Background/Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether rural community elderly care services can enhance older adults’ subjective well-being, with a specific focus on examining whether late-life stress mediates this association. Methods: Subjective well-being is operationalized through three dimensions: life satisfaction, positive life attitude, and depression levels. Data were collected from a sample of 796 rural Chinese adults aged 60 years and older. Regression analysis was used to assess the direct effects of rural community elderly care services on subjective well-being outcomes, while an instrumental variable two-stage least squares model was employed to test the robustness of these findings. A mediation analysis further explored the underlying mechanisms through which these services influence well-being. Results: Results indicate that rural community elderly care services exert significant direct and indirect effects on all three dimensions of subjective well-being. The indirect effects arise because these services provide social support that mitigates late-life stressors and buffers the negative impacts of adverse life events, thereby enhancing psychological well-being. Conclusions: These findings clarify the mediating role of stress in the relationship between community care services and subjective well-being among rural older adults, highlighting the importance of addressing age-related stressors in gerontological interventions. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence for the efficacy of rural community elderly care programs and offering actionable insights for developing contextually appropriate service models to meet the needs of aging rural populations. This study elucidates how rural older adults perceive community elderly care services, providing empirical evidence for government agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of policy-driven services. It further identifies key entry points for enhancing rural care service quality and promoting elderly well-being, bridging research insights with actionable strategies for policy improvement.

Background/Objectives: Population aging has become a common concern worldwide. At present, the aging rate of China far exceeds the international standard, and the rural population in China faces a more obvious aging problem. With the increasing number of the older population, the demand for elderly care services is constantly diversified, and the homogenized service supply in rural areas fails to effectively meet the service needs of older adults. Methods: This study employs a multi-stage stratified sampling method to survey rural older adults in Shaanxi, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces (n = 803, effective response rate > 95%). The dependent variable is categorized into four levels: no, mild, moderate and severe demands. Independent variables include demographic characteristics (age and gender), predisposing factors (education and marital status), enabling resources (income and family support) and need factors (health status). In the survey, the questionnaire survey method is adopted, and a multinomial logistic regression model is used to analyze the factors influencing the demand degree for elderly care services in rural areas. Results: Regression analysis indicates that pension level exerts a significant influence on the demand intensity for medical care, entertainment and spiritual comfort services. Family support is significantly associated with the demand intensity for medical care and spiritual comfort services. This study reveals that the pension level of elderly adults in rural areas is a key factor affecting the demand degree for elderly care services. The influence of family support on the demand for elderly care services should not be underestimated. Older adults in rural areas have a high demand for medical care services. Conclusions: A gap remains between elderly care service resources and the needs of older adults in rural areas of China. The government should pay attention to allocating and optimizing elderly care service resources to meet the needs of older adults.