Limitations And Beyond:a Case Study On Elderly Care For Persons With Severe Disabilities In Urban Jinan

Since the beginning of the21st century, China has been experiencing a rapid development in ageing, and elderly care has been a current hot issue which has drawn attention from both the government and civil society. Although China’s government has put in great efforts to help with the elderly, certain categories of the population, including persons with severe disabilities, are still suffering from the problems they are facing, because of the fact that they are disadvantaged in the labor market, and they have to rely on their original families as the last resort which themselves are usually in the poverty trap. This paper is interested in how these people with severe disabilities in urban China are managing their livelihood, if the current welfare policy and social service are sufficient for a decent life of these people, and if not, what strategies should be introduced?The Long Interview as the methodology of the research is employed and the main findings are listed as follows:1, social aids are the main and only social program for the urban population with severe disabilities;2, the current social aids are not enough for the target population to lead a decent life with dignity;3, the current three ways of elderly care are not fitting for the target population;4, as a result, social insurance programs should be introduced to make sure that social needs of persons with severe disabilities in urban China will be met by a modified elderly care service model, regardless if they are staying at homes relying on their families, or receiving services from community-based elderly care programs, or in public service agencies covered by public resources.