老年人养老服务合同法律规制困境与破解路径

Research on the Legal Regulation Dilemma and Solution Path of Elderly Care Service Contracts for the Elderly

摘要: 在深度老龄化社会与“银发经济”快速发展的背景下，养老服务合同已成为规范养老机构与老年人及其家属之间权利义务关系的基础性法律文件。然而，在现行法律框架下，养老服务合同面临着签订阶段信息不对称导致的意思表示不真实、履行阶段服务标准缺失引发的履约瑕疵，以及终止阶段预付费退还难引发的财产权益侵害等多重困境。通过反思其法理成因，可以发现现行法忽视了养老服务合同作为“混合契约”的社会法属性、合同双方缔约能力的实质不平等，以及养老机构作为公共服务提供者应承担的受信人义务。为此，应基于老年人权益保障的视角，系统完善养老服务合同的法律规制：在合同订立阶段，引入强制信息披露与合理“冷静期”制度，强化格式条款规制；在合同履行阶段，构建刚柔并济的服务质量标准体系与第三方评估机制；在合同终止阶段，完善预付费资金监管与合同解除后的清算规则，从而全方位保障老年人在养老服务消费中的合法权益。

Abstract: Against the backdrop of a deeply aging society and the rapid development of the “silver economy,” elderly care service contracts have become fundamental legal documents regulating the rights and obligations between nursing institutions and the elderly and their families. However, under the current legal framework, these contracts face multiple dilemmas: distorted expression of intent due to information asymmetry at the conclusion stage, performance defects caused by the lack of service standards during the performance stage, and infringement of property rights due to difficulties in refunding prepaid fees at the termination stage. By reflecting on the legal causes, it becomes evident that current laws overlook the social law attributes of elderly care service contracts as “mixed contracts,” the substantial inequality in contracting capacity between parties, and the fiduciary duties that nursing institutions, as public service providers, should assume. Therefore, from the perspective of protecting the rights and interests of the elderly, it is necessary to systematically improve the legal regulation of elderly care service contracts: introducing mandatory information disclosure and a reasonable “cooling-off” period, strengthening the regulation of standard terms, establishing a flexible yet robust service quality standard system and third-party evaluation mechanism, and improving prepaid fund supervision and liquidation rules upon termination. These measures aim to comprehensively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly in their consumption of elderly care services.