The population ageing has pushed the older adults from the edge to the center of the consumption stage. Whether the pilot policies for smart elderly health care can promote the enjoyment-oriented consumption of the older adults has become an important issue. Based on the unbalanced panel data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014 to 2022, this paper explores the impact and mechanism of smart elderly health care on the enjoyment-oriented consumption of the older adults. The results reveal that smart elderly health care has significantly promoted the enjoyment-oriented consumption of the older adults. After a series of robustness tests, this conclusion still holds. Mechanism analysis shows that smart elderly health care increases the enjoyment-oriented consumption of the older adults by reducing medical expenses and decreasing precautionary savings. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the promotion effect of smart elderly health care on the enjoyment-oriented consumption of the older adults is more significant in the eastern region, among internet users and highly educated people. Therefore, sustained policies for smart elderly health care are recommended.

The general trend of population and development is characterised by rapid population ageing, which is one of the irreversible changes and the basic national conditions in current and future China, determining the long-term nature of the challenge and the arduousness of the task. Since the beginning of this century, especially since the 19th National Congress of CPC, CPC's great concept on actively dealing with population ageing has improved in practice and consolidated the population support system for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. On the centenary of the founding of CPC, the establishment of a comprehensive and integrated system awareness, and the implementation of the national strategy to actively deal with population ageing are important foundations for adapting to the deep ageing society during the 14th FiveYear Plan period, and necessary preconditions for opening the new journey to build a socialist modern country in a holistic way. Specifically, it is necessary to consolidate economic wealth reserves, enhance political governance capabilities, cultivate cultural values, ensure peoples livelihoods, and promote ecological civilization construction according to the Fivesphere Integrated Plan.