Research Upon Problems In Urban Community Home-based Care Model For The Aged And Their Countermeasures

How to care for the aged is not just a livelihood issue, but also an essential component of harmonious society building. With socioeconomic development, the aging of population is a definite trend worldwide. This trend in China is aggravated by its family planning policy. The premature aging of the population is posing a grave challenge to China’s economic development. This urgently calls for the establishment of a sound welfare system for its senior citizens, a care service scheme in particular.Learning from western community care theory, China is on the way of promoting home-based aged care service in its urban communities. Community is the perfect bonding point of family and society. Providing the elderly with a familiar environment and care service, the home-based care model is the future of China’s welfare system for the aged. Nationwide, this system varies in scale and level due to the differences in socioeconomic development between West and East China. This paper focuses on how to establish a sound home-based care model for the elderly in China’s middle and small-sized cities.This essay is divided into four parts. Part one dwells on the background and significance of this research, conducts a literature review of related research both at home and abroad, and points out the rationale, contents and innovations of this research. Part two defines the concept of urban community home-based care model for the aged and other related concepts. Part three surveys how the home-based care model functions in Xintian Community of Tianxin District in Changsha, analyzes its problems and the underlying causes. Part four, based on the discoveries in this research and Japan’s experiences, offers solutions to improve the home-based care model in China.