Introduction

As the Asia-Pacific region experiences rapid population ageing, ensuring older people's access to care is increasingly critical. However, existing theoretical frameworks primarily focus on formal health care in Western contexts, leaving access to social care in Asia largely under-researched. This edited volume addresses this gap through seven empirical case studies across six diverse Asian contexts: South Korea, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia. By analysing barriers and facilitators at the macro, meso, and micro levels, the volume inductively develops a novel conceptual framework to understand access to social care across varying high- and middle-income socio-economic settings.