Multi-Dimensional Accessibility Barriers in Care Services for the Rural Elderly with Disabilities: A Qualitative Study in China

Abstract

This research covers a multi-dimensional investigation into accessibility barriers in care services for older people with disabilities in rural China. In-depth interviews with 13 rural disabled older people in China were conducted using qualitative methods. Based on a welfare pluralism approach, the results showed that in comparison with urban areas, care services for disabled older populations in rural areas are more subject to social barriers. This can be seen in the limited state (lack of resources, rigorous eligibility qualifications, uneven distribution, and irregular implementation); the absent market (low levels of consumption, high cost pressures, self-exclusion, and traditional cultural constraints); absent NGOs and volunteers (difficulties in access for NGOs and volunteers outside the area and formation difficulties of local NGOs and volunteers); as well as low-quality care in households and communities (unprofessional care from the spouse, unsustainable care from children, and unavailable community-based care). A multi-subject support network should be established to remove accessibility barriers to care services for older people with disabilities in rural areas through active intervention and interaction. The results of the research provide insights that will aid in the formulation of future social care service plans and health policies for rural older people with disabilities.

Can formal home and community-based long-term care replace informal care? Evidence from Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey

“…This disparity can be attributed to factors such as accessibility, affordability, and service quality. Rural areas are usually situated in remote areas with poor transportation links and infrastructure, driving up higher costs in providing formal care than in urban areas [30]. As a result, the provision of formal home and community-based care in rural areas tends to be more dispersed and distant from older people, in contrast to urban areas where proximity to such services is more common.…”

Urban-rural Difference of the Impact of the Accessibility of Community Elderly Care Services on the Quality of Life of the Elderly from the Perspective of Social Support

“…In the eld of elderly care services, the research on the application of welfare pluralism theory mainly focuses on the division of responsibilities and the provision of welfare. Based on the theory of welfare pluralism, Wang & Qi(2021) divided the welfare supply of elderly care services into three main parts of government, market and family. Huang et al (2023) from the perspective of welfare pluralism, divided the subject of elderly care services into four subjects of government, social organizations, market and family.…”

Epidemiology, health policy and public health implications of visual impairment and age-related eye diseases in mainland China

“…Age-related cataract is the leading cause of remediable blindness among the elderly population worldwide and surgery is the most common first-line procedure performed in therapeutic approaches for cataract ( 135 ). Although Chinese governments have promoted the consolidation and re-distribution of health care services over past few decades, the uneven distribution of health care resources is still apparent, especially in rural regions ( 136 ). The CSR in urban areas was relatively higher than that in rural regions ( 53 , 54 ), and most experienced cataract surgeons in China were concentrated in urban hospitals.…”