Long-term care system for people with dementia in China: A critical analysis

Abstract Background Chinese people with dementia account for approximately a quarter of the global burden of diseases, while the traditional long-term care system that heavily relies on families is eroding. In response, the Chinese Government has launched several policies for dementia.We aim to describe governance structure for long-term care, synthesizing the policy developments since 2010, and analyze current issues and challenges in the system, and provide policy recommendations. Method A critical analysis was conducted by looking for government reports, news, and searching the PubMed, Web of Sciences and CNKI database on China’s long-term care system for dementia from 1 January 2010 to 30 August 2023. Results We described Chinese long-term care system for people with dementia from three overarching aspects: governance and policy, service delivery, and the system of financing. We found that the system is characterized by no specificity and continuity in policy, as well as lacking sections of professional long-term care services. Moreover, inconsistent designs in financing sources and eligibility have also been fully concerned. Conclusions This study demonstrated the vitality of the dementia service market has yet to be fully stimulated in the Chinese mainland, problems such as unbalanced and inadequate development, insufficient effective supply, and low service quality still exist, and the long-term care services needs for people with dementia have yet to be effectively met. Currently, China’s policy for people with dementia is developing. Lessons from international experiences are may able to help China conduct novel health policy. It’s urgent to establish a unified national services system to promote the healthy development of care services for people with dementia.