Needs and Response: Chinese Urban Family Caregivers' Needs and Social Support

Sammanfattning: Caregiving is emerging as a global issue, as countries around the world are facing aging populations, including China. The intent of this study is: (1) to explore what needs Chinese urban family caregivers express, and in what way they may differ depending on certain background variables; (2) to explore what support, both formal and informal, is available for them; and (3) what changes to existing support may be appropriate in order to improve the quality of caregiving as well as the quality of life for caregivers so that they can be better able to provide caring services for old people. In-depth interviews and questionnaires were adopted to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from family caregivers of older adults living in urban Shanghai. The study has found that family caregivers’ needs are diversified and differentiated. The support they have received mainly comes from relatives, while formal social support remains still insufficient for them and their families, thus failing to meet family caregivers’ diversified and differentiated needs. The findings suggest the efforts to embed the micro-level informal support network into the macro-level formal support system by integrating all parties into forces including governmental and non-governmental sectors, communities and social work, thus enriching the forms, enhancing the strength, and consolidating the foundation of social support for family caregivers.