Current situation of aging

With the acceleration of urbanization and aging in China, the number of "old drifts" has sharply increased and concentrated in the first-tier, new first-tier, as well as provincial capitals and coastal cities. Currently, the proportion of the elderly population aged 65 and above in China has exceeded 14%, and the aging is relatively severe and is evolving towards increasingly serious aging. Corresponding to the increasing trend of aging is the increase in the number of people suffering from elderly diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

"Old drifts" and Alzheimer's disease

Among these elderly people, there is a group of "old drifts," that is, elderly people who leave their hometown with their children. They face unfamiliar cities, humdrum daily life, intergenerational conflicts in families, anxiety caused by complex electronic devices, and economic constraints. For the "old drifts," their children do not have much time to accompany them, and being alone in unfamiliar cities also gives them a great sense of loneliness. They are afraid of causing trouble to their children

These "old drifts" often think about the problem of falling leaves and returning to their roots--subsequent issues, and they also face various troubles. For example, the inability of their children to accompany them when they get sick. Given this situation, we investigated the Chongwen Community in Linping District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.(Figure 1,2) Chongwen Community is a community composed entirely of elderly drifters.

Figure 1 Field interview

Figure 2 Community invetigation in Chongwen

Inclusivity

The "old drifts" participated in the investigation phase of our project. We have learned through research that they are afraid of developing Alzheimer's disease, as it can lead to problems such as memory impairment, aphasia, loss of use, and loss of recognition. Usually, their children don't have enough time to take care of them, so they can only go to a nursing home. In recent years, there have been numerous cases of elderly with Alzheimer's disease running away from home.(Figure 3)

Figure 3 Elderly with Alzheimer's going out and getting lost, police stepped in to assist

Up till the present moment, there is only one drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Abeta Plaque, which has just been approved by FAD and is not currently used in China. Especially for the "old drifts," their children are usually not too rich. Even if the "old drifts" get sick, their children can only hope that they will get better through conservative treatment, acupuncture-moxibustion, and other means. We hope to expand treatment options through genetic means and change the current situation.