ABSTRACT
China's aging population poses formidable challenges to the government, which must find ways to meet the present and impending financial and long-term care needs of the elderly. A national network of community-based social welfare services is emerging to meet those needs, and will soon become the dominant source of social welfare for the care of older people in China. Being one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world, China has to face all the social and economic issues of elder care found in developed countries but must deal with numbers that are far greater. Overall, older people in China still largely rely on their families for support and care, as is typically the case across Asia. Welfare services administered by the street office are targeted for older people, people with disabilities, the young, military veterans, poverty-stricken families, and the unemployed. The street offices often establish community-service centers providing welfare, educational, and health services as well.
