The Willingness of the Elderly to Choose Nursing Care: Evidence From in China

Abstract

With the accelerating aging of the population and the worsening psychological conditions of older people, the traditional mode of family support for the elderly in China does not always meet the physical and psychological needs of the elderly, and more social support modes for the elderly are needed. Based on 3,513 valid questionnaires on the long-term care and protection needs of Chinese residents, this paper uses a logit regression model to analyze the factors influencing the willingness of the elderly to choose nursing care. The results show that intergenerational family support for the elderly is a significant psychological driver on the willingness of the elderly to choose nursing care. Compared with the elderly living with family, empty nesters or older people living alone are more inclined to select nursing care when they have difficulties taking care of themselves. The physical health of the elderly affects their willingness to choose nursing care, and elderly individuals with more hospitalizations are less likely to select nursing care. In addition, elderly females who are relatively young, have a high level of education, have a high income, have a nursing home near the residence, and are already covered by medical insurance are more willing to choose nursing care. The results of this study are of great importance for improving the medical services and aging care services for the elderly and providing theoretical support for alleviating the psychological and social pressure brought by population aging.

Caring for Frail Older People Living Alone in Italy: Future Housing Solutions and Responsibilities of Family and Public Services, a Qualitative Study

“…Additionally, seniors who are currently supported by their family, and those who already have a PCA, prefer ageing at home, indicating the presence of family and private help as positive assets that may permit ageing in place rather than moving to a nursing home [ 27 ]. The latter housing solution is conversely preferred when seniors live alone without the support of a PCA, and this presents evidence of how ageing in place can lead to isolation and loneliness [ 124 ], whereas in a nursing home seniors may at least interact with other older people and feel less alone [ 125 ]. Moreover, the functional limitations of respondents in our study do not greatly affect the choice of moving to a nursing home, whereas previous findings support a positive link between low ability in providing activities of daily living and access to residential care [ 53 ], probably indicating the gap between the preference of frail seniors and actual housing solutions, often decided by the family.…”

Impact of long‐term care insurance on the health status of middle‐aged and older adults

“…Addressing the shortage of older adult care is a family and social issue. In China, about 18.3% of older adults aged 60 years or older were disabled or semi‐disabled in 2016, with a worsening trend (Wang et al., 2022). In addition, changes in the family structure have further affected the care received from family members, and the demand for long‐term care is increasing.…”

Promoting the Integration of Elderly Healthcare and Elderly Nursing: Evidence from the Chinese Government

“…In the context of the world’s population aging, the issues of elderly nursing and elderly healthcare have become a major research topic, where the existing studies have also discussed these issues from different perspectives, such as exploring the spatial accessibility of the elderly to healthcare services [ 45 ], establishing an integrated care link system in the healthcare industry for the elderly [ 46 ], investigating the demands for mobile internet-based home nursing services for the elderly [ 47 ], and analyzing the willingness of the elderly to choose nursing care [ 48 ]. Comparing with the existing studies, in this paper we proposed an exploratory approach to promote achieving healthy aging.…”