Attitudes are changing:

From ‘raising children for old age’ to ‘independent aging’

Seniors say: I want to do it myself, but I won’t ‘overdo it’

64.4% of older adults prioritize aging in place—not because they have no choice, but because a familiar home and familiar surroundings are what make them feel at ease and secure; 57.7% explicitly say they want to avoid burdening their children and will do things themselves whenever they can.Attitudes toward aging are quietly diverging. Nearly half of older adults (45.2%) want to stay in their familiar homes and retain control over their lives, with community and home services lending a hand; over one-third (35.0%) still expect care from their children, but this proportion is lower than the former. The millennia-old notion of ‘raising children for old age’ is gradually shifting toward ‘independent aging.’ (Survey 1)

One senior expressed it this way: ‘There’s no need for the whole family to revolve around me, and no need to do everything for me—I don’t want to be treated as a patient needing full care. Some things are beyond my physical capacity, so having services lend a hand is enough; I want to be in charge of my own life.’ These words reveal older adults’ sense of dignity in life, as well as practical life wisdom—they are not refusing help, but actively choosing the way they want to be helped: self-reliance as the foundation, services as support, keeping the initiative of later life in their own hands.

Children say: The essence of filial piety is giving parents a high-quality later life

The essence of filial piety is giving parents a high-quality life in their later years—this is the consensus of most children.

Mr. Lin, 46, has long had a lingering worry: his father’s knees have degenerated and walking is difficult, and bathing at home is full of hidden risks. In the past, every time he came home on leave, helping his father wash was like walking on thin ice—he had to guard against slipping and worry about catching a chill, and both father and son ended up exhausted each time. On his own, it was hard to do it safely. Later he booked a professional in-home bathing assistance service. Mr. Lin sighed: ‘A professional comes to the door to help Dad bathe safely and solves the hardest part, so I can just focus on chatting and relaxing with him.’

When it is relatively difficult to solve the caregiving problems of the elderly, purchasing professional elderly care services is considered by respondents to be the most feasible solution; younger generations are protecting their elders in more efficient and rational ways.

After the Spring Festival, 56.1% of the elderly returned to living alone—but this time it is different

After the brief Spring Festival reunion, more than half of the elderly return to living alone or with a spouse. But unlike the past, living alone today no longer means isolation: one-touch call devices, regular weekly housekeeping visits, on-demand medical accompaniment services, video calls available at any time… A safety net woven from professional services lets the elderly live with peace of mind even behind closed doors, and lets their children feel at ease even when they are not nearby.

• Emotional companionship (58.1%)—what the elderly want is not someone to do chores, but someone to talk to and keep them company.

• Basic housekeeping (55.8%)—cleaning and cooking free up physical energy and leave time for things they enjoy.

• Age-friendly home modifications (54.0%)—installing grab bars, anti-slip measures, and call buttons adds an ‘airbag’ of safety for independent living.

• Professional care (49.8%) — pressure sore dressing changes and tube care, so seniors can enjoy medical-grade care at home.

• Daily living care (such as bathing assistance) — even something as simple as bathing: professional services can help seniors get clean, stay safe, and keep their dignity. (Survey 1)

Today’s home-based elderly care services already cover every aspect of seniors’ daily lives. There are basic daily living assistance services such as meal assistance, cleaning assistance, bathing assistance, and medical assistance, solving the most practical everyday challenges of eating, bathing, and seeing a doctor; there are also health management services such as home health checkups, chronic disease management, and rehabilitation training, and even professional home medical care such as tube care, skin care, and injections. In addition, age-friendly home modifications, one-touch emergency call systems, and smart monitoring build a safety net at home; emotional companionship, psychological counseling, and cultural and recreational activities look after seniors’ inner world.

The four most anticipated areas: monitoring, safety, care, and companionship

Even as services become more diverse, many needs remain insufficiently met. When asked which services seniors need most but are still hard to find adequate supply for, the children’s answers were highly consistent:Health monitoring and reminders (53.5%), home safety and convenience (47.5%), professional medical and care services (47.4%), and emotional companionship and social interaction (45.7%).These unmet gaps in demand are precisely where new elderly care services and new models can grow. More and more platforms, communities, and practitioners are entering the field, gradually turning services that many families ‘wanted but couldn’t find’ into home-based elderly care solutions that ‘someone provides and provides well.’ (Survey 1)

55.8% need medical accompaniment, 46.7% need housekeeping assistance.

61.4% need assistance with cleaning, 60.9% need accompaniment to medical appointments, and 57.5% need assistance with bathing.

66.7% need continence care, 56.5% need pressure injury prevention, and 56.5% need passive limb movement.

Age-friendly renovation:

It’s not renovation—it’s installing a ‘growth system’ for the home

Age-friendly renovation is not a one-time remodeling job, but rather making the house adapt in sync with the elderly’s changing physical condition, creating a home safety system that can evolve over the years. Elderly people with different physical conditions face different home risks, and the focus of renovation differs accordingly.

Elderly living alone/advanced age: fall prevention is the top priority Elderly with mild disability: removing barriers is most important

Elderly people of advanced age experience declining mobility and a significantly increased risk of falls, and sudden emergencies involving those living alone are difficult to detect in time. In the survey, no one promptly discovering or taking them to the hospital during a sudden illness, and slipping and falling, were the two most prominent family concerns; therefore,fall alarms/gas leak alarms, installation of grab bars in bathrooms and shower areas, whole-home anti-slip flooring renovation, and emergency call buttons or pull cords are the most urgently needed renovation items.The point of these renovations is not ‘preparing for old age,’ but enabling seniors to ‘dare to walk, dare to move, and dare to live independently.’ (Survey 2)

The home challenges faced by seniors with mild disability center on fear of slipping in the bath (47.3%), easily falling when getting in and out of bed or going up and down stairs (45.5%), easily tripping during nighttime bathroom trips (41.9%), and unsteady walking requiring support (41.8%). The survey also found that 30.2% of seniors resist assistive devices such as grab bars out of self-esteem, thinking to themselves, ‘I can do it myself, I don’t need these things.’ Therefore, the core of renovations for seniors with mild disability is to remove movement obstacles in the home environment, so they can enter and exit the bathroom independently and move around the home steadily, minimizing dependence on others and preserving control over their own lives.In the survey, their most core renovation needs were installing simple grab bars in bathrooms, hallways, and other areas (63.6%), followed by simple anti-slip renovation of floors throughout the home (52.1%), adding a shower chair in the bathroom (51.9%), and simple assistive devices such as walkers (51.6%).The key to renovation is this: the hardware must not look like cold medical equipment; good age-friendly design is something seniors are willing to actively use and accept over the long term. (Survey 2)

Chen Jianguo, a 73-year-old retired teacher, was left with mild residual weakness on his left side after a mild stroke half a year ago. When his children suggested moving in with him, he refused outright; when the family wanted to install grab bars in the bathroom, he blocked that too. Later his daughter came up with an idea: she chose a minimalist grab bar in the same color family as the bathroom tiles, and bought a shower chair that looked like a lounge chair, saying, ‘It’s for you to sit and rest while showering, not some medical device.’ Chen Jianguo said nothing, but used them diligently. ‘It’s not that he doesn’t need them, it’s that he doesn’t want to be treated as a patient,’ his daughter said. ‘Choose the right approach, and he can use them while keeping his dignity.’

Families of seniors with moderate disability: focused on the three matters of transferring, toileting, and bathing

For moderately disabled elderly people, moving from bed to wheelchair, bathing, using the toilet, dressing and undressing… these most basic actions all require assistance from others, and age-friendly renovations need to precisely address the most core scenario needs. Surveys show that,mobility assistive devices (51.2%), mobile toilets (50.9%), bathing assistive facilities (50.7%), and whole-home safety facility renovations (50.1%) are the age-friendly renovation items with the highest demand.It is worth noting that the renovation needs of such families are very pragmatic, prioritizing the removal of obstacles in the three core scenarios of ‘transfer, toileting, and bathing’ rather than generalized whole-home renovations. In addition, the demand for accessibility renovation (48.2%) cannot be ignored; widened passages and threshold-free floors are the basic conditions for wheelchair access and the prerequisite for other renovation measures to take effect. (Survey II)

Li Zhaolin, 76, has right-side limb disability after a cerebral infarction. What wears him down most are the daily ‘three big tasks’: moving from bed to wheelchair, using the toilet, and bathing. On the few meters from the bedroom to the bathroom, his 72-year-old wife would drag and support him, and several times the two nearly fell together. Later, the family installed transfer grab bars, a mobile commode chair, and a shower seat. With ‘helpers’ for these three tasks, his wife no longer has to tough it out, and Lao Li no longer has to live in constant fear every day.

Families with severely disabled elderly people: building a system around ‘one bed’

When an elderly person enters a state of severe disability, eating, turning over, excretion, and sponge bathing—these basic life activities—almost all depend on external assistance. Therefore, the core of age-friendly renovation is no longer installing a few grab bars or improving a few anti-slip spots, but building a complete care-rehabilitation-excretion-pressure sore prevention system around the ‘bed,’ and using smart monitoring devices to set up an all-weather safety response network.Among age-friendly hardware needs, electric nursing beds rank first with a 62.3% demand share. A multifunctional nursing bed integrates multiple functions such as excretion, position change, and daily care, and is the most core hardware investment for such families; next are toilet facility renovation (51.4%), anti-pressure sore air mattress beds (49.3%), and in-bed bathing equipment (41.3%), etc.(Survey II)

At the same time, the demand for intelligent monitoring and remote response systems is equally prominent: smart vital-sign monitoring mattresses (62.3%), 24-hour remote nurse monitoring (58%), and one-touch 120 emergency call linkage (52.2%). Together, these three build an all-weather safety response network, advancing the window for risk detection as much as possible.

A positive trend: over 60% of families value the ‘upgradability’ of age-friendly renovations

Aging is a gradual process, and age-friendly renovations also need to adapt dynamically as physical conditions change. Among families that have already carried out renovations, 56.6% have considered the needs of the elderly should their condition worsen in the future, but do not know how to reserve for it—whether the electrical circuits are sufficient, whether the doorways are wide enough, whether the shower area has turning space for a wheelchair… These forward-looking questions are often overlooked during the initial renovation. The survey shows that,over 60% of surveyed elderly households value the ‘upgradability’ of renovation plans the most, hoping to formulate gradual renovation plans based on changes in the elderly’s physical condition and reserve space for future upgrades.This also means that forward-looking design capabilities and full-cycle service capabilities are replacing simple construction capabilities to become the core competitiveness of age-friendly renovation service providers.

Care for the disabled:

The hardest things are being caught by professionals

Data from the National Health Commission shows that China now has more than 45 million elderly people who are disabled or living with dementia. At a time when aging in place remains the mainstream, the caregiving responsibility for these seniors falls largely on the shoulders of family caregivers. In the survey, 32.1% of disabled seniors were cared for personally by their spouses, 52.8% were supported by their children, daughters-in-law, or sons-in-law, while professional home-visit nurses and caregivers covered only 26.8% of families. This means that many family members, without any professional training, are suddenly pushed into the role of ‘full-time caregiver,’ trapped under the multiple pressures of physical exertion, finances, skills, and psychology.

When the caregiving dilemma exceeds what a family can bear alone, the reality that ‘filial devotion alone cannot hold up’ calls for professional services to ease the burden. The survey shows that 51.0% of respondents believe that professional services such as medical assistance and bathing assistance should be vigorously promoted to fill the professional gap in family caregiving; 47.8% of respondents said they hope for specialized caregiving skills training so that caregivers no longer have to ‘fight alone.’ Many family caregivers have a strong demand for professional care services and are willing to pay for professionalism: over 70% of surveyed families are willing to purchase home nursing, and more than half can accept monthly spending of 500–2,000 yuan. When choosing services, they value professionalism and reliability, transparent pricing, and stable supply most. One family member voiced their feelings: ‘I really want to hire a professional nurse to come to my home and help, to teach me how to care for pressure sores and how to handle emergencies. As long as the price is reasonable and the service is professional, I’m willing to spend a bit more.’

Medical and nursing services are key to safeguarding the lives of disabled seniors.For severely and fully disabled seniors, medical and nursing care centers on ‘professional intervention.’ Basic home medical care (65.6%), tube care (64.1%), pressure sore care (63.0%), and medication care (62.4%) are essential needs. Professional medical and nursing services are both a guarantee of safety and a key to easing the suffering of seniors.(Surveys 3 and 5)

Among the disabled seniors served by Sun Shihui, a nurse at JD Health, replacing gastric tubes and urinary catheters are the most common needs, while pressure sore care and wound dressing changes also account for a large share. She once served an elderly man who was left hemiplegic after an accident, making three home visits within six months to complete tube replacement and bladder irrigation, while patiently guiding the family on scientific hydration and infection prevention. On a later follow-up visit, the senior’s condition had clearly improved.

This type of professional home nursing service is being rolled out at an accelerating pace through platform-based models. Take JD Nurse to Home as an example: in the first quarter of 2026, service orders grew 114% year on year. Especially in first-tier and core cities, recognition of home nursing services continues to rise, effectively alleviating the real pain point of insufficient professional nursing in family caregiving and more precisely meeting the rigid needs of disabled seniors in areas such as wound dressing changes and tube maintenance. When professional care enters the home, caregivers are no longer ‘family members toughing it out alone’ but ‘family members with backup.’

The market is responding to enormous caregiving demand. As supply continues to improve, the heavy caregiving burden that once crushed a family is being transformed into standardized services that can be purchased, managed, and anticipated. From tube maintenance and pressure sore prevention to repositioning and nighttime emergencies, professional care is steadily reaching into households. The difficult task of caregiving is shifting from ‘family members bearing it alone’ to a new model of professional support and family companionship.

Spiritual Comfort:

The heart still needs connection and respect

Elderly care is not just about looking after food, clothing, and daily living. As the body gradually ages, older adults’ inner longing for emotional connection, respect, and social ties also needs to be seen. Today, spiritual comfort is gradually becoming a professional skill within care services. As demand continues to rise and industry standards are gradually improved, it is very likely to grow into an independent category of elderly care services in the future.

Living alone / Advanced age: The simplest socializing, the most genuine joy

The social circles of older adults who live alone or are of advanced age are gradually shrinking, and their daily lives are relatively monotonous. Contact with family and neighbors, as well as community activities, have become their most important emotional outlets. The survey found that these older adults most hope to stay in regular contact with their children, relatives, and friends, to gain the sense of security that comes from being remembered, and they are also willing to go into the community to take part in group activities. Compared with complex cultural and recreational programs, lighter forms of socializing are chosen more often—such as accompanying them on walks and sitting in the sun, community tea gatherings, and learning video calls to bridge the digital divide.

What Zhao Guiying looks forward to most each week is the ‘Thursday Tea Gathering’ organized by the community. Several old neighbors sit together, drinking tea, chatting, and doing handicrafts. ‘We’re not aiming to do anything big—it’s just that someone talks with you and adds a bit of fun to life.’ The community activity room is becoming older adults’ ‘second living room.’ Without going far from home, they can meet companions here and dispel the loneliness of being alone.

Older adults with mild/moderate disability: Affirmation and encouragement are the best medicine

The psychological needs of mildly disabled older adults are far more complex than simply alleviating loneliness. They are clear-headed and have a strong sense of self-respect; physical decline makes them especially sensitive about ‘being cared for,’ and their core demands are to maintain dignity and a sense of equality, stay connected to society, and gain emotional value. Surveys show that mildly disabled older adults most desire relief from loneliness (57.8%), a richer spiritual life (52.3%), and respect and a sense of worth (51.8%). The most comforting approaches are daily chatting (56.7%), respect for their autonomous wishes (54.7%), and social companionship (51.1%). As one interviewee put it: ‘I don’t need you to treat me like a patient; I need you to help me make up for that little bit I’m lacking, and then let me walk the rest of the way myself.’ What they fear most is being labeled a ‘burden’ or ‘useless’; what they most hope for is to still be seen as an independent person of value. (Survey 2)

The situation of moderately disabled older adults often comes with a strong psychological impact. From ‘still able to do it myself’ to ‘unable to do anything,’ many older adults suffer a blow to their self-esteem, frequently feel they are a burden on their families, feel guilty yet helpless, and are prone to irritability and sensitivity. Their primary need for psychological comfort is relief from loneliness (55.5%), followed by a richer spiritual life (48.5%) and emotional recognition and respect (48.5%); they also long to maintain a sense of security, exercise cognitive abilities, and avoid being forgotten by the outside world. In terms of comforting approaches, besides maintaining respect for autonomy (47.7%), daily chatting (45%), and affirmation and encouragement (44.5%), professional emotional counseling (41.8%) and emotional soothing (39.4%) are also considered effective forms of comfort. (Survey 2)

One child shared the change in their father: ‘After my dad became disabled, his temper became very irritable. Later a nurse pointed out to me that it wasn’t that his personality had gotten worse—it was that he felt useless inside. We tried affirming him every day and praising him for being willing to cooperate with care, and gradually his mood stabilized.’ Being recognized and needed is the best nourishment for an older person’s soul.

Severe disability: the body is trapped, but the mind is still there

Many people assume that severely disabled older adults who are bedridden long-term have no emotional needs. In fact, data show that more than 60% of severely disabled older adults are clear-headed and can make simple responses. Though the body is constrained, perception and emotion remain vivid. Family members sitting by the bed talking softly (58.7%)—familiar words carry their own soothing power; gently holding hands or stroking arms (52.9%)—physical touch directly conveys caring; playing familiar old songs to evoke warm memories of the past is the most effective psychological comfort for them. (Survey 2)

One caregiver said with feeling: ‘You think they can’t hear, but when you call their name, their fingers move slightly.’ Even the smallest response is an emotional connection between people that has never been broken.

Vibrant older adults:

They are more exciting than we imagined

A growing number of young, active older adults are proactively planning their own ‘second life,’ and their eldercare needs now extend to health management, lifelong learning, social and cultural travel, and self-actualization.

Health Management: Shifting from ‘Disease Treatment’ to All-Dimensional Proactive Health

Active older adults generally embrace a new health paradigm of ‘prevention first, proactive management.’ 41.8% agree that ‘prevention is greater than treatment’ and proactively carry out chronic disease monitoring and diet and exercise management; 14.8% have entered the stage of refined management, using professional institutions and smart tools to carry out personalized health management, with core demands focused on ‘preventing major illness and controlling chronic disease.’ (Survey IV)

In terms of nutrition management, 69.3% of active older adults choose nutritional supplement products, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and practicality when purchasing. Their needs are gradually shifting from general nutritional supplementation to precise nutritional interventions tailored to chronic diseases and physical characteristics. In the survey, 60.9% proactively supplement calcium and vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis; 48.0% use nutritional products for blood sugar control, lipid lowering, and heart and brain protection as prescribed by doctors; 45.4% supplement protein powder, propolis, and other products to boost immunity. 71.1% are willing to pay and look forward to dietitians providing one-on-one customized nutrition services.

Smart health devices are rapidly entering households, and demand has upgraded from simple indicator monitoring to full-process health protection. Testing devices such as smart blood pressure monitors and glucose meters (54.2%), smart wearable bands and watches (46.8%), and online health service platforms (36.5%) are the most commonly used tools. In addition to health indicator monitoring and smart interpretation (54.2%), older adults’ demand for anti-fraud education, 24-hour online consultations, customized chronic disease plans, and home emergency response all exceed 40%, covering the complete health chain of monitoring, consultation, intervention, and emergency response.

Internet medical services are also bridging the last mile of home health. 35.3% of older adults use online consultations, follow-up prescription renewals, and home medicine delivery to reduce trips to the hospital; 33.2% use AI tools themselves or with their children’s help for health self-checks and interpreting physical examination reports. Interpretation of physical examination reports (46.0%), medical appointment guidance (45.8%), and online medicine purchase with home delivery (44.6%) are the core needs, while services such as chronic disease prescription renewals and special consultations for geriatric diseases are also popular.

Life Status: Releasing Diverse Values and Embracing New Scenarios of the ‘Second Life’

Seniors are building a sense of spiritual self-sufficiency with a positive and open mindset, rejecting psychological ‘aging.’In the survey, 88.7% of seniors regard ‘having a positive, optimistic, and open mindset’ as the spiritual core of later life. Among the reasons for attending senior universities or senior clubs, 72.6% hope to ‘enrich their spiritual life,’ 67.8% want to ‘stay connected with society,’ and 65.7% seek ‘self-improvement.’ Over the past year, 29.9% of seniors proactively increased their spending on spiritual and cultural activities, attending more concerts, music performances, and stage plays.

Seniors are also realizing new social value through re-employment, volunteer service, and interest-based entrepreneurship.Seniors are breaking the stereotype that ‘retirement means losing value,’ realizing self-worth through continuous learning, participation in social affairs, and returning to the workforce. 39.1% of seniors regard ‘continuing to create social value after retirement’ as an important spiritual pursuit in later life. The ways they realize this value are diverse: 84.1% persist in self-directed learning to update their knowledge; 59.2% participate in volunteer service and public affairs; 58.3% cultivate hobbies and learn new skills at senior universities. For those who choose to return to the workforce, maintaining physical and mental vitality (73.4%), sustaining social connections (61.8%), and enriching daily life (58.2%) are the main motivations, while 52.1% hope to continue applying their expertise. This ‘silver power’ is gradually becoming a part of social development that cannot be ignored.

In-depth travel: immersive experience of local customs and culture.The survey shows that seniors have shifted travel from ‘optional spending’ to a ‘life necessity,’ with travel needs highly focused on ‘depth, slow pace, and quality’: 80.1% look forward to immersive experiences of local natural landscapes and customs; 79.6% yearn for pastoral scenery and the slow-life experience of natural healing; 62.5% care about wellness resources at destinations, combining travel with health management; 50.4% explicitly reject whirlwind check-in tours and long for in-depth experiences of local folk culture and human history. ‘Slow’ and ‘wellness’ have become the core keywords of senior travel.

Embracing technological innovation: seniors integrating into digital life.Seniors’ acceptance and depth of use of the internet and digital products far exceed the general perception of younger groups, breaking the stereotype that ‘older people can’t use the internet.’ The survey shows that nearly 60% of seniors spend more than 3 hours online per day, and 37.6% consider themselves ‘digital natives.’ Over 90% of seniors have increased their internet usage in recent years, with application scenarios covering every aspect of life: 75.5% shop online, 69.9% obtain information via the internet, 67.4% use mobile payments, and 44.6% use life services such as ride-hailing, food delivery, and navigation. 70.3% of adult children believe their elders mainly ‘scroll short videos’ online, but in reality, seniors’ digital lives span consumption, information, payments, services, and more. Digital tools have become important helpers for active seniors to improve their quality of life and integrate into modern society.