Historical and Global Perspectives on Social Policy and “Aging in Community”

This article provides an understanding of the changing fields of aging, family, community, and social policy. Going beyond a current trend of “aging in place”, it reviews community care that once dominated social policy dialog in the United Kingdom, as well as community service that was once regarded as a main solution to the social issues of reformist China. The case of the United States is also highlighted by reviewing a scholarly interest in social support. By citing America’s “non-system” of community support for disabled elderly persons, the article recognizes an outstanding feature of aging in place, that is, the “buy-in” from industry or the commercial sector in terms of its role in promoting aging at home.