Path of Smart Senior Care in China

Abstract

Since 2011, China's State Council has accorded high priority to developing the intelligent eldercare industry, establishing a national policy framework that provides macro-level guidance and advances pilot initiatives globally. Exploring innovative smart aging models represents both an essential requirement for optimizing governance systems and capacities, and an intrinsic necessity for elevating public services to high-quality development standards. This research synthesizes China's current smart eldercare landscape through literature analysis, examines Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in aging services, and details community-level smart aging pathways within big data environments—focusing on data-driven identification of seniors' actual and potential needs, constructing IoT-based elderly care platforms through resource integration and service innovation, and delivering diversified support including companionship, education, and counseling. Findings reveal persistent challenges: primary state dominance constrains eldercare service diversification; the pronounced "silver digital divide" reflects low internet adoption among elders; and smart health infrastructure requires substantial refinement. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for industry advancement.