Abstract: China is grappling with severe population aging and declining birth rates,compounded by urbanization and social involution,which have made daily care for elderly individuals with functional and cognitive impairments in both urban and rural areas a pressing challenge for families.Over the past two decades,China has made significant progress in developing social elderly care services.The Party and the government have prioritized this field,particularly emphasizing social care for the elderly with functional and cognitive impairments.This approach mobilizes collective societal resources to alleviate individual hardships and resolve care-giving burdens faced by families.Social care,as a specialized component of social elderly care services,specifically targets this vulnerable group.Currently,provinces and municipalities across China are advancing social care initiatives for this demographic,positioning them as a critical “safety-net guarantee” within the broader elderly care system.However,compared to the actual needs of these elderly individuals,such social safeguards remain in their infancy,with legal frameworks notably lagging.Establishing a rule-of-law system for social elderly care services with Chinese characteristics is the most reliable guarantee for ensuring effective social care for the elderly with functional and cognitive impairments.

Key words: the elderly with functional and cognitive impairments, social care, rule of law for social elderly care services, Social Elderly Care Service Law