Back
China & the Elderly Movers and Groovers
After leaving Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia we took a night train to Beijing and entered China for the first time (it felt a pretty momentous occasion to have made it to Asia from the UK by land!). From Beijing our journey continued on the incredibly efficient railway links to Datong, Pingyao, Xi’an and finally Xining. We tobogganed down the mountain from the Great Wall of China, wandered the old streets of Pingyao, stared up at the Buddhist carvings of the Yungang Caves, explored the infamous Terracotta Army and hiked around the Guide geological park.
What really stuck with me from my time in China were the older people and all the communal activities they occupy themselves with…
In city squares and parks groups of older people are seen partaking in so many different activities: group dancing known as taio wu; martial arts such as tai chi and wushu; Chinese calligraphy (or shufa) being written onto the pavement with huge broad tip brushes; beautiful long kites which are rhythmically flown around the square called fengzheng. There are groups playing a game where you kick a heavy shuttlecock (known as a Jianzi) between each other trying to keep it up off the ground and there are endless public gyms sets with various strength and flexibility apparatus. It wasn't uncommon to see tiny old ladies chatting away with their legs swinging back and forth on this equipment. Men can also be found huddled on tiny stools, engrossed in a game of Xiangqi (Chinese chess).
Loneliness and social isolation are well documented issues in modern society- Age UK report that ‘over 1 million older people say they always or often feel lonely’, that 49% of over 65’s state that television or pets are their main form of company’ and loneliness can be as harmful to your health ‘as smoking 15 cigarettes a day’. It increases your chance of developing Alzheimers by two-fold and can also be associated with depression, heightened vascular resistance, hypertension and sleep problems to name a few. This is considered a huge issue in an ageing population such as in the UK.
The more we saw this array of activities in public spaces the more we acknowledged the incredible value in encouraging movement of the body and stimulation of the mind. The NHS recommends that elderly people partake in around 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week as a way of staying pain free and reducing the risks of mental illness. These socially accessible groups seemed to offer a great way for the older population to maintain their interconnected mind and body health!
It got me wondering how can we encourage and support older people to participate in movement and provide networks which enable them to get the most enjoyment possible out of their later life?
The respect and care that family members are seen to take with their elderly relatives was also apparent. It isn’t uncommon to see younger family members holding hands or taking the arm of their relative. They are often spending attentive, one-to-one time with that person and providing them with stability and confidence whilst walking on a day out. Perhaps more of this type of encouragement, across generations, is one simple way to support in maintaining movement, independence and having the confidence to sustain their own interests and hobbies?
I would highly recommend listening to Episode 585 ‘In Defence of Ignorance’ by This American Life (Act One) where Lulu Wang tells an incredible story about her Chinese family (it is a wonderful insight into the differences between East and West mentalities in terms of health).
Go to https://www.ageuk.org.uk to read the full report on loneliness (as well as lots of other interesting and useful information on how you can make a difference in your own community).