Abstract
This paper examines recent developments in elder care homes and changing attitudes toward institutional care in the Tianjin area of China. Based on research conducted at 12 sites, this study compares two types of elder care homes which are competing in the growing Chinese market for institutional elder care: ones characterized as government-owned and others described as “non-government-owned.” Findings suggest that, despite rapid growth in the elder care home industry in China, the market is tilted toward the former government-owned elder care homes that still enjoy institutional and bureaucratic advantages in funding, staffing, and insurance. The research also examines the changing connotations of cultural norm in parent care. Traditional attitudes against placing parents in elder care homes are changing; some adult children as well as elders are starting to express acceptance of institutional elder care. The authors argue that institutional care for aging parents is likely to become a major option for parent care as adult children become increasingly unavailable due to the one-child policy, the need to work, and perhaps distant residence.
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Her recent research and publications mainly focus on familial and institutional elder care in China. She has also conducted research on religiosity and health behavior among Chinese immigrant elders in America. Dr. Zhan teaches courses in aging, gender, family, and aging and family policies in global perspectives at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Guangya Liu was one of the researchers conducting surveys and interviews about institutional care in Tianjin, China in 2003. She is currently a graduate student in the department of sociology and research assistant in the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University. She is working for a project titled “Satisfaction and Retention of Direct-Care Staff in Assisted Living” funded by National Institute of Aging (NIA). Her interests include aging, long-term care, and China studies.
He teaches research methodology, social indicator, and sociology of aging at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His research interests include sociology of aging, long-term care, and research methods.
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Zhan, H.J., Liu, G. & Bai, HG. Recent development in Chinese elder homes: A reconciliation of traditional culture. Ageing Int. 30, 167–187 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-005-1010-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-005-1010-2