Analysis of supply and demand of urban community-based elderly care facilities and services: the case of Shanghai, China

Community-based elderly care is a method of providing care to the elderly that has been actively developed in China. This approach involves utilising facilities within local communities as a key strategy to deliver care to older adults, emphasizing the role of community resources in supporting the elderly. These community-based facilities are essential for implementing social elderly care, ensuring that older individuals receive the necessary support and services within their communities. Elderly people should have equal opportunities to access basic public services from elderly care facilities and be respected for their free choice. The gaps between the supply and demand of community-based elderly care facilities and services seriously affect the sustainable development of the society. This study aimed to explore the reasons for the imbalanced supply and demand between community-based elderly care facilities and services and provide references for further planning strategies and policy development. Data on the needs, facilities and services supply of the elderly were collected through semi-structured interviews with 40 elderly people and two managers and 400-hour observations in two community-based elderly care facilities in Shanghai’s urban central areas, while Shanghai’s existing policy gaps were identified via relevant documentary reviews. This study proposes that Shanghai’s future policy and planning guidance formulation for community-based elderly care facilities should be based on clarifying the needs of the elderly, focusing on improving the overall supply, promoting the marketization of elderly care services in communities and developing skilled and ethical professional elderly care teams.