The number of elderly people who need care in China has exceeded 45 million and is expected to reach 60 million by 2030, according to a recent survey. Characterized by large scale, deep degree, and rapid acceleration, China’s aging trend is different than that of other countries.
Authored by a team of social scientists from China’s Peking University, a paper that projects the care needs of China’s elderly population was published in The Lancet Public Health on Nov. 21.
The team analyzed data from surveys conducted across 28 provinces in China. The surveys were conducted from 2011–2020, with 46,619 respondents aged 60 or older.
The study identified three levels of need for care based on the elderly’s mobility and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).  ADL consists of six items:  dressing, bathing, eating, moving from bed to chair, using the toilet, and continence. The IADL category includes more complex activities such as housework, cooking, shopping, managing money, and taking medications….