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The Impact of Infrastructure on the Mobility and Social Participation of Elderly People in Urban China: Insights from Family Caregivers

Lyu, Yuhua LU (2025) SOCM05 20251
Sociology
Abstract
As China's aging process accelerates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for existing urban infrastructures to meet the needs of older adults in terms of daily mobility and social participation. This paper examines how urban infrastructure in China facilitates or constrains the daily lives of older adults by understanding the perspectives of family caregivers. Based on data from semi-structured interviews with 16 family caregivers from eight cities at different levels of development, issues encountered in caring for older adults, including aging public transportation, caregiving burden, and age-friendly infrastructure, are analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Findings reveal the impact of barriers to mobility for older adults,... (More)
As China's aging process accelerates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for existing urban infrastructures to meet the needs of older adults in terms of daily mobility and social participation. This paper examines how urban infrastructure in China facilitates or constrains the daily lives of older adults by understanding the perspectives of family caregivers. Based on data from semi-structured interviews with 16 family caregivers from eight cities at different levels of development, issues encountered in caring for older adults, including aging public transportation, caregiving burden, and age-friendly infrastructure, are analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Findings reveal the impact of barriers to mobility for older adults, intergenerational differences in caregiving responsibilities, and unequal urban infrastructure development. By emphasizing the caregiver's perspective, mobility theory and social inclusion are used as theoretical frameworks to show how infrastructure affects the independence and social inclusion of the elderly. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Lyu, Yuhua LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOCM05 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
age-friendly environment, mobility, social inclusion, urban China, burden of care
language
English
id
9195212
date added to LUP
2025-06-16 10:17:28
date last changed
2025-06-16 10:17:28
@misc{9195212,
  abstract     = {{As China's aging process accelerates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for existing urban infrastructures to meet the needs of older adults in terms of daily mobility and social participation. This paper examines how urban infrastructure in China facilitates or constrains the daily lives of older adults by understanding the perspectives of family caregivers. Based on data from semi-structured interviews with 16 family caregivers from eight cities at different levels of development, issues encountered in caring for older adults, including aging public transportation, caregiving burden, and age-friendly infrastructure, are analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Findings reveal the impact of barriers to mobility for older adults, intergenerational differences in caregiving responsibilities, and unequal urban infrastructure development. By emphasizing the caregiver's perspective, mobility theory and social inclusion are used as theoretical frameworks to show how infrastructure affects the independence and social inclusion of the elderly.}},
  author       = {{Lyu, Yuhua}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Impact of Infrastructure on the Mobility and Social Participation of Elderly People in Urban China: Insights from Family Caregivers}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}