PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2018, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (10): 1416-1429.doi: 10.18306/dlkxjz.2018.10.011

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research progress and prospects of Chinese geriatric geography

Xin XU1,3,4,5(), Yuan ZHAO1,2,3,4,5,6,*(), Xinlin ZHANG1,3,4,5, Tonggang ZENG1,3,4,5, Siyou XIA1,3,4,5, Qianqian XIE1,3,4,5, Qi SUN1,3,4,5   

  1. 1. School of Geographic Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
    2. Jinling College, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, China
    3. Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing 210023, China
    4. Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment (Nanjing Normal University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210023, China
    5. State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Geographical Environment Evolution (Jiangsu Province), Nanjing 210023, China
    6. International Center for Aging and Health Studies (Nanjing Normal University), Nanjing 210097, China
  • Received:2018-01-23 Revised:2018-06-25 Online:2018-10-28 Published:2018-10-28
  • Contact: Yuan ZHAO E-mail:xuxin199010@126.com;zhaoyuan@njnu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Social Science Foundation of China, No. 18BRK031;Research Project of the Policy Theory of the Aging Office in 2018, No. QLB2018A035

Abstract:

Under the background of China's comprehensive entry into an aging society, the problem of aging has gradually become the new normal and the focus of attention of scholars. This study combineed knowledge map analysis with traditional literature research method. Based on the CiteSpace V software and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, we analyzed the hot spots in the study of geriatric geography in the past 15 years. The main perspectives of the geography of gerontology in China were summarized by keywords. The results as follows: (1) Spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanism of population aging and spatial organization and satisfaction of elderly care facilities become the hot fields in the study of geriatric geography in recent years. But future study should focus on broader geographic scope and smaller scale, as well as in-depth examination of driving mechanisms. The spatial allocation of elderly care facilities lacks consideration of the special needs of the elderly. A multi-dimensional integration of elderly resident social life, emotional belongingness, and social resources into the local community is the key direction of community construction and elderly care in the future. A theoretical framework and policies on home-based elderly care with Chinese characteristics are yet to be developed to guide practice. (2) Health and environment of the elderly has become a new research area. Examining the relationship between the health and environment of the elderly at the macro level and the emotional experience and local dependence of the elderly at the micro level, exploring the spatial relationship between health and environment, and identifying and quantifying human factors of this relationship have become the main direction of research. (3) Quantitative and qualitative studies on spatial behavior of the elderly need to be complementary and integrated. Exploring the integration of behaviorist geography that emphasizes individual cognition and behavior preference and time-geography that emphasizes the integrity and restriction of time and space will become the future development direction. The purpose of this study is to provide some insights for the development of Chinese geriatric geography.

Key words: geriatric geography, research progress, review and prospect, CiteSpace analysis, China