By the end of 2014, China had an elderly population age 60 or over totaling 212 million; this group accounted for 15.5% of the country's total population of 1.37 billion, which means that China has passed the threshold for an aging population. As China's population ages and the disease spectrum changes, nursing services for the elderly must be expanded. Given differences in the health status, financial situation, and family composition of each elderly person, modern society is tending towards individual nursing care for the elderly. Adapting to the changing composition of society by age will present new challenges.