These results provide support for the mediating and moderating roles of leisure in the stress-health relationship among institutionalized elders. To enhance residents' psychological health, residential care homes are recommended to organize more leisure activities.

Burgeoning evidence has shown that neighborhood environments are related to depressive symptoms in the older population. Older adults living in residential care homes may be more vulnerable to environmental characteristics. The current study sought to understand how institutionalized older adults relate to environmental factors and residential satisfaction in terms of depressive symptoms. Data were collected from a cross-sectional national survey of 1,429 Chinese elders living in residential care homes. The findings reveal that 46.1% of the older Chinese residents living in residential care homes suffered from mild to severe depression. In addition, the current study finds that both environmental factors (e.g., geographic position, air quality, and transportation) and residential satisfaction are negatively associated with depressive symptoms. The findings support that residential satisfaction partially mediate the relationship between exterior environmental characteristics and depressive symptoms.

China had become a country with an aging population by the end of the 20th century. Dealing with the aging of its population is a long-term strategic task for China. "The National Survey on Elderly People in Urban and Rural China" has been carried out four times since the year 2000. The data shows that during the years 2000 to 2015 the wellbeing of elderly people in urban and rural China improved greatly. The economic status of the elderly has obviously improved; and there have also been steady improvements to social security protections, health care services and the availability of social activities in which the elderly can participate. In addition, the spiritual and cultural life of the elderly has become richer and more colorful. The aging of society creates challenges, such as potential shortages of labor resources, the weakening of family functions and the need for more medical care facilities and services, and these intensify over time. At the same time, changes to the structure of demand and of industry caused by societal aging bring many opportunities.

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