IJNHCR Journal

Introduction

In the global context of the 21st century, population aging has become an undeniable social phenomenon, posing far-reaching and multi-dimensional challenges to the socio-economic development and public service systems of various countries. With the advancement of medical technology and the improvement of living conditions, human life expectancy has significantly increased, while the relative decline in birth rates has exacerbated the rapid growth of the proportion of the elderly population, leading to what is known as the "Silver Tsunami." This trend not only poses a severe test to the traditional family-based elderly care model but also prompts unprecedented attention from governments and all sectors of society to the reconstruction and upgrading of the elderly care service system. Against this backdrop, pension policy, as an important means for the government to address the challenges of population aging, directly affects the well-being of the elderly population and the harmony and stability of society. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of the core issues and trends of pension policy in the new era is of great significance for guiding policy practice, optimizing resource allocation, and improving the quality of elderly care services.

Policy texts, as the carrier of policy formulation and implementation, contain rich policy information and serve as an important window for understanding policy intentions and evaluating policy effects. Traditional policy research often relies on qualitative analysis, which is difficult to fully and objectively reveal the inherent laws and trends in policy texts. Quantitative analysis of policy texts, on the other hand, employs scientific methods such as content analysis and bibliometrics to systematically and data-drivenly process policy texts, thereby extracting key policy issues, policy preferences, and policy evolution trajectories, providing a basis for scientific decision-making for policymakers. This study aims to delve into the core issues and trends of the new era through policy analysis methods, offering theoretical support and practical guidance for optimizing the pension policy system and improving the quality of elderly care services. By combining content analysis and bibliometrics, this study systematically reviews and quantitatively analyses national-level pension policy documents in recent years. By extracting key information such as keywords and thematic terms from policy texts, it constructs a policy issue network and policy evolution trajectory, revealing the core issues, policy preferences, and policy change patterns of pension policy in the new era. Additionally, this study will conduct an in-depth interpretation and comparative analysis of policy texts in conjunction with external factors such as the policy environment and societal needs, providing targeted policy recommendations for policymakers.

Literature Review

When exploring the development history of elderly care service policies, the academic community currently conducts in-depth analysis from two main dimensions: macro-planning at the central level and specific practices at the local level. This evolutionary process not only reflects the policy response to China's aging society trend but also demonstrates the government's continuous exploration and innovation in the construction of the elderly care service system.

As China's population aging deepens, the central government has gradually incorporated elderly care services into the national development plan since the end of the last century. From the initial vague mention of "social welfare undertakings" to the clear proposal in recent years to "build a senior care service system based on home care, supported by the community, supplemented by institutions, and combining medical and elderly care," the positioning of elderly care policies has become increasingly precise, and the goals more defined. [1] Specifically, central policies have shifted from single economic assistance to diversified service provision, focusing on providing basic living security for the elderly, such as pension distribution and subsistence allowance assistance. [2] Entering the 21st century, with the improvement of living standards and the diversification of the needs of the elderly population, policies have begun to focus on the improvement of service quality and the expansion of service content, [3] such as promoting the construction of community elderly care service facilities, encouraging social forces to participate in elderly care services, and strengthening the training of elderly care service personnel.

Local policy practices, guided by central policies, have explored elderly care development models suitable for local characteristics based on their actual conditions. [4] Taking first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai as examples, these regions have fully utilized their advantages of economic development and resource abundance to vigorously develop high-end elderly care service industries, such as building comprehensive elderly care communities that integrate housing, medical care, rehabilitation, and entertainment. [5] At the same time, these cities also focus on using technological means to improve the efficiency of elderly care services, promoting the use of smart wearable devices, and developing information platforms for elderly care services. [6] In contrast, due to economic and resource constraints, practices in central and western regions and rural areas focus more on the improvement and popularization of basic services, such as strengthening the construction of rural nursing homes, improving the level of rural five-guarantee support, and promoting rural mutual elderly care models. These measures effectively alleviate the difficulties of elderly care in rural areas and improve their quality of life.

In the process of formulating and implementing elderly care policies, the government has employed a variety of policy tools to achieve established goals. These policy tools can be roughly categorized into the following types: mandatory policy tools (such as laws and regulations, administrative orders), mixed (such as fiscal subsidies, tax incentives), and voluntary policy tools (such as public education, public participation). Each policy tool has its unique strengths and limitations, [7] and the government needs to choose flexibly based on specific circumstances to maximize policy effects. [8] In terms of research methods, to more scientifically and systematically evaluate implementation effects, the academic community and government departments have gradually introduced quantitative research methods for policy texts. These methods mainly include bibliometrics, content analysis, and visualization techniques. [9] Bibliometrics reflects the heat and influence of policy research by statistical indicators such as the number of policy documents and citation counts; [10] content analysis reveals the background, objectives, measures, and existing problems of policy formulation through in-depth content analysis; [11] and visualization techniques visually display the internal logic and relational connections of policy texts through charts and network diagrams, providing intuitive decision support for policymakers.

In summary, the development history and research of China's elderly care policies have provided rich theoretical and practical resources for this paper. However, existing research still has certain limitations in revealing policy dynamic evolution and quantitative analysis. The academic focus of this study lies in deeply analysing the core issues and trends of elderly care policies in the new era, not only systematically sorting out the historical context of policy development but also applying content analysis and bibliometrics to quantitatively analyse policy texts, aiming to fill the gaps in existing research. This study aims to reveal the intrinsic logic of policy development, provide a scientific basis for the formulation and optimization of future elderly care service policies, and further promote the refinement and personalization of elderly care policies to better adapt to the changing needs of an aging society and achieve the enhancement of the well-being of the elderly.

Research Framework and Data Sources

This study focuses on the analysis of the core issues and development trends of elderly care policies in the new era, aiming to systematically sort out and deeply analyse the evolution and future direction of China's elderly care policy system. To ensure the rigor, scientificity, and foresight of the research, a multi-dimensional research framework has been meticulously constructed, and detailed data collection and analysis have been carried out relying on authoritative data sources.

Construction of the Research Framework

This study follows the principles of logical rigor and clear structure, constructing a research framework composed of several major modules, including core issue analysis, trend forecasting, and policy recommendations. Firstly, a solid theoretical foundation is laid through a comprehensive review and sorting of domestic and international elderly care policy theories. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis of the current status of China's elderly care policy implementation is conducted to clarify the strengths and weaknesses of the current policy system. Then, focusing on the core issues of elderly care policies, such as the construction of the elderly care service system, pension system, elderly health management and services, and the development of smart elderly care, a thorough analysis and discussion are conducted. On this basis, scientific forecasting methods are used to conduct forward-looking analysis of the development trends of China's elderly care policies in the new era. Finally, combining domestic and international successful experiences with local actual conditions, targeted policy recommendations are proposed to provide decision-making references for policymakers.

Data Sources and Processing Methods

To ensure the authority, comprehensiveness, and timeliness of the research data, the following measures have been taken

Data Sources: Using "elderly care" and "aging" as keywords, an advanced search was conducted on the authoritative platform of the State Council's Policy Document Database. The time span was set from December 2012 to September 2024, covering an important phase of China's elderly care policy development and ensuring the representativeness and continuity of the data. Through strict screening and sorting, a sample library of 114 policy documents was ultimately formed.

Data Processing Methods: For the collected data, a high-frequency word method was adopted for text quantitative analysis. By statistically analysing the frequency of key terms in the policy texts, the focus and trends of China's elderly care policies in different periods and fields were revealed. This method not only improved the efficiency and accuracy of data processing but also provided strong data support for subsequent policy issue discussion and trend forecasting.

In summary, when constructing the research framework and selecting data sources, this study adheres to the principles of rigor, science, and comprehensiveness to ensure the reliability and validity of the research results. By deeply analysing the current situation and future of China's elderly care policies, this study will provide strong theoretical support and practical guidance for promoting the sustainable and healthy development of China's elderly care cause.

Table: pension policy document high-frequency word statistics.

Analysis of Core Issues

In delving into the context of pension policy inx the new era, the focus is on its core issues, guided by high-frequency vocabulary. Using rigorous academic language, a comprehensive and profound analysis is conducted. The core issues of pension policy in the new era can be highly summarized into the following dimensions based on the frequently mentioned key terms in the text:

Construction of a Multi-Level, Comprehensive, and Sustainable Pension Service System

The pension policy text in the new era emphasizes the construction of a more comprehensive and multi-level pension service system, encompassing diversified models such as home-based care, community-based care, and institutional care. The aim is to achieve the optimal allocation and efficient integration of pension service resources. High-frequency terms like "elderly care services," "pension institutions," and "community-based elderly care" appear extensively in the policy text. The high frequency of these terms indicates that the policy places significant focus on providing a more diverse and convenient range of services for the elderly, improving service quality, and meeting the varying needs of the elderly. This suggests that in the new era, the pension service system will place greater emphasis on the diversification, personalization, and professionalization of services to adapt to the evolving needs of the elderly population. The policy will promote the development of diversified models such as home-based care, community-based care, and institutional care to realize the optimal allocation and efficient integration of pension service resources. It will strengthen the professionalism and convenience of home-based care services, explore new service models like "Internet plus home-based elderly care," and meet the elderly's needs in terms of daily care, health management, and emotional support. The policy will improve community-based elderly care facilities, expand service functions, and build a pension service network with the community as the platform, home-based care as the foundation, and institutional care as a supplement. [12] Emphasis is placed on enriching, personalizing, and precision of pension service content through technological innovation and model innovation, while also focusing on the continuous improvement of service quality to meet the growing diverse and high-quality needs of the elderly. With the guidance and support of policies, the pension service system will become more comprehensive, providing elderly individuals with more thorough and high-quality services.

Construction of the Pension Security System

The high-frequency terms "pension insurance," "individual," "contributions," "system," and "reform" indicate that the new era's pension policy places greater emphasis on establishing and improving the legal and policy framework for elderly care services, providing legal guarantees for such services. The state increases policy support, improves relevant legal and regulatory systems, strengthens financial investment and support in the elderly care sector, and provides a solid institutional and economic foundation for the smooth implementation of pension policies. The pension insurance system is refined, the construction of a multi-level pension insurance system is promoted, the investment and operation of pension insurance funds are optimized, and the level of pension insurance benefits is increased to ensure the preservation and appreciation of pensions. [13] A sound individual account system is established, encouraging personal participation in pension savings and combining personal accumulation with national overall planning in pension insurance. Moreover, the government is actively exploring a long-term care insurance system to provide long-term care security for the disabled and semi-disabled elderly, reducing the burden of family care. [14] The pension insurance system is improved, a multi-level and multi-pillar pension insurance system is explored, personal participation in pension insurance is encouraged, the level of pension insurance benefits is increased, and the basic living standards of the elderly are ensured.

Policy Support for the Pension Industry

The high frequency of terms such as "funds," "support," "investment and construction," "industry," and "fund" suggests that the new era's pension policy pays more attention to the funding sources of elderly care services, ensuring the sustainable development of these services. The government increases financial investment and policy support for the elderly care service industry, encourages social capital to participate in the development of the elderly care service industry, and promotes the marketization and industrialization of the elderly care service industry. By increasing fiscal investment in the pension industry, encouraging social capital to participate in the development of the pension industry, and using measures such as tax incentives and land policies, the cost of developing the pension industry is reduced. At the same time, talent training and incentive mechanisms are introduced, the training of elderly care service personnel is strengthened, and a sound incentive mechanism for elderly care service personnel is established to improve the quality of the elderly care service workforce.

Pension System Reform and Policy Innovation

The high frequency of terms such as "information," "platform," and "data" indicates that the new era's pension policy more actively utilizes technological means to develop smart elderly care. Through information platforms, big data, and other technologies, the efficiency and quality of elderly care services are enhanced, meeting the growing diverse needs of the elderly. [15] The government advances the informatization of elderly care services through technological innovation and information construction, using big data, cloud computing, and other technologies to improve the efficiency and quality of elderly care services. Marketization and socialization reforms are promoted, the vitality of elderly care services is stimulated, and social forces are encouraged to participate in the supply of elderly care services. Through management system innovation, the elderly care service management system is improved, the supervision of elderly care services is strengthened, and the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly are protected. Policy innovation is encouraged, diverse elderly care service models are explored, and pilot projects for elderly care services are carried out to provide a practical basis for the formulation of pension policies. Meanwhile, the high frequency of terms such as "regulations," "supervision," and "in accordance with the law" indicates that the government will strengthen the construction of regulations for elderly care services, improve the regulatory mechanism, standardize the market order of elderly care services, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly.

Construction of the Rural Elderly Care Service System

The frequent appearance of the term "rural" in the pension policy text indicates that the new era's pension policy pays more attention to rural elderly care issues. Targeted policies for rural areas are formulated, the construction of rural elderly care service facilities is strengthened, and the level of elderly care services for rural elderly people is improved. The development of rural elderly care service facilities is vigorously promoted, the construction of rural elderly care service facilities is increased, the coverage of rural elderly care services is expanded, and the urban-rural gap is narrowed. [16] The government supports rural elderly care through land policies, explores rural elderly care land policies, and solves the problem of land use for rural elderly care. The government actively explores rural elderly care models, encourages innovation in rural elderly care service models, and, in line with rural realities, explores elderly care service models suitable for rural elderly people, such as mutual aid among the elderly and neighbourhood mutual assistance.

Social Participation and Pluralistic Co-governance

The high-frequency terms "individual," "society," "enterprise," and "encourage" frequently appear in the pension policy text, indicating that the new era's pension policy will encourage individual participation in elderly care services and the development of volunteer services. The policy guides social capital into the elderly care service industry, encourages social organizations to participate in elderly care services, provides diversified elderly care services, and leverages the professional advantages of social organizations in elderly care. By issuing corresponding policy documents, the policy promotes the standardization and professionalization of elderly care institutions, encourages social capital to participate in construction, and explores diversified elderly care service models such as the integration of medical and elderly care, and the combination of health and elderly care. At the same time, the policy improves the policy system for the integration of medical and elderly care, promotes the deep integration of medical resources and elderly care resources, and provides convenient and efficient medical and elderly care services for the elderly. Volunteer services are vigorously developed to provide the elderly with volunteer services in areas such as daily care and emotional comfort, creating a social atmosphere of respecting and caring for the elderly. A pluralistic co-governance mechanism is constructed, forming an elderly care service system with co-governance by the government, market, and society, leveraging the combined efforts of multiple stakeholders.

In summary, the core issues of the new era's pension policy lie in building a multi-level, widely covered, and sustainable elderly care service system, improving the pension security system, promoting the healthy development of the pension industry, and through institutional and policy innovation, achieving the diversification, precision, and efficiency of elderly care service supply, meeting the growing diverse needs of the elderly for elderly care services, and enhancing the elderly's sense of acquisition, happiness, and security.

Analysis of Development Trends

From December 2012 to September 2024, "elderly care services" has consistently been the most frequently appearing term in pension policy documents, indicating that the state has always prioritized the improvement of elderly care service quality as the top priority in elderly care work. This study insightfully analyses the evolutionary trajectory of the focus of elderly care policies at different historical stages, thereby understanding their inherent development logic and future orientation. The "Several Opinions on Fully Opening Up the Elderly Care Service Market and Improving the Quality of Elderly Care Services" issued by the General Office of the State Council in December 2016 (Guo Ban Fa [2016] No. 91) and the "Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Comprehensive Supervision System for Elderly Care Services to Promote High-Quality Development of Elderly Care Services" released by the General Office of the State Council on November 6, 2020, both mark important milestones in the development of elderly care policies, signifying the comprehensive opening-up of elderly care services and the gradual improvement of the elderly care service system. Therefore, this study uses December 2016 and November 2020 as the starting points for dividing the time periods to analyse the development trends of elderly care policies in the new era.

The Significance of the Pension System Has Significantly Increased

According to this study's statistics, the keyword "pension" has seen a dramatic increase in mentions from 194 times in the period of 2012-2016 to 809 times in 2020-2024. This data change profoundly reflects the increasing attention the state is giving to the improvement and sustainability of the pension security system. The state actively promotes the development of the pension system, aiming to build a more stable, fair, and sustainable retirement security system. [17] At the same time, the individual pension system, an important institutional design as the "third pillar" of China's pension insurance system, was officially implemented on November 25, 2022. The establishment and improvement of the individual pension account system has become an important milestone in the field of elderly care. The significant growth in the keywords "individual" and "account" signifies the gradual strengthening of the individual's responsibility and role in the process of pension accumulation and withdrawal, reflecting the principle of combining individual responsibility with collective security in the pension system. The individual pension account system will be gradually improved, and the individual's responsibility and role in pension accumulation and withdrawal will become more prominent. The state has clarified the policy orientation of encouraging individual participation in pension accumulation to address the challenges of an aging society. The state will continue to promote pension system reforms, improve the pension system, enhance its sustainability, and ensure the basic living standards of the elderly are guaranteed. [18]

Information Construction Draws Attention

From 2012 to 2024, the frequency of the term "information" has increased from 81 times in the period of 2012-2016 to 503 times in 2020-2024, revealing the state's high emphasis on the construction of Informa ionization in elderly care. Through the deep integration of information technology, the efficiency and level of elderly care services have been significantly improved, providing the elderly with a more convenient, efficient, and personalized service experience. The increased focus on the "acceleration of elderly care service facility construction" reflects the state's attention to the hardware conditions of elderly care services, striving to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for the elderly. At the same time, the dual-driven policy of talent team construction and Informa ionization, with its dual emphasis on "personnel" training and "information" technology, signifies the trend towards professionalization and intelligence in elderly care services. The aim is to improve service efficiency and quality by enhancing the professional attainment of service personnel and utilizing information technology. The characteristic of the new era is the deeper integration of information construction in elderly care, with Informa ionization becoming more profound. The use of information technology to enhance the efficiency and level of elderly care services will provide the elderly with more convenient and efficient services. With the rapid development of technology, Informa ionization will become an important engine for the transformation and upgrading of elderly care services. Through the application of big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other technologies, precision management and personalized services in elderly care will be achieved.

Strengthening of Regulatory Measures

The frequent appearance of the keyword "regulation" not only witnesses profound adjustments at the policy level but also reflects the state's high attention and practical actions for the well-being of the elderly. Before 2016, when the term "regulation" did not have a significant presence in policy documents related to elderly care services, the market for these services was in a relatively spontaneous state. The behaviours of market entities were diverse and lacked effective constraint mechanisms, and the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly faced many challenges. However, with the accelerated aging of the population and the increasing societal focus on elderly care issues, the state began to realize the urgency and importance of strengthening the market regulation of elderly care services. Subsequently, the frequency of the term "regulation" increased from 0 times in the period of 2012-2016 to 279 times in 2020-2024. Behind this number is the state's determination to regulate the market order of elderly care services with a more resolute attitude and stronger measures, creating a safe, reliable, and high-quality environment for the elderly.

Specifically, this change is reflected in several aspects: first, the improvement of laws and regulations, with a series of regulatory policies for the elderly care service market being introduced, clarifying market access standards, service quality standards, and penalty measures for violations, providing solid legal support for regulatory work; second, the establishment and improvement of the regulatory mechanism, with government departments at all levels setting up special regulatory agencies to strengthen daily inspections, supervision, and risk assessments of elderly care service institutions, ensuring the normalization and institutionalization of regulatory work; third, the enhancement of public participation, with channels such as information disclosure and complaint reporting encouraging all sectors of society to participate in the supervision of the elderly care service market, forming a good situation of government-led and social co-governance.

The implementation of these measures has not only effectively curbed various disorders in the market, such as false advertising, low service quality, and safety hazards, but also promoted the healthy development of the elderly care service industry, enhancing the happiness and satisfaction of the elderly. It fully demonstrates that the state is strengthening supervision with unprecedented intensity and determination, aiming to build a standardized, efficient, and transparent market environment, and effectively ensure that every elderly person can enjoy the dignity and happiness they deserve in their later years.

The Role of Commercial Insurance Becomes Increasingly Prominent

The significant increase in the frequency of terms related to "commercial" and "insurance" from November 2020 to September 2022 indicates that commercial insurance institutions are increasingly involved in the field of elderly care services, injecting new vitality into the diversified development of the pension security system. The state actively encourages commercial insurance to participate in elderly care services, aiming to enrich elderly financial products through market mechanism innovation and meet the diverse needs of the elderly. The role of commercial insurance in the pension security system will be further enhanced, with the state encouraging commercial insurance to participate in elderly care services, enriching elderly financial products, and meeting the diverse pension security needs of the elderly. [20] The innovative application of commercial insurance in elderly care services, as indicated by the introduction of terms such as "commercial" and "insurance company," suggests that commercial insurance will play a more active role in elderly care services by enriching elderly financial products and meeting diverse elderly care needs. Keywords such as "endowment insurance" and "elderly care institutions" highlight the state's determination to build a basic elderly care service system and an endowment insurance system, aiming to address the urgent needs of the elderly for basic living security, indicating that the state has begun to encourage commercial insurance to participate in elderly care services, enrich elderly financial products, and meet the diverse pension security needs of the elderly.

The changes in the focus of elderly care policies at different stages not only reflect the deepening understanding of elderly care issues by the state but also embody the transformation and upgrading of goals from basic security to the construction of a high-quality service system. This process aims to build a more comprehensive, efficient, and sustainable system to ensure that every elderly person can enjoy a happy and dignified later life. In the future, elderly care services will become more diversified and professional. As the degree of population aging deepens, the demand for elderly care services will become more diverse and personalized. The state will encourage the development of diverse and multi-level elderly care services and promote the professional development of elderly care services to improve service quality. In summary, the core of the new era's elderly care policy reflects a high level of attention and deep consideration for the well-being of the elderly population. By continuously optimizing the service system, improving service quality, strengthening policy guarantees, and addressing the challenges of an aging population, the future will be more comprehensive.

Policy Recommendations

Optimizing the Structure of Elderly Care Service Supply

Although the state is actively addressing the challenges of an aging population, there are still some issues that need to be resolved. In response to the current issues of a single structure of elderly care service supply and uneven resource distribution, this study suggests that the government should intensify efforts to optimize the supply structure of elderly care services. First, vigorously develop home-based elderly care services by means of government procurement of services and introduction of social forces to provide the elderly with comprehensive services including daily care, health management, and emotional solace. Second, strengthen the construction of community elderly care service facilities, enhance the capacity of community elderly care services, and build a network of elderly care services based on communities, with home care as the foundation and institutional care as a supplement. Third, promote the professionalization and branding of elderly care institutions, encourage social capital to participate in the construction of elderly care institutions, and improve the service quality and operational efficiency of these institutions. At the same time, attention should be paid to the balanced allocation of elderly care service resources to narrow the gap in elderly care services between urban and rural areas and among different regions.

Increasing Fiscal and Financial Support

The development of the elderly care service industry cannot proceed without substantial fiscal and financial support. The government should increase fiscal investment in the elderly care service industry, optimize the use structure of fiscal funds, and improve the efficiency of fund utilization. Meanwhile, through means such as tax incentives and land policies, reduce the cost of developing the elderly care industry and encourage social capital to participate in the development of the elderly care service industry. In addition, financial service innovation should be strengthened to provide a variety of financial products and services for the elderly care service industry, meeting the financing needs of elderly care service enterprises. In the process of increasing fiscal and financial support, attention should be paid to the pertinence and effectiveness of policies to ensure that funds are truly used for the development of the elderly care service industry and the enhancement of the well-being of the elderly.

Promoting the Development of Smart Elderly Care

Smart elderly care is an important direction for the transformation and upgrading of elderly care services. The government should actively promote the development of smart elderly care and enhance the efficiency and quality of elderly care services through informatization and intelligent means. First, strengthen the informatization construction of elderly care services, utilize technologies such as big data and cloud computing to build an information platform for elderly care services, and achieve the optimal allocation and efficient integration of elderly care service resources. Second, promote the use of intelligent wearable devices, remote health monitoring, and other intelligent products and services to provide more convenient and efficient health management services for the elderly. Third, strengthen the training and introduction of elderly care service personnel to improve their professional quality and IT application capabilities. In the process of promoting the development of smart elderly care, attention should be paid to protecting the privacy and information security of the elderly to ensure that the application of various technologies truly benefits the elderly population.

Strengthening the Regulation and Evaluation of Elderly Care Services

Strengthening the regulation and evaluation of elderly care services is an important means to ensure the quality of elderly care services. The government should establish a comprehensive elderly care service regulatory system, increase the regulation of the elderly care service market, and standardize the market order of elderly care services. At the same time, establish a scientific evaluation mechanism for elderly care services, regularly assess the service quality and operational efficiency of elderly care service institutions, and ensure that these institutions can continue to provide high-quality services. In the process of strengthening the regulation and evaluation of elderly care services, attention should be paid to the role of social supervision, encouraging the elderly and their families to participate in the supervision and evaluation of elderly care services, and forming a good situation of co-governance by the government, market, and society.

Encouraging Social Participation and Pluralistic Governance

Encouraging social participation and pluralistic governance is an important way to build a comprehensive elderly care service system. The government should actively guide social organizations, enterprises, individuals, and other forces to participate in the construction and development of the elderly care service system. First, encourage social organizations to provide diversified elderly care service products and models; second, guide enterprises to invest in the development of the elderly care service industry; third, encourage individuals to participate in volunteer services and mutual elderly care activities; fourth, strengthen the construction of communication and collaboration mechanisms between the government and various social forces; fifth, establish a comprehensive elderly care service volunteer team and training system. In the process of encouraging social participation and pluralistic governance, attention should be paid to leveraging the strengths and roles of all parties to jointly promote the healthy development of the elderly care service cause.

Conclusion

Through an in-depth analysis of the core issues and trends of elderly care policy in the new era, this study reveals the evolutionary trajectory of policy focus and its inherent development logic at different historical stages. From building a multi-tiered, widely coverage, and sustainable elderly care service system to perfecting the elderly care security system; from promoting the healthy development of the elderly care industry to strengthening information construction and regulatory measures; from promoting the balanced development of urban and rural elderly care services to encouraging social participation and pluralistic governance, corresponding policy recommendations have been put forward. These policy recommendations not only provide a scientific basis and practical guidance for the formulation and optimization of current elderly care policies but also lay a solid foundation for the sustained and healthy development of the elderly care service cause in the future.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Funding

This study was not funded.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical Approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Informed Consent

This study does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the author.

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