Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The Chinese aging population is projected to reach 350 million by 2050. Currently, aging-in-place is the most common aging model in China. As part of the ODESSA (Optimising care delivery models to support ageing-in-place) project, this study aims to build up realistic aging-in-place scenarios for the older people in China. Twelve scenarios were developed based on the research findings from the CHARLS (the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study) data and the ODESSA project, to highlight current issues in terms of housing, health and social care provision for the aging population in China. The scenarios were validated by two evaluation events in Beijing. The research team received feedback from 215 older participants. Feedback was analysed using a mixed method approach to examine both the statistical and qualitative meanings of participants’ views. Results show that respondents generally accepted and felt optimistic about the 12 scenarios, however, further improvements are possible in aspects of health care, social support, housing design, technology and policy. The findings helped to identify major concerns facing aging-in-place challenges in China and provided suggestions that can inform a robust aging-in-place policy for China’s growing cities.