A Study on the Matching of Community Service Supply with the Needs of Family Carers for Elderly People with Dementia in a Subdistrict of Y City

Yilin Hao; Zhihui  Wei

doi:10.71204/dqzc3p11

Authors

Yilin Hao Tianjin University of Technology Author
Zhihui Wei Tianjin University of Technology Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71204/dqzc3p11

Keywords:

Dementia Patients, Family Carers, Community Services, Supply-Demand Matching

Abstract

To investigate the alignment between community services and the needs of family carers for elderly individuals with dementia, this study employed Coupling Theory. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 514 households across 32 communities in a sub-district of Y City. An independent samples t-test was used to quantitatively analyse the coupling degree between the two systems.Statistical analysis revealed significant discrepancies between community service provision and family care needs (t=-2.256, p=0.036), indicating low current coupling between the two systems and a mismatch characterised by "high demand, low supply". Specifically, the core contradictions, ranked by urgency, are: widespread lack of financial support (demand: 78.2%, coverage: only 13.1%), policy implementation bottlenecks (awareness rate: 17.3%, 38.8% perceive cumbersome procedures), shortage of professional care services (e.g., skills guidance coverage at 14.0%), and mismatch between infrastructure supply and demand (age-friendly renovation demand at 57.3%, supply at 28.5%). Findings indicate loose coupling between community support systems and family care systems, with ineffective coordination persisting. Consequently, efforts must focus on enhancing systemic integration by establishing a "co-construction and shared-benefit" network involving multi-stakeholder collaboration among government, communities, medical-care institutions, and social forces. This requires strengthening financial support, streamlining policy procedures, expanding professional services, and advancing facility ageing-friendly modifications to improve service precision and systemic integration, thereby solidifying the foundation for home-based care.

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