Constructing the Discourse System of “Integrated Care” for Older Adults in China: Logic, Challenges, and Pathways

The construction of an integrated care discourse system for older adults in China significantly influenced the developmental direction of long-term care services, following a “policy-driven and practice-oriented” dual-track logic. National-level policy frameworks establish institutional frameworks, while localized innovations refine service models. Currently, the discourse system confronted four critical challenges: institutional fragmentation between medical and elderly care systems, power imbalance in service provision, policy emphasis on spatial infrastructure over relational integration, and marginalization of service users’ voices. To resolve these barriers, it was imperative to strengthen epistemic subjectivity, established an elderly-centered paradigm, and institutionalize service recipient participation through policy innovation.