Problems in the home and community-based long-term care for the elderly in China: A content analysis of news coverage

The purpose of this paper is to identify the issues that limited the supply of home and community-based Long-Term-Care (LTC) for the elderly, offer essential insights into the sustainable development of China's LTC.

A content analysis of news coverage on 12 major portals in China has been conducted to identify the issues.

The results demonstrate that there are 12 significant problems in the supply of home and community-based LTC for the elderly. For the service providers, the lack of qualified LTC professionals, limited service types/low service quality and unrealised integrated care, lack of steady profit patterns are the three major problems. The deficiencies of the LTC system and the lack of incentive policies and legislation for private investors' participation are the two major problems faced by the government. The public is confronted with a shortage of home and community support resources and unable to adapt to a change due to their mindsets.

The issues identified in this paper can not only provide some opportunities to various stakeholders in this area but also offer insights into the sustainable development of China's LTC.

The findings presented in this paper provide the means to understand the home and community-based LTC market in China for private investors and government, which will help to promote the cooperation between the two.