Community Eldercare Ecology in China

Informed by the social-ecological framework, this book focuses on the development of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) in urban China. Bringing a timely discussion around HCBS development in Shanghai, it presents an interplay of formal caregiving relationships, evolving caregiving culture, and the trajectory of long-term care in China. Drawing on surveys, in-depth interviews, and government archives, this book explores the emergence of one of the most developed HCBS programs in Shanghai, its development over the past decade, its administration and services, resource allocation, staff members’ work experiences, older adults’ service experiences, as well as service evaluation and improvements. Offering fresh insight into new forms of caregiving in community settings, and shaping a new discourse on caregiving policy, this book is a key read for both students and practitioners in the fields of long-term care, gerontology, geriatrics, health care, and health policy.

Lin Chen is an Associate Professor of Social Work in Fudan University, China. Her research interests include aging, long-term care, community care, and qualitative research methods. She published Evolving Eldercare in Contemporary China: Two Generations, One Decision (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) and coauthored Higher Education and Career Prospects in China (Springer, 2020).

Minzhi Ye is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Case Western Reserve University, USA. She also works as a part-time research analyst at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Her research interests include long-term care, elderly abuse and neglect, LGBT elders, and cancer. Recently, she published a chapter in Family, Work and Wellbeing in Asia (Springer, 2016).