Chongqing Xinyue Senior Citizen Service Center: Grandpa Jiang's Troubles

Chongqing Xinyue Senior Citizen Service Center was established in October of 2011. Grounded on core values of respect, love, and service, the Center promotes social work services for senior citizens and builds harmonious living environment for them.

During the field visit, I heard some moans. When I knocked and opened the door, I saw a worn face of an elderly man. I introduced myself briefly and the grandpa started telling me a bit about himself. His family name is Jiang and he is 84 years old. He liked to eat candy in his youth, so his teeth eventually started deteriorating and hurting. He cannot go around by himself, so his teeth problem has not been solved, which affects his rest and diet. In response, I encouraged him, “Don't worry about it, because we have many loving volunteers. We also have dentists who will cure you later. ”

He laughed reluctantly and I felt there was something else that was bothering him. I found out later that the man had some problems getting along with his family members. Grandpa Jiang has 3 children, all of whom were adopted. His wife has passed away. His children treated him badly, so he chose a nursing home to spend the rest of this life and donated one of his houses to be a local school. His 3 children hated him even more. They have never once visited him since he came to the nursing home. He is not their biological father, but he still raised them; yet he receives no appreciation in return. Compared to the teeth ache, this seemed to bring him more agony. Having lost the care and love of his family, he felt lonely and abandoned. 

After returning, I shared Grandpa Jiang’s story to my two other colleagues. We resolved to get to know him better and set up a case assistant file, hoping to help him out of difficulty. 

Original article written by Ling Feng, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang