By collecting and analysing data in different ways, this study analysed the advantages and limitations of community elderly care services in university communities. The results show that community economy-based methods can effectively improve the quality of elderly care services, improve the satisfaction of the elderly and their families, and promote the development of community economy. The standard also provides some practical suggestions related to the realization of community elderly care services in university communities.

Knowledge Structure and Evolution of Elderly Care Services: A Visualized Analysis

The irreversible global aging trend brings a rapid growth in demand for elderly care services, which also promotes the rapid development of relevant research, but there lacks a holistic review on it. This paper aims to conduct an analysis to reveal research hotspots and future directions with a visual display. The "Web of Science Core Collection" database is searched, and CiteSpace software is used to sort out the characteristics of related research and draw a scientific map of keywords clustering. Elderly care services research has obtained continuous attention for a long time and rapidly developed since 2017. Based on the keywords clustering, focuses of the research can be divided into five categories, namely care goals, basic pension models, innovation and provision of elderly services, as well as the demands of special elderly groups. It can be seen from keywords with strong burst that research frontiers contain care goal, endowment service institutions, frailty of the elderly, work of supply entities, and service for the aged in China. This paper proposes three directions for future research, including a multidimensional dynamic measurement of elders' demands, the interaction between elders' behavioral characteristics and services for them, and an integrated pension model combine actual contexts and novel technologies.

A web-based care assistant for caregivers of the elderly: Development and pilot study.

The aging population in Korea has driven a surge in demand for elderly care services, leading to significant growth in elderly welfare facilities, particularly Adult Daycare Centers (ADCs). However, despite advancements in care facilities, caregivers continue to face challenges in providing suitable elderly care due to difficulties arising from gaps in the latest information on the elderly and their coping abilities. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the elderly care assistant system, which facilitates the sharing of information and knowledge necessary for elderly care among caregivers. The ECA system was designed to support knowledge sharing through a knowledge management system based on an ontological knowledge model, with a web-based user interface for improved accessibility. A field trial was conducted at ADC in Seoul from August 17 to September 21, with eight caregivers participating. A mixed-methods approach, involving both surveys and interviews, was employed to gauge the ECA system's effectiveness. The study found that the use of the ECA was beneficial in promoting knowledge sharing among caregivers. Additionally, caregivers noted the potential benefits of using the ECA in conjunction with family caregivers, who can offer additional information and perspectives on elderly care. This study presents preliminary evidence of the potential benefits of a care knowledge sharing system among various caregivers in elderly care. Although the elderly care assistant effectively promotes knowledge sharing, more research is needed to fully understand its impact on elderly care outcomes.

Spatial-temporal analysis of urban-rural differences in the development of elderly care institutions in China.

Aging is both a sign of rising life expectancy per capita and social progress, and a challenge for society. Due to the decline in physiological functions, the rate of illness has increased significantly, leading to a rise in demand for healthcare, life care and other elderly care. With the overlapping impact of an aging population, advanced aging, empty nesting families and the weakening of traditional elderly care functions, the issue of elderly care for the empty nesters, the elderly alone and the disabled has become more prominent and has become a focal point of concern for all sectors of society. As an important supplement to the elderly care service system, institutional care, together with home care, community care and rural care, are mutually complementary. The study establishes a panel database of urban and rural elderly-care institutions in 276 cities from 2010 to 2016, and uses comprehensive measurements to reveal the spatial-temporal changes of urban and rural elderly care institutions in China. First, in terms of spatial pattern, the overall score of elderly care institutions in urban areas shows a "double-high" spatial pattern of higher scores in coastal areas than inland areas, and higher scores in urban areas than in rural areas. In terms of the differences in the scores of secondary indicators, the eastern urban areas have higher scores than the rural areas for the indicators of facilities construction and nursing staff of elderly institutions, while the eastern rural areas have higher scores than their urban counterparts for the indicators of service recipients of elderly institutions. Second, in terms of temporal change, there is a clear "urban progress and rural regression" in the evolution of China's elderly care institutions. Third, in terms of spatial and temporal evolution, there is a clear spatial autocorrelation in the composite scores of urban and rural elderly care institutions in China, and the spatial autocorrelation of the composite scores of elderly care institutions shows a clustering pattern. The contradiction between the limited ability to pay of the elderly people staying in elderly care institutions and the huge demand for elderly care services is bound to affect the sustainability of the development of public elderly care institutions in both urban and rural areas. Due to historical factors, the marketisation of elderly care institutions in China started late and the marketisation of elderly care is not high. As the population ages, China's elderly-care institutions have begun to transform from public institutions of a welfare nature to those with some market mechanisms, but the overall transformation has been slow, resulting in the service guarantee system of elderly-care institutions lagging far behind the actual needs of the elderly. The long-term development of elderly care institutions must introduce market mechanisms, enhance the endogenous dynamics of elderly care institutions, correctly handle the relationship between fairness and efficiency of elderly care services, and improve the professionalism, income and treatment of elderly care staff while compensating for the lack of development of elderly care institutions and the inadequate layout of space, so as to continuously improve the service quality of elderly care institutions.

Application Research on a "5G+AI" Smart Elderly Care Service Platform System

Facing the growing demand for elderly care services in China, this paper designs a "5G+AI" smart elderly care service platform integrating 5G, AI, IoT, intelligent sensors and other technologies to open up channels for various elderly care providers, promote smart collaboration among service interfaces, service data and service resources, and further realize all-round elderly care support for the elderly at the individual, family and social levels, It provides a new solution to the increasingly serious elderly care problem.

Optimization of Bed Demand for Elderly Care Services Based on Leslie Matrix

With the deepening of the aging process and the weakening of the family’s ability to care for the aged, urban residents will have an increasing demand for elderly care service institutions in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the prediction of the demand for elderly service beds. In the paper, an optimization method of Leslie matrix is proposed to predict the future trend of the total population and aging by comprehensively considering factors such as birth rate and mortality rate, and analyze and predict the demand scale of elderly service beds according to the distribution of urban and rural areas and economic divisions. Based on the AHP model, the business opportunities for elderly service beds will be transformed into a quantitative evaluation model to analyzing the return rate of pension service investment in different regions. The simulation experiment shows that increasing the total number of elderly care institutions and improving them can effectively solve the insufficient number of elderly service beds.

Construction of a Physical and Medical Care Integrated Model for the Elderly in the Community Based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

With the increasingly serious population aging, economic system transformation, and social transformation, the elderly have an increasingly strong demand for the elderly care service industry, but the development of China's elderly care service industry started late, and there are still many problems. For how to build a better elderly care service model, under the current situation of shortage of elderly care resources, community elderly care may become a solution. By analyzing the status quo, existing problems and development trends of home-based care services in Hangzhou's community, and learning from foreign experience, it explores the establishment of a “integrated physical, medical, and nursing care” community health management model for the elderly and provides a perfect solution for the development of Hangzhou's community elderly care services countermeasures and suggestions for mode operation. Based on the evaluation, problem analysis, and empirical research on the current situation of home care services in Hangzhou communities, this paper draws on relatively mature community care practices, proposes to build a community elderly health management model that combines medical care and care, and improves and innovates the overall design and medical care of the elderly service model measures for the health management of the elderly in the integrated community. The experimental results of this study show that, according to the demand for elderly care services, elderly people in need of care account for 86.6%, 79.5%, and 68.4% of the elderly population, especially in the areas of medical care, life care, and housekeeping services.

The Expected Demand for Elderly Care Services and Anticipated Living Arrangements Among the Oldest Old in China Based on the Andersen Model.

Objective: The first aim of this study was to explore expected demands of the oldest old and their determinants for different types of elderly care services. The second aim was to investigate preferred choices of living arrangements among the oldest old and the influencing factors.Methods: Data of 4,738 participants aged ≥80 years were extracted from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey carried out in 2014. Using the Andersen model as the analysis framework, a multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between the expected elderly care services and living arrangements and other influencing factors. The odds ratios were calculated to indicate the relationship between the influencing factors and the dependent variables.Results: From the descriptive analysis results, we found that the oldest old showed high anticipated needs for home visits (83.5%) and health education (76.4%). Further, there existed a huge imbalance between the supply and demand of care services for the aged. Living with children is still the most important way of providing for the oldest old. The regression results showed that the expected demands for elderly care services and anticipated living arrangements among the oldest old in China are influenced by age, residence, housing property rights, economic status, loneliness, and activities of daily living (ADLs). The oldest old who are older without housing property rights, childless, and have restricted ADLs were more frequently observed to live in long-term care institutions.Conclusions: There is an inequality of the supply and expected demand for elderly care services, and living with children is still a preferred choice of the Chinese oldest old. Our findings indicate that when planning how to promote elderly care services among the oldest old, it is important to consider their expectations, especially for the subgroup that is relatively disadvantaged. Related policies should be developed to offer incentives to family caregivers when they live with the oldest old.

Innovative design of community care services based on the concept of environmental sustainability

China’s rural elderly population continues to grow, and rural elderly care faces more severe challenges than cities. The rapid growth of rural demand for elderly care services means that more resources are needed, and the process of depletion of a large amount of resources inevitably has an adverse impact on the environment. The green development and sustainable design concepts proposed in the design field can reduce the waste of resources and reduce the greatest impact of humans on the environment, and promote the harmonious development of man and nature. Therefore, this article applies environmental sustainability concepts and service design concepts to rural community elderly care services , to innovate the existing community pension service system. Based on the analysis of the behavior and demand characteristics of the elderly in rural areas, this paper proposes an innovative design case of sustainable elderly care community service combining community resources with the full potential of the elderly, which provides reference and inspiration for the construction of an elderly care community service system in rural areas.

Using AI to Implement O2O Home Health Care Program

With the continuous growth of China’s elderly population, the demand for elderly care services has increased dramatically. Due to the influence of Chinese people’s cultural concept of elderly care, most of the elderly are more inclined to home-based care, enjoy the happiness of children and grandchildren, and enjoy family happiness. At present, there are some problems in home-based health care services, such as lack of professional talents and single service mode. This entrepreneurial project which is proposed by Wish Magic has grasped the pain points of China’s elderly care problems, and brought about some problems. Efforts should be made to build a sharing platform for elderly care services, attract professionals to provide professional services for the elderly, and hold diversified activities to meet the material and spiritual needs of the elderly. The planned market strategy of the project is divided into three steps. Firstly, the project will be carried out in the first and second tier cities, and then expanded to the third tier cities. Later, the market will be expanded to the fourth tier cities. At the same time, the project will cooperate with government departments to strive for government funding and policy support, and provide accurate services in combination with online and offline ways, so as to meet the diversified pension needs of the elderly.

Assessing the Distribution of Elderly Requiring Care: A Case Study on the Residents in Barcelona and the Impact of COVID-19.

In this work, we establish a methodological framework to analyze the care demand for elderly citizens in any area with a large proportion of elderly population, and to find connections to the cumulative incidence of COVID-19. Thanks to this analysis, it is possible to detect deficiencies in the public elderly care system, identify the most disadvantaged areas in this sense, and reveal convenient information to improve the system. The methods used in each step of the framework belong to data analytics: choropleth maps, clustering analysis, principal component analysis, or linear regression. We applied this methodology to Barcelona to analyze the distribution of the demand for elderly care services. Thus, we obtained a deeper understanding of how the demand for elderly care is dispersed throughout the city. Considering the characteristics that were likely to impact the demand for homecare in the neighborhoods, we clearly identified five groups of neighborhoods with different profiles and needs. Additionally, we found that the number of cases in each neighborhood was more correlated to the number of elderly people in the neighborhood than it was to the number of beds in assisted living or day care facilities in the neighborhood, despite the negative impact of COVID-19 cases on the reputation of this kind of center.

A quality function deployment–based resource allocation approach for elderly care service: Perspective of government procurement of public service

In response to the rapidly growing demand for elderly care service in China, rational allocation of limited resources and improvement of public satisfaction have become one of the urgent problems to be solved in government procurement of elderly care services. With the aid of quality function deployment, a programming model is established to allocate resource with maximizing customer satisfaction. Taking home care service as an example, on the basis of identifying the elderly’s requirements, designing attributes, optimal allocation of limited resource is conducted based on the proposed approach. Results show that staff in the home care service center should pay more attention to improve their service attitude and service quality. Meanwhile, more resources should also be allocated to improve the specialization of the franchise center, and to increase the provision of professional medical personnel and purchase of common medicines for emergencies as well as facilities for rehabilitation. This study expands the field of elderly care service by introducing a more efficient resource-allocation approach, thus helping governments in decision-making.

An IoMT-based geriatric care management system for achieving smart health in nursing homes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an Internet of medical things (IoMT)-based geriatric care management system (I-GCMS), integrating IoMT and case-based reasoning (CBR) in order to deal with the global concerns of the increasing demand for elderly care service in nursing homes.Design/methodology/approachThe I-GCMS is developed under the IoMT environment to collect real-time biometric data for total health monitoring. When the health of an elderly deteriorates, the CBR is used to revise and generate the customized care plan, and hence support and improve the geriatric care management (GCM) service in nursing homes.FindingsA case study is conducted in a nursing home in Taiwan to evaluate the performance of the I-GCMS. Under the IoMT environment, the time saving in executing total health monitoring helps improve the daily operation effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, the proposed system helps leverage a proactive approach in modifying the content of a care plan in response to the change of health status of elderly.Originality/valueConsidering the needs for demanding and accurate healthcare services, this is the first time that IoMT and CBR technologies have been integrated in the field of GCM. This paper illustrates how to seamlessly connect various sensors to capture real-time biometric data to the I-GCMS platform for responsively supporting decision making in the care plan modification processes. With the aid of I-GCMS, the efficiency in executing the daily routine processes and the quality of healthcare services can be improved.

Elderly care service in an aging society

PurposeAn increase in life expectancy brings about an aging society, necessitating increasing demand for elderly care services. The purpose of this paper is to present an examination of: how an aging society affects the demand for elderly care services and the labor market for elderly care services; how the labor share and wage inequality between the final goods sector and elderly care sector are determined; and whether the subsidy for elderly care service increases demand for elderly care services or not.Design/methodology/approachThis paper sets the dynamics general equilibrium model with two sectors model: one for final goods sector and the other for elderly care services. This paper derives how the labor supply for elderly care services is determined in the theoretical model. In addition to analytical research works, this paper examines how the subsidy for elderly care service affects the labor share allocated for elderly care sector and wage inequality between the final goods sector and the elderly care sector with the numerical examples.FindingsRelated reports of the literature describe that an aging society raises the share of labor dedicated to elderly care services. However, considering a closed economy in which saving affects the capital stock, an aging society does not always raise the share of labor used for elderly care services because the wage rate of the final goods sector increases with an aging society. This effect prevents the increase of the labor supplied to elderly care services. On the other hand, the subsidy for the elderly care service raises the labor share of elderly care sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe related literatures derive that an aging society raises the labor share allocated for elderly care sector. However, the paper shows that the subsidy for elderly care plays an important role in the increase in the labor share of elderly care sector.Practical implicationsThis paper examines how the aging society affects the labor share of elderly care sector, wage inequality between final goods sector and elderly care sector and others with numerical examples. Thanks to the numerical examples, this paper derives the quantitative result and shows how the subsidy for elderly care service should be provided.Originality/valueThe author thinks that this paper has rich implications and originality. There exists no literature that examines how the labor share of elderly care sector and the relative wage rate of elderly care sector are determined by the aging and the subsidy for elderly care service. The author thinks that it is a very important analysis because many economically developed countries face the aging society problem.