Objective This study aims to explore the formation of the dilemma of"giving care"for disabled elderly people in nursing homes from the perspective of active health.Methods Purposive sampling was used to select caregivers and disabled elderly people from a nursing home in Chongqing as research subjects from July 2022 to December 2022.One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted and Colaizzi's 7-step thematic analysis method was employed to collect and analyze the interview data.Results 4 themes were identified:①the dominance of the"giving"care concept,including the cultural thoughts of filial piety,passive acceptance of care characteristics and consumer psychology regarding paid services;②insufficient"participation"care ability,including lack of knowledge regarding active health and a weakening of skills to promote participation;③the hindrance to"transformation"of care models,including objective limitations in terms of human resources and delays in adapting aging environments;and ④the decline in"utilization"of internal abilities,including excessive avoidance of potential risks,a heavy workload of care and poor quality of individual care.Conclusion The formation of the dilemma of"giving care"for disabled elderly people in nursing homes is affected by multiple factors such as social background,service system,supply resources,and management mode.Transforming disabled elderly individuals from a state of"passive giving care"to"active participation in their health"is an important measure to realize the concept of positive aging and healthy aging.