Research On Rural Mutualassistance And Elderly Care From The Perspective Of Social Exchange Theory

The decrease in the number of children in households coupled with the flow of young and middle-aged people from rural areas to cities has continuously weakened the elderly care function of rural families,and there is an urgent need to explore a multi-level elderly care model suitable for rural development.In this context,rural mutual assistance elderly care,as a new type of elderly care method,has received support from local governments and is regarded by experts and scholars as a powerful measure to solve the problem of rural elderly care.However,research results from various regions show that the rural mutual assistance and happiness centers have gradually cooled down after experiencing a wave of initial construction boom,and the practical effect of rural mutual assistance and elderly care is not ideal.Why is the practice of mutual assistance and elderly care in rural areas ineffective? This article attempts to explore this issue through an empirical survey of rural mutual assistance elderly care in Dezhou,Shandong Province,guided by the theory of social exchange and using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.The research is conducted from two levels: firstly,at the individual level,it focuses on understanding the supply-demand balance and influencing factors of mutual aid elderly care participation willingness;Secondly,at the village level,focus on exploring the main models of local rural mutual assistance elderly care practices.On this basis,explore the main problems and reasons of mutual assistance elderly care,and provide countermeasures and suggestions.Research has found that,firstly,from an individual perspective,the majority of rural middle-aged and elderly people are willing to participate in both demand and supply,and the willingness to participate in rural mutual assistance elderly care is relatively high.Further analysis shows that the willingness of rural middle-aged and elderly people to participate in mutual assistance and elderly care is generally in a balanced state in terms of supply and demand.The analysis of influencing factors shows that pension insurance,family economic status rating,land management rights,and community cultural and entertainment levels have a significant impact on the willingness to participate in rural mutual assistance elderly care;The score of family economic status,land management rights,and neighborhood trust have a significant impact on the balance of willingness to participate in rural mutual assistance elderly care.Secondly,from the village level,the practical effectiveness of local mutual aid elderly care is not ideal,and most villages have not built mutual aid happiness homes.Thirdly,the problem of local mutual assistance elderly care is manifested as the imbalance between individual willingness to participate and the development of village mutual assistance elderly care.Although individuals have a strong willingness to participate in mutual assistance elderly care,the development of practical platforms for village mutual assistance elderly care is insufficient.This is mainly due to the high resources and costs required to maintain long-term "mutual assistance and exchange" relationships,but due to limited human resources,low organizational and management capabilities,incomplete fund sharing mechanisms,and vague and general policy systems,a good sharing mechanism has not yet been explored and formed.Based on this,the study proposes countermeasures and suggestions from multiple perspectives of individuals and families,villages,society,and government,in order to achieve the successful promotion of rural mutual assistance elderly care.