Currently, our country has transitioned from mild aging to a moderate aging era, characterized by the following features: a large scale of aging and a rapid pace, with considerable differences between different regions and urban-rural areas. However, the level of economic development in our country is relatively lagging, and the social security system and public service policies are still incomplete. The public's understanding of population aging is also relatively superficial and one-sided, and there are even misconceptions.
The research team composed of faculty and students from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, titled "Who Will Care for an Aging China - A Survey on Supply-side of Elderly Care Services," conducted in-depth research on the issue of demand-supply matching related to aging in Shanghai under the long-term care insurance policy. The team employed various research methods, including but not limited to, field research, questionnaire collection, and in-depth interviews, aiming to provide insights for addressing the supply-demand contradiction in China's elderly care services industry. Currently, the project has won the first prize in the internal selection competition of the 18th "Challenge Cup" National College Student Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and has entered the finals in Shanghai.
Supply and demand imbalance, the tension of aging and caregiver shortage is frequently observed.
In the elderly care industry, the mismatch between the supply and demand for care services for disabled elderly individuals is becoming increasingly serious. The Ministry of Civil Affairs' "Implementation Opinions on Further Expanding the Supply of Elderly Care Services and Promoting Consumption of Elderly Care Services" points out: In recent years, China's elderly care service industry has developed rapidly, but there are still issues such as insufficient effective supply. Compared to the aging process, the overall development of elderly care services remains lagging behind. Against this backdrop, the rigid demand for elderly care services in urban and rural areas has surged, but the supply is limited. The scale of elderly care service recipients is relatively small, and the quality of services is not high, resulting in an inability to meet this rigid demand, which has given rise to the phenomenon of "care worker shortages." According to the international standard of one caregiver for every three disabled elderly individuals, China currently has 44 million disabled and semi-disabled elderly individuals, with a demand for more than 10 million elderly caregivers. However, according to data released by relevant departments, there are only over 300,000 certified elderly caregivers in China, and as the aging process deepens, the demand will gradually increase. According to a report from the National Aging Committee, 80% of families seeking long-term care services have unmet needs. The growing gap between the supply and demand for elderly care services has become a pressing issue that needs to be addressed for the well-being of the public.
Diverse Perspectives Aimed at Improving the Construction of China’s Elderly Care Service System
At the national level: This study uses the supply and demand issues of elderly care workers as an entry point to analyze and summarize the demand for elderly care workers across different regions in our country and its temporal and spatial evolution, which helps provide personalized solutions and optimize the aging environment. At the social level: This study, through research on the supply side of elderly care services, can deeply understand the current supply level of the elderly care system, propose suggestions for the multiple improvements of the elderly care supply chain, and promote the continuous optimization of the elderly care supply structure to meet the diverse and multi-tiered service needs of the elderly.
Data accuracy aims to understand the internal causes of contradictions from multiple deeper angles.
From the perspective of nursing staff in Shanghai, analyze the current situation of nursing staff as a group, study the key factors affecting their willingness to flow in their work, and based on this, explore methods to improve job satisfaction among nursing staff, reduce their turnover tendency, and promote the healthy development of the elderly care industry.
In the research on the matching of supply and demand for elderly care in our country, the in-depth interview study conducted by the research group on "Who Will Care for Aging China – A Supply-side Investigation of Elderly Care Services" has provided feasible suggestions and strategies for multiple enterprises and institutions, and has also gained recognition from the government. "We hope to raise public awareness of this issue by studying the misalignment in the elderly care service industry, to safeguard everyone's tomorrow. This is an undeniable responsibility for us new-era youth, and we hope we can do better," the project leader summarized.
供稿：杜玉玺 熊踞峰
供图：杜玉玺
