This document presents research on the lifestyles of older adults in China, specifically focusing on those in Shanghai. It discusses various aspects of dependency among the elderly, including physical, mental, social, and economic factors, and outlines the care needs and preferences of this demographic. The findings aim to provide insights into the aging population's requirements and to inform the development of care services in urban areas.

1. Published by the College of Design and Innovation,
Tongji University, in February 2013
Introduction
This book provides visual information of Chinese older people’s
lifestyles. It forms part of the report of a research project
commissioned by Active Life Village. We interviewed and
observed a number of older people in Shanghai, and developed
personas and scenarios based on the data collected. The
sample is by no means representative of the older population
in China, however, we hope the detailed information about
the individuals will help the reader build an insight into Chinese
seniors’ life styles.
The research is conducted by the Inclusive Design Research
Group, China.
We thank all the participants for agreeing to share their
images. No real names are used in the report. Thanks go to the
postgraduate students who took the ‘inclusive design and user
studies’ module at the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji
University, for helping collect data.
We thank Shan Huang, Wenyun Zhang, Liang Kang, Shu Yuan,
and Jia Li, for assisting with the publication.
Dr Hua Dong
International coordinator
The Inclusive Design Research Special Interest Group (InclusiveSIG)
February 2013
1

2. Care
in
China:
A preliminary study of
older people’s needs
and the care ecosystem
2
Older people’s needs
The ageing market in China
China has become an aging society since 1999.
The people aged 60 and over in China are 33
times of the whole population in Finland (based
on the sixth national census in China which
found there were around 178 million people
aged 60+ in 2010 [1], and the Finish population
of the same year, i.e. 5,375,276 [2]).
Shanghai became an ageing city in 1979,
and it is the first one in China that entered the
ageing society. According to a latest report by
the Shanghai Statistics Bureau, people aged
60 or older already accounted for 24.5% of
the city’s total population by the end of 2011,
totaling 3,477,600 [3], which is about 65% of
the Finish population.
The rapidly increasing older population in
China has created a huge market, and their
care demand “has boosted a thriving service
industry” [4]. The potential market value of the
care service for the aged in urban areas has
exceeded 70 billion yuan (about 9.78 billion
U.S. dollars) [4] in 2008. It is forecast to exceed
500 billion yuan in 2020.
The older people in China share similar
needs to the older people in other countries:
e.g. health issues, loneliness, and isolation.
However, China has a different welfare
system, and there are unique challenges for
care in China.
With increasing age, older people become
more and more dependent on other people
in meeting their care needs. The level of
dependency can be seen as an indicator of
importance for various needs. That is, the
higher the dependency, the bigger the need.
The level of dependence may be categorised
into four areas: physical, mental, social, and
economic dependency. Apart from age,
factors such as urban or rural residency also
affect the degree of dependency within the
four categories. This is due to the differences
in the social welfare system between urban
and rural areas in China.
Physical dependency
Physical activities where older people
commonly are dependent on others or needs
assistance are shopping, dressing, eating,
using the toilet and bathing. The dependency
regarding the physical activities all increase
with age, whereas the urban areas generally
showed a higher dependency than the
rural areas. Chronic illnesses and conditions
are the main reasons for physical limitations
and dependency. In Shanghai, 60.3% of the
people over 60 year old have some kind of
chronic disease. On avarage, older people
have 6 or more different types of disease(e.
g. Cerebral vascular diseases, tumor, heart
disease, diabetes, hypertention, respiratory
disease)
Mental dependency
The mental status includes both the cognitive
and emotional statuses. An example of
a cognitive disability is dementia, and an
emotional disability could be depression. In
research the cognitive ability is measured
as the level of memory loss, whereas the
emotional ability was measured as the level
of happiness. The cognitive ability is more
obvious and affects the physical ability the
most, whereas emotional functionality
such as depression is harder to recognize
and diagnose. It is however shown that
depression is twice as common among elderly
as cognitive disabilities such as dementia.
Research also suggest that older people living
in urban areas showing twice as high level of
happiness as those in rural areas.
Social dependency
Five aspects can be looked at to assess the
older people’s social dependency, namely
social relationships, social activities, social
resources, social support and burden on
family members who care for the elderly
person. Older people who are living with
their spouse or children can get more care.
According to the China National Committee
on Ageing (CNCA), nearly half, or 49.7
percent, of elderly persons in urban areas lived
in empty-nest households in 2006; in rural
areas, 38.3 percent of elderly lived alone [4].
Economic dependency
Economic dependency is an important
factor as it affects an older person’s ability
to maintain and improve his/her physical as
well as mental wellbeing. In China, an older
person’s economic support typically can be
categorized into formal and informal support:
the formal one is pension and the informal
support from the family. The majority of
older people in rural areas are dependent on
financial support from their children and other
family members.
3

3. The care eco-system and key stakeholders
The survey also found that very old people
and older people who had difficulties in taking
care of themselves had a great demand for
seeing doctors. When asked “What kind of
medical services do you want to get?” over
72.6% of the participants preferred the nearby
medical service, and 25.7% wanted to receive
the medical service at home (Figure 2)
The type of leisure activities differ significantly
between rural and urban elderly residents.
Rural elderly spend their free time doing
activities such as house work, social visiting,
taking care of children/grandchildren to a
greater extent than the urban elderly, whereas
In urban areas, older people have the
opportunity to participate in leisure activities
such as attending senior universities and
recreation. In terms of how they would prefer
to spend their leisure time, more than 50%
of the rural elderly’s favorite activities involve
playing with children or chatting with friends
and relatives, whereas the urban elderly had
a wider range of activities they preferred,
including for example travelling, volunteering
and studying.
Older people in urban areas have demanded
various forms of care service, such as
housecleaning and nursing, having partners
t o chat with, and keep i ng a c t iv e a n d
independent. The Office of Civil Affairs in
Shanghai conducted a survey about older
people’s care needs at home. Over 58.6%
wanted to get help in cooking, 52.3% in
cleaning rooms, 51.6% in washing clothes
(Figure 1).
58.6%
Help to cook
25.7%
72.6%
Nearby medical service
' To home ' medical service
Figure 2. Preference for medical service
52.3%
Help to clean room
Based on our literature review and expert interviews, the care eco-system in urban areas can
be summarised in Figure 3. Depends on the types of care, for example, home-based care,
community-based care, institution-based care, different people (stakeholders) are involved. The
target is to achieve 90% of care in home, 3% of institutional care (typically nursing homes);
sometimes 9703 is used to refer to the proportion of the different types of care, i.e. 97% of the
older people live at home or in community, and 3% are supported by the Government, including
nursing homes.
Taking care of elderly family members is part of the Confucian philosophy and is a tradition in
Chinese culture. The family is often stated as the major source of both health and economic care.
80.7% of older people prefer home-based care. Research also shows that 54.26% of older people
are interested in day nursing homes, suggesting community-based care has great potential in
China. According to the China National Committee on Ageing, 6 to 8 percent of Chinese elderly
are willing to enter retirement homes. At present, only 1.5% people older than 60 years can be
accommodated by nursing homes in China.
51.6%
Help to wish clothes
Figure 1. Care need at home
Figure 3. The care eco-system
4
5

4. The care eco-system and key stakeholders
The personas
Figure 4 illustrates a typical day of a care
worker in a nursing home in Shanghai. Care
workers work long hours, and they mainly
take care of the physical needs of older
people, such as eating, taking medication,
cleaning, and changing diapers.
Between December 2012 and February 2013,
we conducted interviews and observational
studies with individual older persons in China,
and interviewed a number of experts from the
care sector, to gain an indepth insight into the
Chinese older people’s typical living situation
and their care needs.
Health care worker's daily routine
As the study aimed to gain indepth insights
into Chinese seniors’ life style and care
needs, and to reflect older people’s individual
viewpoints, we tried to select people with
whom we could quickly build trust and
who were likely to give permission for us to
conduct observational studies. A number
of local communities were contacted for
recommendation for potential participants.
The target people were 50-90 year old
Chinese senior citizens, living at home or
residential care homes, with disposable
wealth. In general, a dozen of participants will
help identify 70-80% of essential needs, so we
aimed to select between 12-15 persons.
00
00
00
6:
8:
7:
00
9:
0
:0
10
0
:0
11
0
:0
12
Have lunch.
Wash and dry
the elders'
clothes and
bedclothes.
Arrive,
changing shift.
Help the
elders get up,
brush teeth and
wash face.
Help to turn
over the elders
who cannot do
it by themselves
(every 2 hours).
Help to change
the diaper for
some elders
(every 2-3
hours).
Carry the
breakfast to the
elders' rooms.
Help some
elders to have
breakfast.
Help some
elders to take
medicine.
Convey the
lunch to the
elders' rooms.
Help some
elders to have
lunch.
Help some
elders to take
medicine.
Help to turn
over the elders
who cannot do
it by themselves
(every 2 hours).
0
:0
13
0
:0
14
0
:0
15
0
:0
16
Help to turn
over the
elders who
cannot
do it by
themselves
(every 2
hours).
0
:0
17
work shift,
leaving.
Help to
change the
diaper for
some elders
(every 2-3
hours).
Convey the
supper to the
elders' rooms.
Help some
elders to have
supper.
Help some
elders to take
medicine.
Have supper.
Help to change
the diaper for
some elders
(every 2-3
hours).
0
:0
18
Information sheets and consent forms were
prepared in advance, and presented to the
potential participants when we first met
them. Each participant was contacted at
least three times, the first time for making
acquaintance and building trust, the second
time for an interview, and the third time for
an observational study through shadowing.
Upon participants’ agreement, the researchers
took photos and short videos of the older
people’s daily life activities, living environment,
and recorded ‘a typical day’, with specific
attention on older people’s care-related needs.
Interviews were conducted with the
participants, focusing on:
- Home environment (e.g. fire prevention, falls,
stairs, alarms, house keeping)
- Personal health and safety (e.g. medical care,
daily exercise)
- Social and emotional needs (e.g. connecting
with family and friends)
- Entertainment, lifelong learning (e.g.
technology use)
- Care services (home, community, hospital,
and Government)
To help the participants engage with the
topics, prompt cards (see an example in
Figure 5) were presented to the interviewees.
Figure 5. Interview prompt cards: environment
Figure 4. A typical day of a care worker in a nursing home
6
7

5. To facilitate observational studies, shopping
activities were created with the offer of
covering the shopping bill. The participants
had the freedom to choose where to shop
and what to purchase, and the researchers
shadowed them (See an example in Figure 6).
The shopping activity created an opportunity
for the researchers to accompany the older
person(s) for a relatively long period, to
observe their travel and shopping behavior,
and to have an informal chat about why they
decided to purchase certain items, which
could give an insight into their life style and
personal preferences.
Figure 6. Shadowing the shopping
8
Between December 2012 and January
2013, we were able to interview and
observe eight older couples and six older
individuals. In total 14 profiles were
developed (see the appendix). Based on
these user profiles,
three personas were developed.
Persona 1
Health-conscious couple
Name: Mr. Tao & Mrs. Zhang
Age: 78 & 80
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: currently married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2 sons and 1 daughter
Monthly income: total of RMB 9000 (the
couple)
Former profession: middle school teacher
& primary school teacher
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang are retired teachers.
They have been married for over 50 years,
and are still living in the same flat where they
got married and raised their three children.
The flat is on the ground floor, and has easy
access to shops and supermarkets. However,
they do not go shopping often as they cannot
walk for a long distance or carry heavy things.
Their daughter helps them buy food and she
visits them every weekend. A hourly-paid maid
comes twice a week to help with cleaning.
During week days, Mrs. Zhang cooks breakfast
and dinner, and they walk to the day center
in the community to meet other older people
and have lunch there. Once Mrs. Zhang
was in hospital because of hypertension, Mr.
Zhang had to rely on the day center for meals
for a month. Mrs. Zhang was very worried
when Mr. Zhang tried to visit her in the
hospital as it is quite far away from home, and
Mr. Zhang does not have good mobility. They
listen to radios everyday, but no longer read
newspapers as they cannot cope with the
small text. They try all the means to keep them
healthy, and Mrs. Zhang strongly believes in
Chinese traditional medicine. They have a
number of medical devices at home, and use
them on a daily basis to monitor their blood
pressure, enhance their circulation, and
maintain their hand muscle strength. They
keep all these devices in their original
packaging. Mr. Zhang used to play badminton
and write letters to friends often, but his hands
shake a lot nowadays and he has to stop
these activities. However, he is still active in the
community as a volunteer. They ex-students
often visit them, and they are pound of talking
about their students.
9

6. Persona 2
Independent Granny
Persona 3
Young-old
Name: Granny. Sun
Age: 80
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: Widowed
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 8000
Education: Bachelor
Hobbies: Reading Newspapers, Chinese
traditional music
Name: Mr. Wang
Age: 57
Occupation: retired retired workshop
director
Marital status: currently married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 1
Monthly income: RMB 3000+
Former profession: workshop chief
Education: high school
Hobbies: birds, gardening, cooking
Granny. Sun used to work in a laboratory
in a University, and now she lives alone in
a two-bedroom flat (third floor, no lift). Her
husband passed away a few years ago. Her
son and daughter live nearby and they visit
her often. Granny. Sun has to follow a strict
diet because of her stomach problem. She
seldom eats meat or greasy food; usually
she eats porridge with vegetables, bean
products and mushrooms. Every weekend,
her daughter and son-in-law take her out,
shopping and having dinner together outside.
Her hobby is reading newspaper, and she
subscribes 8 different types of newspaper.
She categories newspaper and sometimes
cuts pieces and keeps them in different
envelopes for later reference. There are stacks
of newspaper in her bedroom. She also likes
transitional Chinese music, and often shares
music with friends in the community by a
music player with a louder speaker. When
she goes to supermarkets, she will only buy
what she needs and quickly leave. However,
when she goes to department stores, she
will wonder around as she likes fashion. She
wants to keep a young heart, and prefers to
chat with young people. She is a member of
10
a studying group in the community and they
gather regularly to discuss current issues. She
watches Personal Healthy programmes on
TV and exercises several times a day at home.
She has three telephones at home (bedroom,
sitting room, and toilet), and she takes a
mobile phone with her when going out.
She skypes with her granddaughter during
weekends.
Mr. Wang took an earlier retirement at the
age of 55. He commutes every week between
uptown and downtown.
During weekdays, he lives with his own
parents, who are both in their 80s, in a
spacious apartment in suburb Shanghai. He
cooks for his parents. During weekends, he
takes bus to unite with his wife and 27-yearold son who lives downtown. When holiday
comes, the family will get together in the
suburb, as the apartment is more spacious
and comfortable.
you think it is the best. He believes “You are
what you eat”. He drinks milk every morning
and evening, and soaks vegetables and fruits
in water for an hour before cooking them,
to make sure they are clean and safe. He
exercises by climbing the stairs, but he is a bit
worried that in a few years, it may not be easy
for him to climb the stairs anymore.
Mr. Wang is keen on gardening and keeping
birds. Every day he spends much time taking
care of them: feeding, cleaning, and playing
songs for them. He also takes the birds
downtown. He is planning to plant organic
vegetables on the terrace, as the government
is now promoting the “sunny balcony farm”
programme, and providing guidance for the
citizens.
He also likes photography and collecting
Chinese style ornaments. Most of his
collections are fakes, but that does not bother
him. From his perspective, life is the best when
11

7. Key insights
Challenges and opportunities
Bibliography
Here are some key findings and insights we gain from the study.
Ageing: a big challenge for China
• A huge number of older people
• Rapid ageing speed
• More and more older empty nesters
• Increasing demands for nursing homes
• Lack of care professionals
• Urban and rural differences
Hong Li, Martin B. Tracy. (1999) Family
support, financial needs, and health care
needs of rural elderly in China: A field study.
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 14,
357–371.
• Lifestyle
Most of the older people have a daily routine,
divided by three meals.
They tend to get up early (4am-8am), cook
breakfast by themselves, most take a nap after
lunch.
They tend to eat less, and have soft and light
food .
Regardless of their economic situation, older
people have a habit of saving money, and be
economical .
Mahjong is popular among older people .
• Social and emotional support
Strong family support and bonds between
generations.
T e l e p h one s p l ay an i mp or t a n t r o l e in
connecting with family and friends.
Connecting with other people through
community centers, day centers or exercise/
hobby groups.
• Environment
Stairs are often a big challenge.
Lack of storage spaces at home.
Some tend to stock things.
Many tend to keep the original packing boxes.
• Care services
Many older people visit their community
centre for free health check once a week.
Many go hospitals for general health check
(every other week, or once a month).
12
• Personal health
Most of the older people monitor their health
condition regularly (e.g. blood pressure).
Many do physical exercises (e.g. a walk after
dinner).
Mobility is a big concern of the older people.
Massage is popular among the elders, and
many trust traditional Chinese medicines.
• Lifelong learning
Universities for the elderly are popular,
especially among the younger old (55-74).
Computers are used mainly for games, a few
also search information.
Radios, TVs and newspapers are important
sources of information for the older people.
Reading small texts becomes a daily challenge.
• Technology use
In Shanghai, there are already government
initiatives on technology for care.
In nursing homes, currently they rely on staff
rather than technology.
Many older people have medical devices at
home, and use them regularly.
Home-based care: prevalent
80.7% of older people prefer home-based
care.
Families are the foundation for the care of the
elderly.
Community-based care has great
potential:
54.26% of older people are interested in day
nursing homes
An effective way to provide practical care
services (e.g. meals) and an opportunity for
being connected with the community.
Lack of care skills and facilities:
Less than 20,000 qualified care workers
Demand > 10,000,000
Only 1.5% people older than 60 years can be
accommodated by nursing homes
Kania K.Y. Wan, et al. (2002). Complicated
Daily Tasks of Older Chinese People, Hong
Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 12,
5–12.
Liu Jet al. (2009) Prevalence and correlates
of functional disability in Chinese older adults.
GeriatrGerontolInt, 9, 253–261
Mountain, G. (2010) keynote:Will technology
help to solve the
challenges of an ageing population? At the
CWUAAT conference, Cambridge
Su, B., Shen, X., & Wei, Z. (2006). Leisure life
in later years: Differences between rural and
urban elderly residents in china. Journal of
Leisure Research, 38(3), 381-383,385-388,390397. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.
com/docview/201123986?accountid=10041
Wu, B., Chi, I., Kiyak, A., Chappell, N., Chou,
K., Reid, C. (2008). Living arrangement, care
and attitude towards Chinese older adults.The
Gerontologist, 48, 706-706.
www.stats.gov.cn, 2010
www.news365.com.cn/xwzx/sh/201203/
t20120330_335997.html
www. sh.sina.com.cn, 2010
Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2008
13

8. Contents
Mr. & Mrs. Lin
16
27
Mr. & Mrs. Ma
Mr. & Mrs. Guo
Mr. Wang
Granny Zhao
Granny Li
Yu Wei
40
68
94 105
122
154 167
180 189
55
28 39
Mr. Yu
14
56
67
Mr. & Mrs. Wong
79
80
93
Mr. & Mrs. Kong
106
121
Mr. & Mrs. Gong
137
138
153
Mr. & Mrs. Zhao
168
179
Mr. & Mrs. Jia
190
194
Mrs. Wu
15

9. Mr. & Mrs. Lin
Basic Information
Mr. & Mrs. Lin live on the 6th floor of the apartment, in a
traditional shanghai lanes. They have 2 married daughters.
One lives not far from them, another one lives in the other
side of the city. The two daughters all have stable jobs and
their own families. During the week days, their grandson and
granddaughter, whose school is nearby, will come to have
supper with them.
Profile
“We have to admit that we keep these hobbies
primarily to stay connected with other people.”
Name: Mr. Lin
Age: 73
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 4000+
Former profession: workshop director
Education: high school
Hobbies: calligraphy, carving seals, badminton
Name: Mrs. Lin
Age: 69
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 4000+
Former profession: workshop director
Education: high school
Hobbies: dancing, knitting, Peking drama
16
Both of the couple used to be workshop directors of a
government owned watch components factory, so they have
stable pensions after they retired. With nothing to worry about,
Mr. and Mrs. Lin enjoy living their own lives.
Mr. Lin has many hobbies: traditional Chinese painting,
calligraphy, carving seals and playing badminton. He learned all
these after retirement. He usually spends 2 hours a day playing
badminton, 3-4 hours painting or carving seals. Mrs. Lin love
knitting, dancing and low-intensity physical practicing like tai chi.
She does them almost every day. Mr. and Mrs. Lin both agree
that they keep those hobbies primarily for social connectivity.
Generally speaking, Mr. and Mrs. Lin don’t pay too much
attention on the health issues. They believe the physical practice
they do every day can help them keep fit. They use a blood
pressure monitor every week or when they feel sick, to check
whether their blood pressure is at a right level. Every year they’ll
go to the community hospital to have free medical examinations.
And they mentioned the district/city hospital will charge much
more.
17

10. Persona
Mr. Lin loves traditional Chinese
painting and calligraphy. He
usually spends 3 to 4 hours
a day painting or practicing
calligraphy. Now he is famous
for his art works in the Huayang
Street Art Salon.
18
When Mr. Lin waits for the ink to
dry, he usually plays some simple
computer games. But he doesn’t
know how to surf the internet so
there’s no internet connectivity.
19

11. Mr. Lin is also a member of the
Badminton Team Longzhimeng,
which has over 100 members.
Mr. and Mrs. Lin both agree
that they keep those hobbies
primarily for social connectivity.
20
Mrs. Lin has a music player
which can play music loudly
from USB flash drives. She uses it
to share music with friends she
dances with. And this kind of
devices is popular among these
ladies.
21

12. Mrs. Lin dances every evening
in the small square nearby,
through this she met a lot new
friends.
22
The two daughters all have
stable jobs and their own
families. During the week
days, their grandson and
granddaughter, whose school
is nearby, will come to have
supper with them.
23

13. A Typical Day
7:00am
(Mr. Lin) play badminton
in a gym of Zhongshan
Park; (Mrs. Lin) do some
low-intensity practice, as
Tai chi, in Zhongshan
Park
11:30 am
go home, (Mrs. Lin) cook
lunch, have lunch
T h e y u se a bl ood p ressure
monitor every week or when
they feel sick, to check whether
their blood pressure is at a right
level.
6:30am
awake, wash up, have breakfast
9:00am
(Mrs. Lin) knit with the knitting hobby group
in the community office
12:00am-14:00pm
(Mr. Lin) have a nap; (Mrs. Lin) listen to the
radio and knit
14:00pm-17:30pm
(Mr. Lin) paint or practice
calligraphy
18:30pm -20:30pm
(Mrs. Lin) dance with the
neighborhood; (Mr. Lin)
watch TV till sleep
17:30pm -18:00pm
(Mrs. Lin) cook supper, have supper
20:30pm -21:30pm
(Mrs. Lin) go home, watch TV
22:00pm
go to sleep
24
25

14. Scenario
Using blood pressure
monitor
When asked about this
monitor, the couple were
very enthusiastic and
helped us try their blood
pressure monitor. They're
quite familiar with it. When
something goes wrong,
they will try to adjust it by
themselves, and read the
instructions if necessary.
26
Calligraphy
M r. L in s h ow ed us h ow h e
practiced his calligraphy skill,
while Mrs. Lin presented us with
his former works. He does this
almost every day. “This room is
just like a private workshop to
me,” says Mr. Lin.
27

15. Mr. Yu
Basic Information
During the weekdays, Mr. Yu lives with his parents, who both
are over 80 years old, in a three-bedroom apartment on the 6th
floor in the Jinshan District, the suburb of Shanghai. He used to
be a workshop chief of the Jinshan Chemical Factory for many
years, so he bought this apartment in Jinshan. His wife lives
with his 27-year-old unmarried son, who works at the airport in
Shanghai, to take care of him.
At weekends, Mr. Yu will take the bus to downtown Shanghai
to spend the weekend with his wife and his son. And when
holiday comes, the family will get together in Jinshan, because
the apartment is more beautiful and comfortable.
Profile
“I don’t care too much whether I bought a
genuine antique. I just buy things that look
beautiful and interesting. So is my opinion
about life: life is the best when you think it is
the best. ”
Name: Mr. Yu
Age: 57
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 1
Monthly income: RMB 3000+
Former profession: workshop chief
Education: high school
Hobbies: birds, gardening, Chinese style collections
28
Mr. Yu is keen on keeping birds. He keeps 5 birds, three small
white-eyes and 2 GongDianKes. Every day he spends time taking
care of them: feeding, cleaning, playing songs for them and
surfing internet for aviculture knowledge. He even spent 1000
yuan for each cage in which he brings bird outside. He also likes
Chinese style ornaments. When he visits the market, he buys
things that “look interesting” instead of “genuine antique”.
His parents are both in good health, so most of the time they can
take care of themselves. Mr. Yu only needs to cook lunch and
supper for them. Because his parents have difficulty in chewing,
he always cooks dishes that are not hard to chew for lunch and
supper. In the morning, His parents will prepare their food by
their own.
Mr. Yu believes at his age, it is enough to keep fit as one keeps
eating right and exercising often. He also plans to plant some
organic vegetables on the terrace, as the government is now
promoting “sunny balcony farm” and providing guidance for
the citizens. What concerns he most is, maybe 2 or 4 years later
it would be not easy for him to climb the stairs anymore, which
might prevent him from going outside.
29

16. Persona
Mr. Yu is a bird-a-holic, every day
he spends much time taking
care of them: feeding, cleaning,
and playing songs for them.
30
His home is on the top floor and
has a large terrace. He set up a
small cabin on the terrace for his
birds and plants. He also keeps
some goldfishes and tortoises.
31

17. Mr. Yu likes collecting Chinese
style ornaments. He bought
these from antique markets in
Shanghai. Most of them are
fakes, but he doesn’t care.
32
Since his son works at the airport,
Mr. & Mrs. Yu can travel by air
for free once a year. They always
buy a lot of local specialties.
This is one of the jade “pixiu” he
bought in Yunan, which a pair
cost 3000 yuan.
33

18. This is the dinner table, where
he usually puts some fruits,
cakes, and snacks. The cakes are
his parents’ breakfast. He goes
to a nearby supermarket to get
them twice a week.
34
Mr. Yu believes “you are what
you eat”. So he soaks vegetables
and fruits in water 1 hour before
cooking them, to make sure they
are clean and safe.
35

19. A Typical Day
7:00am- 9:00am
take care of the birds:
move the cages from
wash room to the terrace
cabin, feed them one by
one, and then clean the
cages
6:30am
awake, wash up, have breakfast
9:00am- 10:30am
drink tea and smoke in the cabin
11:00am- 12:00 am
cook lunch, have lunch
with his parents
Mr. Yu believes in Chinese
ancient calendars (a calendar
that suggests what to do or not
to do each day), and believes it
will influence the stock market.
15:00pm-17:30pm
go to check the birds,
and then go to market to
buy food
12:00am-15:00pm
surf the internet: watch his stocks with stock
software, browse news on sina.com, visit
bird forums.
17:30pm -18:30pm
brings the bird cages indoor,
cook supper, have supper
18:30pm -22:00pm
surf the internet, have a
plate of peanuts and a
cup of wine.
22:00pm
wash up, go to sleep
36
37

20. Scenario
Feeding birds
Mr. Yu presents us how to feed
the bird with a DIY tool, which
he modified from a hand cream
tube. He thinks the DIY one is
better than the one he bought
from the bird and flower market.
38
Eating healthily
When Mr. Yu helped prepare
supper, we asked about his
opinions on food. Mr. Yu and
Mrs. Yu agreed that the elder
should have less fat. They also
suggested that the elder eat
more peanuts but they couldn’t
tell why.
39

21. Mr. & Mrs. MA
Basic Information
Mr. and Mrs. Ma have lived in a residential block near Tongji
University, Shanghai, for almost 60 years. The couple got married in
1951.They have two sons and one daughter.
Mr. Ma used to work as a Chinese teacher at Tongji middle school.
He is now the leader of the neighborhood committee, so he is
responsible for organizing meetings and votes and listening to
residents’complaints and suggestions. He likes listening to the radio,
watching TV and taking short walks. Mr. Ma has a slipped lumbar,
so he can only walk short distances otherwise he will get dizzy. He
used to enjoy calligraphy and writing letters to his friends, but now
he stops doing so because of the shaky hands.
Profile
Name: Mrs. Ma
Age: 84
Gender: Female
City: Shanghai
Occupation: Retired
Former profession: Primary school teacher
Mrs. Ma used to be a Chinese and Math teacher at Tongji primary
school. Her main problems are the high blood pressure and high
blood sugar. Mrs. Ma enjoys listening to the radio and taking short
walks near their home. But she has a bad hip thus she cannot walk
long distances. She cooks almost every day.
Mr. and Mrs. Ma have many medical devices, which they use in the
evening. They think it is important to keep healthy. They care a lot
about the nutrients in the vegetables and food. Mr. and Mrs. Ma
wish to lead a calm and healthy life.
Name: Mr. Ma
Age: 83
Gender: Male
City: Shanghai
Occupation: Retired
Former profession: Middle school teacher
40
41

22. Persona
Mr. & Mrs. Ma have been
married for over 60 years.
These are pictures of their
past anniversaries. The
largest picture in the middle
is of their latest diamond
wedding anniversary. Now
they are heading for their
platinum anniversary.
42
Mr. Ma always drinks tea
directly from the tea pot. He
does it because he thinks the
tea tastes better in the clay
pot andthe pot keeps warm
longer. In addition, His hands
are a bit shaky, so it is easier to
hold the tea pot rather than a
cup.
43

23. This shelf above the TV is the
place where Mr. & Mrs. Ma keep
their telephone among other
things. When Mr. Ma answers
the telephone, he leans against
the TV to keep balance.
44
Mr. & Mrs. Ma often listen to
the radio. Their favorite radio
channel is FM 990.These are
their portable radios.
45

24. This is Mr. & Ms. Ma’s fridge.
Their daughter visits them once
a week to make sure there is
enough food in the fridge.
46
Mr. Ma usually exercises by
walking. And he also does catch
and hand grip exercises with a
small squeezing tool. He used
to play badminton, but now
he is too weak to do such high
intensity exercises.
47

25. Mr. Ma used to be a teacher.
Sometimes his former students
hold homecomings. The last
time he attended was 2 years
ago. Now he feels too weak to
attend any more.
48
This is where Mr. & Mrs. Ma live.
They are lucky to live on ground
level since there is no lift for the
higher floor.
49

26. A Typical Day
11:00 am.
The daughter is preparing
lunch for them.
After lunch, the children
help to do cleaning.
They cannot do the
cleaning themselves
anymore, so they have
hired a cleaner that
comes two times per
week.
Mr. & Mrs. Ma keep all their
things in their original boxes.
Their apartment is filled with
different kinds of boxes.
5:30 pm.
Mrs. Ma starts preparing
dinner.
Mr. Ma does not know
how to cook. So he had
to eat the food that the
committee arranged for
elderly when Ms. Ma
was in the hospital. But
the rice was too hard to
chew. So they wish to
have a canteen nearby
their house.
7:30 pm.
They use the foot
massageing slippers
or the foot bath for 20
minutes.
They spend most of
their money on medical
devices and medications.
Ms. Ma turns on a device
in the bedroom which
produces oxygen and
anions that can make
the air clean and more
healthy.
50
7:00 am.
They just got up .
Today their daughter and two sons will
come to join them for lunch.
So they can do more exercises instead
preparing lunch.
And the children arrive at 8:00 am.
1:00 pm.
The children leave so that Mr. and Ms. Ma
can get some rest.
They prefer listening to the radio while the
rest for 2-3 hours.
3:00 pm.
Usually they like to take a short walk before
dinner, but because of the bad weather
their legs hurt too much to go out.
Because their legs cannot stand long
distances, they bring a special cane. The
cane can be folded out to be used as a
stool, so they can sit down and have a rest
on it.
They like to sit outside in the shade in the
summer.
7:00 pm.
They watch TV or go for another walk after
dinner.
Sometimes theyr ead the newspaper for a
short while . But the text is so small that they
feel dizzy when reading it.
Mr. Ma uses cellphone to contact his
friends. But he does not know how to use
the messaging function. the Pinyin input
method is too complex to him and typing is
hard for his shaky hand.
9:00 pm.
They go to bed. And so ended that day.
51

27. Scenario
This medical device can
massage their feet every night,
which can improve blood
circulation.
They use a special stick to help
them walk longer.The stick can
turn into a simple seat, so they
can have a short break when
they feel tired.
52
53

28. This medical device can
produce fresh oxygen for
them. Every night they use
it to help them fall asleep.
This is a home-use blood
pressure monitor. The couple
feels it is hard to learn how to
use this device.
54
55

29. Mr. & Mrs. Wong
Basic Information
Mr. and Mrs. Wong live in a compound near Tongji University,
Shanghai. Their son lives in the same flat. They live peaceful and
happy lives.
Mrs. Wong used to be a worker in a factory. She is kindhearted
and always in an optimistic mood. Many years ago she got
cancer, but she has lived with it many years. Every day, she
wakes up in the early morning and go to buy fresh vegetables
for her family. She also takes some to her mother who in her 90s,
in a nearby compound. Her husband can help her a lot.
Profile
“Being optimistic is quite important for our old
people. Time is flying every day. We should
make ourselves happy.”
Name: Mrs. Wong
Age: 68
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 3000+
Former profession: worker of a textile factory in Shanghai
Education: Primary school
Hobbies: watching TV (news), learning new policy
Mr. Wong used to be a teacher of Tongji University. Now he
spends his most time on his family and his website. He is an
editor of the website of the organization “Care for the Next
Generation”. He is responsible for choosing articles for the
website. He is also a good husband to Mrs. Wong. He helps her
wife a lot in their daily life.
Both of them are healthy. And their children have good living
conditions, which makes them feel relieved.
Name: Mr. Wong
Age: 72
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 5000+
Former profession: teacher of Tongji University
Education: master degree
Hobbies: surfing the Internet, writing articles for his
website
56
57

30. Persona
Mrs. Wong lives with her
husband. Both of them are
retired. They have two children:
an older daughter and a
younger son. Her daughter
has been living in New York
for many years. Mrs. Wong has
got cancer for over 20 years.
Fortunately, she has been
living a good life after her first
surgery. She is a very happy and
optimistic woman.
58
Every day, Mrs. Wong goes out
to buy some vegetables for her
mother and her family. She also
needs to take care of her mother
who lives alone not far from her
home.
59

31. From: ggw.tongji.edu.cn
Mr. Wong used to be a teacher
of Tongji University. After he
retired, he lives a peaceful and
happy life. He helps his wife
shop and cook if his wife feels
unwell.
60
Mr. Wong is still working for an
organization called “Care for
the Next Generation”, which is
aiming at helping the university
students overcome different
problems. He spends a lot of his
spare time on editing the website
of the organization.
61

32. A Typical Day
7:20 am
have breakfast, watch TV
9:00 am - 11:00 am
go to the community to
have some classes on
Chinese new policy.
12:00 pm - 13:00 pm
have a nap.
6:40 am
wake up
7:40 am - 9:00 am
go to supermarket to buy
some vegetables for her family,
take some vegetables to her
mother.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
prepare lunch, have lunch.
13:00 pm - 18:00 pm
go to her son’s, wait for a repairer to repair
the conditioner, go home.
From: www.nipic.com
As they get older and older, the
only change is the increasing
amount of their medicines.
18:00 pm - 19:00 pm
prepare food for dinner
with her husband.
19:00 pm - 21:00 pm
watch TV programs
21:00 pm - 22:00 pm
do some massage using a
massaging device, wash
up.
62
22:00pm
go to sleep
63

33. Scenario
Get information
On the way to the
supermarket, they saw a
lot of old people reading
newspapers through the
billboard on the street.
Many old people prefer
the traditional media than
the new media. “The old
people can get a lot of
information here.”Mrs.
Wong said.
64
Choosing goods:
When she entered the market,
she asked for a basket to carry
the goods. She chose this candy
because she remembered
the package of her favorite
candy. She could not read the
information on each package.
She wanted to buy some biscuits,
but that biscuits is in a very low
position and is hard for her to
reach.
65

34. Pick cakes
Then she went to choose some
cookies, she could not find
the plastic bags and asked the
waitress for help. The plastic
bags were at the corner which
is quite hard to be noticed.
Unfortunately, after she got the
bags, she found it hard to open.
What’s worse, she had to use
one hand to take the plastic bag
and the other hand to choose
and pick cookies.
66
Market for the old
In the supermarket, most of the
customers are old people, but
there is no special facility for the
olds. Mrs. Wong told us if the
weather was bad, she would
ask her husband for help. Her
husband can go shopping and
carry groceries by himself.
67

35. Mr. & Mrs. Guo
Basic Information
Mr. and Mrs. GUO have been living in the community near the
ECUST (East China University of Science and Technology) for
12 years. And they have a married daughter and a 6 years old
grandson.
Profile
“We are so satisfied with our current situation.
We are in good health condition. What we
care most are our daughter and grandson.”
Name: Mr. GUO
Age: 63
Occupation: gate keeper
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 1 daughter
Monthly income: RMB 4000
Former profession: automobile mechanic
Education: Junior High school
Hobbies: mahjong, traveling
Mr. GUO used to work as an automobile mechanic in a
company for more than 30 years. Then he retired from the
former profession and now works as a gate keeper of the same
company. Mr. GUO works hard in his position and for his strong
sense of responsibility he always get rewards from his boss. Mr.
GUO usually works on day shift for two days and rests for two
days, and after that he will work on night shift for two days and
have two day’s rest. So during the rest time he likes having a nap
and playing mahjong with neighborhood. Also, he likes traveling
so much. During the holidays, he will organize his friends and
colleagues to travel. He has been to a lot of places.
Mrs. GUO used to be a quality inspector. She is quite healthy and
exercises every day. She almost does all the housework. Chatting
with neighbors is her favorite activity. Sometimes she plays
mahjong. Mrs. GUO makes most decisions on their daily life.
When Mr. GUO is on the shift, the couple doesn’t always have
meals together. Their daughter and grandson play important
roles in their daily life. Always they think of them first. Mr. GUO
and Mrs. GUO are expecting the compensation for relocation of
their old apartment from government, so that they can help their
daughter and son-in-law to move into a bigger house.
Name: Mrs. GUO
Age: 63
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 1
Monthly income: RMB 2000
Former profession: quality inspector
Education: Junior High school
Hobbies: mahjong, singing, dancing
68
69

36. Persona
Mr. and Mrs. GUO have lived in
the community near ECUST (East
China University of Science and
Technology) for almost 12 years.
They tell us the color of their
house is pretty good. They like it
very much.
70
Mrs. GUO likes talking to friends
and neighbors. She doesn’t
use mobile phone and cannot
remember the phone number
clearly, so she records phone
number in a notebook. When
she needs to make a call, she will
look up in this notebook in their
bedroom.
71

37. Mr. and Mrs. GUO are living in
a 75 m2 apartment. They rent a
spare bedroom to the student
in the university nearby. They
can earn around 2000 Yuan per
month from this. Mr. and Mrs.
GUO think that students are
easier to communicate and get
along with.
72
Mrs. GUO has retired. So she
does almost all the housework
and cooks meals. Mrs. GUO likes
stacking things in a pile and put
them in the corner or on the top
of household appliances.
73

38. Mr. and Mrs. GUO win a big
TV in a lottery, but they almost
never use it. They think it
consume electricity. So it is just
decoration in their house.
74
Mrs. GUO always uses stickers to
record things or to leave some
messages to Mr. GUO. It is the
most convenient way if Mr. GUO
changes shift or he forgets.
75

39. Mrs. GUO places some photos
of their daughter's family on
one side of the door. They
showed us the pictures of their
cute grandson proudly. Their
daughter brings the grandson
to them every week and they go
to their daughter's house every
month.
76
Mr. and Mrs. GUO complain
about the lock of the apartment
gate. Always, it gives a wrong
alarm. Sometimes, it is so hard
for Mrs. GUO to open it. But Mr.
GUO is good at open it.
77

40. A Typical Day
Scenario
A typical day of Mrs. GUO
8:30-10:30am
go to the botanic garden,
do morning exercises,
chat with friends and
neigh bors , b uy some
fresh vegetables in the
market near the botanic
garden, go back home
11:30- 12:30am
prepare lunch and have
lunch
17:30pm-18:30pm
prepare supper and have
supper
7:00-8:30am
awake, get up, prepare breakfast
and do some housework
10:30-11:30am
do some washing and
housework
12:30-13:30pm
take a nap, rest
13:30pm-17:00pm
play mahjong, go to chat with neighbor,
knit, and do some shopping
19:00pm-21:00pm
do some housework, chat with friends, call
daughter
21:30pm-24:00pm
watch TV programs
24:00pm
go to sleep
1. They don’t keep a pet
Mrs. GUO had been bitten by dogs several times, she doesn’t the dogs. And for the consideration
of clean environment for kids and daily life, they do not keep pets. They hold that once you have
pets, you will love them. And it is so hard to quit.
2. The old apartment relocation
Mr. and Mrs. GUO own an old apartment. And once the government relocates that house,
they can get a bigger house as compensation. They intend to give that bigger house to their
daughter. They consider their daughter a lot. They are quite satisfied with their lives now.
3. A trip to Korea
In 2005 Mr. GUO went to Korea with his 11 colleagues organized by themselves. It costs him
5000 RMB. Mr. GUO loves traveling very much. He also has been to Chongqing by ship. They
toured in the daytime, and spent the night time on the ship.
4. Physical examination and the medical insurance system
Mr. GUO takes a physical examination held by his company which contains systematical checkups every year. Mrs. GUO usually goes to the community hospital to do the examination by
herself. And they think that the government medical insurance system benefits them a lot.
For Mr. GUO, he always changes shifts and has
two days’ rest time after two days’ work. His
schedule is not so regular and always changing..
78
79

41. Mr. & Mrs. Kong
Basic Information
Mr. KONG and Mrs. KONG live in a 65m2 flat which is on the
second floor near the ECUST (East China University of Science
and Technology). Their grandson is usually sent here by their
parents and sometimes he will stay with them.
Profile
“We don’t live together with our son and
daughter-in-law, because we think different
generations should have different space and
different living styles”
Name: Mr. KONG
Age: 68
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 1
Monthly income: RMB 2500
Former profession: Building Engineer
Education: Junior High school
Hobbies: Newspaper, Mahjong, military
Mr. KONG used to work as a building engineer, and then
retired. He likes listening to the radio and reading the military
newspaper. He buys newspaper every day after morning
exercises. His cooking skill is pretty good, and he is responsible for
daily cooking in his family. He always rides a bicycle. He likes tea
very much, so he takes his glass tea bottle with him everywhere.
Mrs. KONG used to work in a spinning factory. After she retired,
she suffers from mild “three-hyper”: Hyperglycemia, Hypertension
and Hyperlipidemia. But her health condition is not so bad. She
goes to the botanic garden for morning exercises every day. And
she pays a lot of attention to their diet. She takes care of their
grandson and enjoys playing with him.
Mr. and Mrs. KONG help their son take care of their grandson.
Always, they cooperate pretty well. Mr. KONG takes the
grandson to the kindergarten in the morning and Mrs. KONG
goes to pick him up in the afternoon. Mr. KONG cooks meals
and Mrs. KONG helps. They exercise every day, and usually take
a walk after dinner in the community.
Name: Mrs. KONG
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 1
Monthly income: RMB 2000
Former profession: Spinning factory worker
Education: Junior High school
Hobbies: Singing, chatting, watching TV
80
81

42. Persona
Mr. KONG has a bicycle. He
usually rides bicycle to take their
grandson to the kindergarten
and to buy vegetables or daily
necessaries. It takes him 8 Yuan
per month to park his bicycle
in the bicycle parking station in
their community. Considering
the grandson, he places a really
nice seat on his bicycle.
82
Their son bought an autowashing machine for them. It
is convenient for Mr. And Mrs.
KONG. Their son teaches them
several times about how to use
this machine, and they can use it
smoothly right now. Mr. KONG
puts it in their balcony.
83

43. Mr. and Mrs. KONG always
take water glass with them. Mr.
KONG likes tea and Mrs. KONG
prefers warm water. Mr. KONG
keeps his tea with him even
when he is playing mahjong.
Sometimes, they hold it just for
warming their hands.
84
Mrs. KONG suffers from mold
three-hyper: Hyperglycemia,
H y p e r t e n s i o n a n d
Hyperlipidemia. So she boils
some Chinese herb medicine by
herself at home. She has a special
white ceramic medicine pot in
the kitchen for boiling medicine.
85

44. Mr. KONG likes reading
newspapers, especially
newspapers about military. He
buys newspapers almost every
day after morning exercise in the
botanic garden. And he puts
those newspapers according to
the content of newspapers in
the corner at home. Sometimes
Mrs. KONG also reads some
newspapers.
86
Mr. and Mrs. KONG use a lot of
storage boxes to classify stuffs in
their daily life. Mr. Kong thinks
that it is a good way to keep
clothing dry in Shanghai. And
according to the different boxes
they can find things they need
quickly.
87

45. Mrs. KONG likes playing with
her grandson and company the
grandson a lot, so she shows us
how to play a toy. There are a lot
of toys and the grandson's stuffs
in their house, even on the table.
88
Mr. KONG cooks meals, and
Mrs. KONG helps him to prepare
the ingredients and do some
cleaning in the kitchen. Mrs.
KONG is quite familiar with the
operation of cooker hood. And
she cleans the kitchen three
times per day.
89

46. A Typical Day
8:10-9:30am
take the grandson to the
kindergarten by bike, go
to the botanic garden
separately, do morning
exercises in the botanic
garden (bump against
trees, listen to the radio,
chat with friends), buy
fresh vegetables in the
market near the botanic
garden, buy newspapers
nearby, go back home
M r . K O N G an d M r s . K O N G
bought ten bags of rice with
their son's help from the
supermarket. They put the rice in
the storage room, and they told
us proudly that the Jiangsu rice
tastes good.
16:50-17:40
prepare supper, have
dinner with grandson,
and take a short walk
after dinner
6:30-7:50am
awake, get up, prepare the breakfast, pick
up the grandson from their son who is
going to work by car, have breakfast with
grandson
10:30-12:00am
prepare lunch and have lunch, have a nap
sometimes
12:15-15:00pm
play mahjong in the community, watch
TV programs, knit, read newspaper, go
shopping in the market nearby
15:30-16:30pm
pick up the grandson from the kindergarten,
go back home
18:00-21:00
supervise the grandson with homework, do
housework, let the grandson go to sleep
21:00-23:00
wait for their son to come
to pick up their grandson,
watch TV programs.
23:00pm
go to sleep
90
91

47. Scenario
Refuse buying a computer
Mr. and Mrs. KONG don't buy
computers for the consideration
of their grandson. They think
the grandson’s study comes first.
Also, they think their memory
and health condition will get
worse for playing too much
computer.
92
Live separately with their
children
Mr. and Mrs. Kong think that
different generations should
live separately. Their son and
daughter-in-law should have
their own space. But once
something bad happens, hey
will get together to solve those
difficult problems.
93

48. Mr. Wang
Basic Information
Mr. Wang seems very healthy and vigorous. Every day is a
sunny day for him. He does many things to keep himself busy.
He is in a healthy state of mind, although his wife passed away
8 years ago. He loves singing, and he can sing well, even some
Korean and Vietnamese songs. With this talent, he becomes the
captain of the chorus of the day-care centre, who is in charge of
teaching other old people there to sing and rewriting songs by
himself sometimes.
Mr. Wang has two grandsons, who were all graduated from
college and have been working. When Mr. Wang’s wife died,
one of their grandsons was a high school student at that time, so
Mr. Wang went to cook for him until this little boy was admitted
to the university.
Profile
He is the last soldier of his army, and he wants more people to
know that some people have made great contributions to the
country and should not be forgotten.
“I joined the army after I graduated from
elementary school when I was just 15 years
old, and I made great contributions to my
motherland. But the government did not give
me enough care.”
Name: Mr. Wang
Age: 78
Occupation: retired soldier, bus driver
Marital status: widower
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 3800
Former profession: soldier, bus driver
Education: elementary school
Hobbies: bridge cards, Mahjong, singing
94
95

49. Persona
Mr. Wang joined the army
after he graduated from the
elementary school when he was
just 15 years old. He made great
contributions to his motherland,
and he expects the Government
to pay more care to people like
him.
96
He usually puts cover on the
tools in the kitchen and also has
problems with getting things
from the top of the closet.
97

50. Mr. Wang often listens to the
radio.
98
Mr. Wang plays bridge cards on
computer with his children and
players all over the world. He has
a wide range of hobbies, such as
playing Mahjong and singing.
99

51. Mr. Wang got stroke at his 40s,
because they always worked
outside in the cold environment
when he was the captain of the
team in the North Korea war. He
is now in quite good physical
condition through exercises
such as walking, running and
qigong. By the way he can play
five or six kinds of qigong.
100
Mr. Wang has a son and a
daughter. His son, who is more
than 50-year-old and has a
college degree, has been laid off
without compensation, which
makes his family have to rely
only on his wife. His daughter
has been retired with stable
pension, 2700 yuan a month,
who has been working in a
Japanese company for 30 years.
101

52. A Typical Day
Scenario
7:20am
get up, cook breakfast
10:00am-11:00am
go to the day-care centre,
read newspaper, sing,
check his blood pressure
8:30am-10:00am
do exercises in the park.
11:00am-12:00am
have lunch.
12:00am-13:30pm
have a nap
13:30pm-16:00pm
play cards or Mahjong.
16:00pm-17:00pm
have dinner
17:00pm
go home, watch TV or read newspapers.
18:00pm-21:30pm
watch TV, do some foot
massage at the same time
21:50pm
go to sleep
102
Day care
Mr. Wang has lunch and
supper at the day care centre so
that he doesn’t have to cook by
himself. He cooks breakfast for
himself, which includes congee,
toast, fried eggs and the black
sesame distributed by the daycare centre.
103

53. Entertainment
Mr. Wang plays bridge
cards on computer with
all kinds of players all
over the world and also
with his children every
weekend. Playing Mahjong
and singing are also his
hobbies.
104
Health care
He put the medicine into
a small box for carrying
around and installed an
emergency telephone called
ANKANGTONG beside his
pillow within the reach of him.
But he has never used it even
suffering the disease, because
he doesn’t want to bother the
others. However, he still would
like to pay 18 Yuan per month
for it. Before going to bed, he
does some massage by himself.
105

54. Mr. & Mrs. Gong
Basic Information
Mr. & Mrs. Gong were both well educated which make them
middle school teacher. They are very proud of their students,
who come to visit them every year. Sometimes they were invited
to have a travel or see an opera concert together with their
students.
Mrs. Gong had a surgery several years ago and now recovered.
She stays at the day care centre everyday with Mr. Gong. She is
the pillar of Mr. Gong, as she said.
Profile
“We live without our children in Shanghai and
spend the day time in the day care centre, just
like going to work every day. We are pillars for
each other.”
Name: Mrs. Gong
Age: 68
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 6000+
Former profession: foreign language teacher
Education: college
Hobbies: singing Shaoxing Opera, weaving
Name: Mr. Gong
Age: 72
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 2
Former profession: middle school teacher
Education: college
Hobbies: playing mahjong
106
Mr. Gong got a stroke in 2005, after that he could not speak
easily or write well. He had to sit in a wheelchair. He has almost
recovered through rehabilitation. Now he plays an important
role in the day care centre, as he reads newspapers every day
for other old people.
They have two daughters and their daughters treat them very
well, the younger daughter will take them on a trip on Jan 5th.
They have taught a large number of students, who come to visit
them twice or three times per year. The students once invited
them to a super luxury cruise, and in another trip, they stayed in
a luxury hotel.
They are too weak to walk a long way for shopping, so they
often ask for help.
Mrs. Gong had several surgeries and has recovered for now, but
he or she has to take medicine every day. She can remember it
by herself.
Twice a year they go to the nearby hospital for medical
examination. They also monitor their blood pressure by
themselves using the blood pressure monitor.
They hire a part-time cleaner, but it’s hard to find a proper one.
They have difficulties in fulfilling physically demanding tasks, such
as putting in or out something from the shelf or closet.
107

55. Persona
They live on the 21st floor of the
building with an elevator.
Mr.&Mrs. Gong have two
daughters, one daughter
is a tax bureau officer and
the other is working in a
travel agency. They have
a granddaughter and two
grandsons. The youngest
grandson is only one year
old, who is a Hong Kong
born baby.
108
109

56. The stair outside the super market
nearby is not so convenient for
them
110
Because of the little space of the
house, they have to make use of
the top of the closet. As a result,
they have difficulties to get the
stuff down.
111

57. They would like to put all their art
¬ware in a little cabinet but this
will make it crowded.
112
Their bed room has no airconditioner, but they have a little
electric radiator on a small seat.
113

58. They get used to the special gate
of the compound, but it does
add difficulty to their coming
through somehow.
114
They have lunch at the day care
centre so that they don’t have
to cook by themselves. They
take the supper back home, it is
convenient for them to watch
TV.
115

59. Mr. Gong plays cards with iPad.
Every morning he does exercises
for 45 minutes and enjoys the
video. He has lunch at 11:15 and
then has a nap. He also takes part
in activities like playing Mahjong.
116
Mrs. Gong loves Shaoxing opera
and keeps it as a hobby for
the whole life. Mrs. Gong likes
making things as pen-holders
and flower vases by weaving.
She likes showing off and sharing
something with others. She
can use iPhone skillfully, and
she often takes pictures of her
craftwork and records songs she
sings.
117

60. A Typical Day
7:00 am
awake,get up, have breakfast
8:30 am-9: 30 am
go to the day care centre,
watch news
11:00 am -12: 00 am
have lunch in the day
care centre
9:45 am -10:00 am
(Mr. Gong) read newspapers for other old
people
13:30 pm -16:00 pm
(Mr. Gong) play mahjong; (Mrs. Gong)
teach other old people to weave
Mr. Gong had a Russian friend
when he was young, and they
often wrote letters to each other.
They have special feelings for
Russian people, so they are
enthusiastic to Natasha. The
appearance of Natasha seems to
recall the beautiful memories in
their vigorous youth.
16:00 pm -17:00 pm
take supper from the day
care centre, walk back
home, have supper
18:00 -21: 00 pm
watch TV and play cards with iPad.
21:00 pm
wash up, go to bed
118
119

61. Scenario
Shopping
Mr. & Mrs. Gong go to the
super market nearby. They have
problems with the stairs outside
the super market. Firstly they
chose yogurt and quick -frozen
food for breakfast and then
picked some fruits like orange
and jujube for the sake of health.
They also took a big bag of paper
diaper. Finally they bought some
ginger slice and rice cake on the
way to the check-out counter.
120
121

62. Granny Zhao
Basic Information
Granny Zhao’s husband is 82 years old, who has been suffering
from Vascular Dementia for more than 20 years. During the
past 4 years, he has lost almost all his conscience and keep lying
in bed all the time. His IQ only equals to a one-year old baby.
Granny Zhao spends all her time to take care of grandpa.
They live in an apartment with a small yard in an old compound.
They live next door to their younger daughter so that she might
help her mother to take care of her sick father.
Profile
“I want to learn new things such as computer,
but I have no time.”
Granny Zhao also has some diseases such as high blood
pressure. The expenses of their medical treatment every day
are very high for both of them. The treatment of grandpa costs
more than 600 RMB per month, while Granny Zhao's also costs
more than 300 RMB. (The total income of grandparents is less
than 4000 RMB.)If there's any unexpected illness, the expense
will be much higher.
Granny Zhao's family members once suggested that grandfather
be sent into the care centre, but she refused to do so, because
she is afraid of him not being treated as well as he is at home.
Name: Granny Zhao
Age: 76
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 2000
Former profession: Chinese teacher, political
administrator
Education: High school
Hobbies: gardening, Chinese drama, traveling
122
123

63. Persona
The bed in which grandfather
lies is a specific medical bed
which costs 800 RMB. Both
sides of the bed have handles to
prevent him from falling down.
The head of the bed can be
lifted up and down by rotating
the handle, so it's convenient
to feed him. The bed is light
in weight in order to make it
easy for moving him into other
places.
124
Granny Zhao records daily
things, especially those related
to grandpa, on the calendar
to remind herself, in case she
forgets.
125

64. Granny Zhao always goes to
hospital and market on foot. But
if she bought heavy things, she
would ask for her daughter's
help. Granny Zhao always stock
up the medicine so that she
doesn’t need to go to hospital so
frequently.
126
Granny Zhao always buys soft
food because both she and
grandpa don’t have good teeth.
127

65. Granny Zhao will check the
production date every time
before she purchases the food
although she can hardly see the
words printed on the package.
128
Granny Zhao also has some
diseases such as high blood
pressure. She goes to hospital
every two weeks and gets some
herb medicine. She learnt to
boil the herb medicine from the
newspaper in 1991, so she boils
the herb medicine by herself.
129

66. Granny Zhao uses three small
plastic bottles to keep the tablets
for morning, afternoon and
evening. And she put these
bottles where she won’t miss so
that she could check whether
they're empty. If not, she will take
medicine immediately.
130
In winter, Granny Zhao would
make some winter tonics for
inner body adjustment.
131

67. A Typical Day
5:00 am
awake, listen to the radio, massage
7:00 am
wash clothes
9:00 am
clean the room, sweep
and mop the floor
Granny Zhao likes gardening and
listening to traditional Chinese
Opera. She is also willing to learn
new things such as using the
high technology devices like
computers. But she seldom has
time to do so because she needs
to take care of grandpa.
12:00 am -14:00 pm
turn over grandpa, feed
grandpa, have lunch,
wash bowls, clean up
kitchen, help grandpa
take medicine
15:00 pm -16:00 pm
go to market to buy food
17:00 pm -18:00 pm
prepare & cook dinner
(reheat the food from
lunch), turn over grandpa,
feed grandpa
19:00 pm -21:00 pm
watch TV (news,
traditional Chinese opera);
prepare herb medicine for
next day (twice a week)
6:00 am
get up, wash up; turn over grandpa,
clean his body, help him drink water
8:00 am
make breakfast, feed grandpa, and help
him take medicine
10:00 am -12:00 am
prepare lunch
14:00 pm -15:00 pm
have a nap; sometimes go to hospital
with younger daughter
16:00 pm -17:00 pm
have snack & fruit, watch traditional
Chinese opera on TV
18:00 pm -19:00 pm
have dinner, wash bowls, clean up kitchen,
help grandpa take medicine
21:00 pm
turn over grandpa
22:00 pm
wash up, go to bed
132
133

68. Scenario
Help grandpa take
medicine
Grandpa can't swallow pills,
so Granny Zhao dissolves
them in the water to help
him take them. However,
grandfather always chokes
and coughs a lot. Even
once he got the Acuter
Pneumonia because he
breathes in the water
vapor into his lung. Granny
Zhao feels it nervous every
time she feeds him with
medicine.
134
Turn over grandpa
Gr a n d p a c a n 't t ur n h i m s el f
around. In order to prevent him
from having skin ulcer when he
lies in bed all the time, Granny
Zhao and her younger daughter
turns him around three times per
day. What's more, Granny Zhao
had a good idea to prevent him
from lying flat on the bed all the
time. She put a chair at the feet
of grandpa so he has to bend his
legs and keep lying on one side.
Granny Zhao feels tired every
time she turns him around.
135

69. Go to hospital
Granny Zhao goes to hospital
every two weeks. Because she
can't hear clearly, her daughter
always goes with her for fear
that she misses some words of
the doctor and thus affecting
the medical treatment effect. So,
Granny Zhao hopes that she
could be offered with hearing
aid services in the hospital. In
this way, she can go to see the
doctor independently.
136
Receive medicine
Granny Zhao pays the medicine
bills herself. She has to wait for
the herb medicine bags, then
receive and bring them home,
while the hospital lobby is full of
patients. She sometimes mistakes
the receiving windows.
137

70. Mr. & Mrs. Zhao
Basic Information
Mr. & Mrs. Zhao have 1 son & 2 daughters. They are Marxism,
hoping to be organ donors after death. The rooms in which
Mr. & Mrs. Zhao live are about 90 square meters. It is very
comfortable and bright.
The couple’s children help their parents cook dinner, and they
also make a list of duty agreement. Besides, the couple’s children
often come to company and massage their parents when they
are free. They sometimes help their parents take a shower.
Profile
“Now our lives are better and better, we must
learn to feel grateful for it. I would love to be
an organ donor after my death.”
Name: Mr. Zhao
Age: 91
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 3
Monthly income: RMB 6000+
Former profession: soldier of the Eighth Route Army,
factory administrator
Education: Private school
Hobbies: reading newspapers, watching TV (news)
The couple prefers the cold-light luminaries to the warm-light
ones because they think the former look brighter.
They prefer the shampoos with cap to the ones with pump
because they think the former are more convenient to use and
there would be no waste.
They don’t use touch screen devices because they can’t feel the
feedback strongly enough. They prefer the ones with physical
interface.
Name: Mrs. Zhao
Age: 85
Occupation: retired
Marital status: married
Children: 3
Former profession: rear service worker during the war,
corporation administrator, director of the neighborhood
committee
Education: Learnt Chinese characters herself
Hobbies: watching TV (series), gardening
138
139

71. Persona
The rooms look light in color
and they are painted with the
help of their children. (The living
room is light blue, the kitchen
and the bathroom is pink, and
the bedroom is yellow) The old
couple prefer light color.
140
Mr. & Mrs. Zhao own different
types of household appliances
that Mrs. Zhao can use them
alone without problems.
141

72. The height of the table in the
kitchen is 700 millimeters. And
the devices and the cupboard
shelves are all low enough so
that Mr. & Mrs. Zhao can reach
and use them conveniently.
142
Mrs. Zhao is no longer good
at walking, so she uses an
ambulation aid to support. Mr.
Zhao prefers to walk with his
walking stick. They don’t like
being helped by others.
143

73. Mr. & Mrs. Zhao use wheelchair
when they go out. There are
two wheelchairs in their home.
144
Mr. & Mrs. Zhao have high
blood pressure, so they use
the electronic blood pressure
monitor to measure their blood
pressure at home. Their younger
daughter taught them how to
use it.
145

74. The community office offer
lunch sets, which usually
contains 3 dishes, 1 soup and 1
bowl of rice, each day to those
who are over 60 years old. Mr. &
Mrs. Zhao said that they would
feel it is adequate if one set costs
no more than 13 RMB. They use
plastic boxes to carry the meal.
146
The daily necessities that Mr. &
Mrs. Zhao choose are what their
children recommend. They prefer
the toilet-rolls without paper core
because they have been used to
it.
147

75. What they always buy:
1 Snacks for their little greatgrandson
2 Snacks for visitors
3 Sweets and Crispy biscuits for
grandma
148
They prefer the food with the
latest production date because
they always forget to eat. And
the old couple chooses the
brand of seasonings which have
both good taste and high quality.
149

76. A Typical Day
5:00 am
awake, get up
6:00 am
wash up, have breakfast
9:00 am -11:00 am
(Mrs. Zhao) watch
TV; (Mr. Zhao) read
newspapers with glasses
12:00 am -13:00 pm
have lunch
Mrs. Zhao enjoys gardening,
there’re a lot of plants on their
balcony. However, she is allergic
to the pollen, so she doesn’t raise
any scented flower.
7:00 am -9:00 am
(Mrs. Zhao) exercise in the park and chat
with friends, then go to the food market;
(Mr. Zhao) exercise with other old people
in the community.
11:00 am
(Mr. Zhao) take lunch from
the community office
13:00 pm -17:00 pm
(Mrs. Zhao) watch TV series, especially
ones about Anti-Japanese War, sometime
have sweet potato as snack. (Mr. Zhao)
take a nap. Sometimes have a shower with
their children’s help
17:00 pm -18:00 pm
have supper
18:00 pm -22:00 pm
(Mrs. Zhao) watch TV; (Mr. Zhao) watch
TV in 18:00-20:00 while sit closely to the
TV screen because of poor eyesight,
then read newspapers between 20:00
and 22:00
22:00 pm
wash up, go to bed
150
151

77. Scenario
Take lunch
Mr. & Mrs. Zhao order lunch for
the old in the community. And
Mr. Zhao takes responsibility for
taking the food every day from
the 1st floor to the 14th floor
where they live. They just order
one set for both of them because
they think the amount is enough.
The food is kept in a multi-layer
plastic box and the grandfather
sometimes finds it difficult to
open and close it.
152
Take elevator
Mr. Zhao can walk fast and use
the elevator smoothly without
any problem, while Mrs. Zhao
needs to use the ambulation aid
to help herself walk.
153

78. Granny Li
Basic Information
Granny LI lives alone on the 3rd floor of a walk-up flat. Her
husband passed away several years ago. She has gallstone for
more than 20 years, so she is very cautious about her food. She
seldom eats meat and never greasy food, usually eats porridge
with some vegetables, bean products and mushrooms for meals.
Her son and daughter-in-law live very near from her house. They
periodically prepare some food and bring it to Granny’s home,
so Granny doesn’t need to cook much. Every weekend, Granny
LI’s daughter and son-in-law take her out shopping and have
dinner together outside. Both her children are very filial.
Profile
“The setting sun is infinitely good, as it is so
beautiful near dusk.”
Name: Granny Li
Age:82
Occupation: Retired teacher
Marital status: Widowed
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 2
Monthly income: RMB 8000
Former profession: Tongji University
Education: Bachelor
Hobbies: Reading Newspapers, shopping, fashion
154
Her favorite hobby is reading newspapers. She could obtain
much information about what happened nowadays through
reading different kinds of newspapers. She spends 6 to 8
hours every day reading articles in newspapers about good
personalities and good deeds in modern society, which are
called “positive energy”. She clips the news papers when reading
articles she likes very much. She is eager for transferring this
kind of “positive energy” into her realistic life. She takes part in
a community, in which she, with other older people, did some
charity for the people who need help. She said “loneliness” is
the most horrible thing for older people. She’s afraid of being
isolated by the young. She wants to keep pace with young
generations. She likes to communicate with young people about
the articles she reads in newspapers.
she said she was young at heart. She also likes fashion food,
clothes and jewelries.
155

79. Persona
Granny LI likes reading
newspapers and sharing articles
with young people. She clips
newspapers and categories them
in different envelopes.
156
There are 3 landlines in Granny
LI’s home. She uses an old
NOKIA mobile phone when she
goes outside. When she comes
back home, she turns the mobile
phone off to save power. The
landline in the living room has
caller identification function, but
the screen on the landline is too
small and not clear enough for
Granny LI.
157

80. After one accident 3 or 4 years
ago, she got compression
fracture. The sequela of the
accident is that her waist
sometimes hurts and she cannot
bend over well. She puts layers
of blankets on her soft sofa in
order to make the surface higher
and hard enough to sustain her
waist. When she stands up from
her seat, she needs to hold the
chair arm to sustain herself.
158
Granny LI’s living neighborhood
committee installed stainless
steel handle in the bathroom
for old people, which is used to
hang towels by Granny LI. The
bathroom is paved with non-slip
ceramic tiles.
159

81. A Typical Day
5:00 am-6:00 am
switch on the TV and
radio, heat the porridge,
do some housework
5:00am
get up and have a quick
shower
6:00 am-8:00 am
read newspapers
8:00 am-8:20 am
have breakfast
8:20 am-12:00 am
read newspapers
Granny LI takes part in the
routine Red Song Group and
the Communist Party Spirit
Learning Group in her living
neighborhood committee. In
the group, they share articles
read in newspapers and discuss
the communist spirit with her
neighboring friends in their
community.
12:00 am
lunch(use microwave
oven to heat the pot luck
food)
12:00 am-13:00pm
watch TV or read newspapers,
sometimes have a nap
13:00 pm-16:00 pm
go out to meet friends
or sing red songs
in neighborhood
committee
17:00 pm
stay in bed, watch TV, read newspapers
23:00 pm - 24:00 pm
irregularly sleeping time
160
161

82. Scenario
Going out
"It was raining outside, but I had to buy some snacks today,
because we would have a new year celebration tomorrow in the
neighborhood committee. Actually, I seldom go out alone in such
a bad weather. I took a long umbrella for rain and also as a walking
stick. I wanted to take a taxi to go to the shop. Unfortunately, taxies
were very busy in such a rainy day. I decided to take a bus. The
stainless steel seats in the bus stop were cold and had no arms,
which was not suitable for old people. On the bus I could not find
a proper place for my umbrella. I really wanted to seat in a higher
position on the second floor of the bus in order to have a broader
view, but the stairs stopped me."
162
Reading
Granny LI usually seats in her special sofa to read newspapers.
A pair of glasses, a pair of scissors and a pen is the 3 important
things accompanying her when she is reading newspapers.
Sometimes she extracts some good paragraphs or sentences and
takes them down. Usually she clips newspapers and puts the
same topic newspaper clipping in an envelope. But classification is
not easy work. She binds the entire newspaper clipping together
and stacks them beside her bed. She has a big book cabinet. She
has to bend over to get the book in a lower position.
163

83. Package
It’s not very easy for old people
to control hand strength.
Opening plastic package is
tough for them. The small open
mouth for easy tearing on
coffee bags is difficult to find
and the coffee powder always
spills out. Granny LI prefers
to use scissors to cut plastic
packages. In KFC, Granny LI
had to be really careful to open
the coffee cap, or coffee would
spill out because of her shaking
hand. The package of ketchup
is harder than that of sugar to
open. Paper package is easier
for old people to tear out.
164
Kitchen
The electric kettle is very
convenient for her. She doesn't
like water dispenser because
she is not sure when the water
is boiled and when the water is
cool. She also thinks the water
dispenser is insanitary. Before
using the faucet, she always first
lets some water out, because
she thinks the first coming- out
water is insanitary. The switch
of kitchen ventilator is a little
high for her, but 10 years ago
it's OK. There are 3 cleaning
cloths in her kitchen for different
purposes: one for washing the
dishes, one for cleaning the
table, and one for cleaning
more dirty stuff. When frying
Spring Rolls,she prefers to use
chopsticks other than pancake
turner.
165

84. Entertainment Devices (TV, Radio and Recorder pen)
Besides newspapers, TV and radio are other 2 important media
for Granny LI to obtain information. There are many radio and TV
channels in China. Remembering the exact airtimes of her favorite
channels or the corresponding numbers on the remote control
is difficult for Granny LI. For TV, the remote control is a little bit
complicated. She doesn’t know the functions of many buttons, for
example, the top right blue button. There is a cognitive difference
in designing this remote control. When press “down” button, the
channel number goes up. For radio, Granny LI can only use on-off
button and volume adjuster. And she seldom changes channels,
because she finds it is difficult for her. Granny LI said she wished to
own a recorder pen for recording lectures.
166
167

85. Mr. JIA &Mrs. JIA
Basic Information
Mr. JIA and Mrs. JIA live together in an apartment in downtown
Shanghai separated from their children. There is no activity center
for the old nearby, so they seldom go out for fun. They cook
for themselves and have dinner separately. An "Ayi” works two
hours a day to take care of them, whose job includes washing
their clothes, cleaning the rooms and shopping. Their children
visit them one or two days a week. All their grandchildren are
more than 20 years old, and they visit the couple one or two
times a month. They don’t have a computer. Only Mr. JIA has a
telephone.
They don't want strangers to see their faces, for some kind
of Chinese traditional supersitition.
Profile
"It's my second life after the stomach cancer.
For me, it's important to be independent!"
Name: Mr. JIA
Age: 81
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: married
Children: 4
Monthly income: RMB 4000
Former profession: Section chief in a company
Education: High school
Hobbies: Reading newspaper, chatting, watching TV
Name: Mrs. JIA
Age: 77
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: married
Children: 4
Monthly income: RMB 4000
Former profession: Worker in a hardware company
Education: High school
Hobbies: Reading newspaper, singing, watching TV,
chatting on the phone
168
Mr. JIA grew up in a very rich family and used to be a section
chief in a company. He thinks highly of quality and seldom
thinks about the price. He has favorite brands of all kinds of
commodities, and he even rejects to try other brands. He bought
a lot of clothes for himself and Mrs. JIA. When going out, he only
takes taxi and never takes bus.
He has high blood pressure and keeps taking medicine every
day for a long time. He was in hospital because of cerebral
thrombosis a few days before our visit. After that, he cannot
speak clearly. He usually stays at home and goes to see the
doctor at regular intervals.
Mrs. JIA got stomach cancer and was healed seven years
ago. She only takes Chinese medicine and she thinks western
medicine is harmful to her stomach. She goes to see a Chinese
herb doctor every two weeks, accompanied by family members.
She boils the medicine herself. She never uses blood pressure
monitors, because her blood pressure is low and she think s it is
useless for her.
She reads newspaper every day. They subscribe to eight kinds of
newspapers at the same time .She often sing along with the TV
show and likes many songs. She also buys lottery tickets regularly
and won several times, which makes her happy. She usually
chats with her relatives through the phone for almost one hour.
169

86. Persona
Mrs. JIA baths feet every night
in a wood tub and puts a kettle
with hot water aside, in order to
adding hot water at any time.
170
Mrs. JIA always wears a pair
of UGG in house, which was
bought by her grandson in
Australia. She presented them to
us proudly and told us the shoes
were expensive.
171

87. They both have a lot of clothes
and enjoy shopping for new
clothes.
172
They do preparation for their
children and grandson's coming.
They have three water kettles
of different sizes for different
numbers of people.
And they prepare many teacups
for them.
173

88. They don't often go out because
they are not very healthy. If they
have to, they only take taxi or go
by car, and they never take bus
or subway.
174
Mrs. JIA buys lottery tickets
regularly and often won, which
makes her happy.
175

89. A Typical Day
7:00 am-8:00 am
have breakfast (they
prefer quick-frozen food)
10:00 am-11:00 am
prepare for lunch
12:00 am-14:00pm
have a nap
16:00 pm -17:00 pm
prepare supper
Scenario
7:00am
get up and do some
exercises
8:00 am-10:00 am
read newspapers
11:00 am-12:00 pm
have lunch (Mrs. JIA prefers
light flavor, while Mr. JIA
prefers dishes with stronger
f l a vo r , s o t h ey c o o k f o r
themselves separately)
14:00 pm-16:00 pm
stay in bed, watch TV, listen to
the radio
17:00 pm - 18:00 pm
have supper
MRS.JIA
MRS.JIA
Mrs. JIA enjoys eating snacks
and singing. Even she has not
enough teeth, she likes eating
all kinds of popular snacks as
she was young. And when she
watches TV, she always sings
along with the shows.
18:00 pm – 20:00 pm
watch TV
20:00 pm
bath feet, go to bed
176
177

90. Ayi buys stuff
for the old couple
They always ask the “Ayi” to buy
daily necessities for them. They
focus on quality and loyal to
traditional brands. So if the “Ayi”
buys the wrong one, Mr. JIA
would be a little angry and ask
her to buy it again.
178
179

91. Yuwei
Basic Information
YU Wei is a retired middle-school teacher. Her husband suffered
diabetes for more than forty years, and became inactive ten
years ago, so she spent the last ten years taking care of him,
and it had been difficult for her to be away from home for more
than three hours, as her husband needed constant care, and
could not prepare meals by himself. In recent years, her husband
had a few strokes, but each time it was quickly detected by
Mrs. Yu and she sent him to hospital in time, so there were no
severe consequences. Last year, her husband died. Mrs. Yu said
the death had an emotional impact on her, as she suddenly
recognized that life could end quickly.
Profile
“I’m content: I do not need to worry about
food or clothing, or my children. The most
important thing for me is my own health.”
Name: YU Wei
Age: 71
Occupation: retired teacher
Marital status: widowed
Location: Shanghai (city)
Children: 3
Monthly income: RMB 4000
Former profession: Middle school teacher
Education: High school
Hobbies: hand crafts, self-massaging, calligraphy
180
As she had more free time now, she spent most of her time
taking care of her health: she goes to hospitals for health
checking every two to four weeks, and spends around 1000
yuan per month on medicines and nutrition supplements. She
also pays great attention on her eating, and monitors her blood
pressure, sugar level, and urine on a daily basis.
She also exercises a lot, on average four hours per day,
massaging, jogging, and stretching.
She does not need to worry much about her life, as she has a
decent pension, and her children give her sufficient financial
support. She lives with her youngest son in a large two-floor
apartment. It is so big that she cannot clean it by herself, so a
cleaner comes everyday for two hours. She prefers living at
home to a care home.
She contacts her daughter and older son’s family via skype
on a weekly basis, and she can use mobile phone for texting
messages. However, she does not use email or online shopping.
She is content with her life: the only thing that she needs to take
care of is her own health. She believes that health is everything
for a older person.
181

92. Persona
Electric Bike
Bedside
Medicine
Foot Care
182
183

93. Winter Foot
Warmer
Home & Crafts
Kitchen
Desk
184
185

94. A Typical Day
5:00am
switch on the TV,
watching a healthcare
channel in bed,
massaging
7:00am
have breakfast with her
son’s family (a couple
with a little girl), clean
afterwards
10:00am-12:00pm
wait for the cleaner to
come to help clean the
whole apartment, have
a chat with the cleaner.
Prepare lunch just for
herself, have lunch
15:00pm -15:40pm
feet spa with herbs
18:00pm -19:00pm
watch a health forum on
TV
20:00pm -21:00pm
shower, massage
Scenario
4:00am
awake, switch on the
porridge cooker and then
stay in bed, sometime
massaging
6:00am
get up, move the porridge cooker to
the kitchen, and switch on the steamer
to cook buns and dumplings, put the
clothes into the washing machine
8:00am-10:00am
tidy up things, hang out
clothes, fold dry clothes, go
shopping (vegetables etc) in
a local market
12:00am-14:00pm nap
14:00pm-14:30pm
rest, sometime make contacts with friends
14:30pm-15:00 pm
exercise on the running machine
15:40pm -18:00pm
prepare dinner for the whole family (wash
vegetables, process meat/fish, cook)
Eating dinner
YU Wei had three children: a daughter and two sons. Her daughter
and the old son live abroad, and she lives with her younger son in
a two-floor apartment. Her younger son’s family lives upstairs, and
she lives downstairs. A nanny comes everyday to help cleaning the
apartment and cook lunch for Saturday
She prepares breakfast for the whole family.
In week days, she prepares lunch for herself as there is only herself
who eats lunch at home. During weekends, her family has a bigger
dinner together.
19:00pm -20:00pm
clean dishes, tidy up
21:00pm
go to sleep
186
187

95. Exercise
Everyday Mrs. YU spends
around two hours on exercises:
massaging, jogging and
stretching.
When it is cold outside, she uses
the exercising machine at home
for jogging. She will run for
about half an hour, in the middle
of the afternoon (after nap, and
before socking her feet).
188
Health forum
Yu Wei watches two TV
programmes everyday, one
at 5am in the morning and
the other 6pm in the evening.
Both programmes are relevant
to health. While watching TV,
she also does other things, for
example, peeling potatoes or
knitting.
189

96. Mrs. Wu
Basic Information
Mrs Wu is 83 years old, a retired factory worker. She has six
children, and they are all good to her. She lives with each child’s
family for a month after retirement. However, she suffered
dementia three years ago, and had got lost a few times. It
proved difficult for her children to take good care of her, and
they made a decision together to send her to a care home in
suburb Chengdu, which is located in a botanic garden area,
and has hospital facilities. They pay 2000 yuan per month to the
care come, which does not cover the cost of meals or hospital
treatment.
We can't take a photo of Mrs. Wu, so all the photos
included here are from the Internet
Profile
Name: Mrs. Wu
Age: 83
Occupation: Retired
Marital status: Widowed
Location: Chengdu (suburb)
Children: 6
Former profession: Factory worker
190
191

97. Persona
From: blog.ifeng.comalbumpic234175.html
Mrs Wu shares a female ward
with three other older persons. A
hospital carer takes care of them
on a 24 hour basis: fetching
meals for them, cleaning them,
taking them for a walk and
talking to them; the carer also
sleeps in the same ward at night.
Nurses come to check once
everyday. Despite dementia, Mrs
Wu can get along well with the
people around her. The care
home puts a name badge on
her, and she cannot go out of
the gate by herself.
192
From: www.kangmengyuan.com
Mrs Wu’s children come to visit
her every other day. When they
come, they often take her out for
a walk or for a meal. They also
bring fruit and other food to her.
When there is a nice carer who
is patient, and who spends time
chatting with her, Mrs Wu is very
happy in the care home.
193

98. A Typical Day
6:00am
gets up
7:30am
they have breakfast
11:30am
they eat lunch
8:30am
go out for a walk or go to the
rehabilitation centre
12:30pm
followed by a nap
2:30pm
if the weather is good,
they also go out for a
walk with the carer
5:00pm
they have dinner
6:00pm
wash, and watch TV
8:00pm
they go to sleep
194