Healthy older adults' preferences for home care services

As the aging population in China continues to grow, understanding the preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for home care services among healthy older adult citizens becomes increasingly important. Most existing research focuses on disabled or semi-disabled older adult individuals, leaving a gap in knowledge regarding the preferences of those who are healthy and capable of self-care.

This study aims to explore the WTP for various home care services among healthy older adult citizens in Xi'an, China, and to analyze how different socio-demographic factors influence these preferences.

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to elicit preferences for home care services among a sample of healthy older adult citizens. The experiment included four non-monetary attributes (healthcare services, safety services, household affairs, and emotional care) and one monetary attribute (payment). A mixed logit model was used to estimate individual-level WTP for these services, followed by a Tobit regression analysis to identify socio-demographic factors influencing WTP.

The results indicate a significant positive WTP for all care services, with home repair (162 Yuan/month), traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy (125 Yuan/month), and social activities (103 Yuan/month), being the most valued services. On average, respondents were willing to pay 628 Yuan per month for all care services combined. Heterogeneity in WTP was observed, with higher WTP among women, those living alone, those with worse health status, those with employee medical insurance and those with less financial pressure.

The findings suggest that healthy older adult citizens in China have diverse needs for home care services, highlighting the importance of tailoring these services to specific subgroups. By addressing the varying preferences and WTP among the older adult population, service providers and policymakers can better meet the needs of this growing demographic, ultimately improving their quality of life. Further research is needed to generalize these findings to other regions and to explore the longitudinal changes in preferences as individuals age.