A Brief Exploration of the Challenges Facing Rural Residents’ Old-Age Care and Governance from an Embedded Perspective: -- Based on Field Research in Village F, Yunnan Province

Yanan Shi; Yuzhao Shen; Jinan Gou

doi:10.54097/m3c2fb82

Authors

Yanan Shi
Yuzhao Shen
Jinan Gou

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/m3c2fb82

Keywords:

Rural Elderly Care, Embeddedness Theory, Dilemma Status, Governance Pathways

Abstract

Based on four months of fieldwork in Village F, Yunnan, this study employs embeddedness theory to analyse how rural residents' current elderly care practices and needs are mismatched within spatial, resource, social, and cultural contexts. This discrepancy manifests as threefold misalignments in housing, social interaction, and value systems; deficiencies in funding, services, and facilities; and disruptions to local identity, rights frameworks, and trust systems. It further highlights the elderly care predicament arising from shifting perceptions of filial piety, family dynamics, and risk management. Proposed solutions include: creating proximity-based spaces to fulfil rural elders' autonomy needs; increasing resource investment to reduce rural care costs; revitalising local identity through enhanced village regulations and equitable systems; and fostering new filial practices to transform intergenerational dynamics and rights awareness. These measures aim to optimise spatial, resource, social, and cultural embeddedness for rural care security, thereby alleviating elderly care dilemmas.

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