Long Read: Dealing With Dementia

One family’s ordeal shows how the disease, which is a growing problem in China, could impact the country as the population ages

Over 10 years of caring for my grandmother with dementia, my father, in his 60s, fell into depression. As China’s rapidly ages population, can the traditional virtue of filial piety withstand sustain the seemingly endless challenges of caregiving? Photo: Dong De/Caixin

Editor’s note: The China Alzheimer Report 2024 shows approximately 17 million people in China suffered from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia in 2021, accounting for about 30% of the global total. Coupled with the aging population and an underdeveloped social support system, looking after the elderly with dementia is a long, challenging journey for many Chinese families.

Over the course of multiple family visits, Caixin photojournalist Dong De captured his grandma’s gradual deterioration from dementia over the past 10 years, as well as how her worsened symptoms have profoundly transformed the daily lives of his father and other family members.

My father has been diagnosed with depression. The pressure of caring day in and day out for my grandma, who suffers from dementia, has worn him out when he should be enjoying his retirement.

This tragic reality, which will only increase with China’s aging population projected to account for around one-third of the total by 2050, begs the question: Can China’s tradition of filial piety that compels children to look after their parents endure the intense demands of such caregiving?