Changing family’s role in long-term care provision in China from the defamilialisation perspective: empirical evidence from Guangzhou

The family is the primary care provider for many older people. It is no exception in China. With the ongoing exploration of long-term care in several pilot cities in China, older people with disabilities can access care provided by both family and non-family caregivers, reimbursed by public insurance. Whether the family’s role as a main direct caregiver in China has changed remains to be investigated. Therefore, this qualitative study examines the family’s role in long-term care in China, embedding the analysis from a defamilialisation perspective. Based on 24 qualitative interviews (16 family caregivers and 8 care recipients) in Guangzhou City, this study reveals that the family has specified its role in money and labour dimensions. With both money-familialisation and labour-defamilialisation, the family is vital in supporting its members by coordinating resources. The availability of care alternatives and family support is crucial for the family in adjusting its caregiving role. Family-centred policies should therefore be advocated to support the family in fulfilling its caregiving function.