Gentle Revolution Under the Roof of the Old Town 01

In a century old mansion next to the Confucius Temple in Nanjing, two wooden handrails have been added to the vermilion door frame. At first glance, it appears to be seamlessly integrated with the original carving, and only when the elderly person presses it with their palm, the embedded anti slip pattern will reveal its traces. Grandma Zhou, who lives here, said that this reminds her of the time when she helped her grandson walk by the door frame when she was young.

This kind of 'invisible transformation' is quietly growing in the old streets and alleys of Nanjing. As one of the earliest urban agglomerations in China to enter deep aging, as of October 2024, the population of people aged 60 and above in Jiangsu has exceeded 20 million, of which 90% choose home-based elderly care.

Faced with the conflict between mottled brick walls and modern safety standards, Nanjing has explored a unique path: in historic districts, the thresholds of Republican buildings have been transformed into removable gentle slopes; In the quaint old house, millimeter wave radar monitoring equipment is hidden in traditional floral window patterns. A professor from the School of Architecture at Southeast University pointed out, "True aging adaptation is not about covering history, but about teaching old spaces to gently carry aging

The symbiotic experiment of policy temperature and market awakening in 02

When aging becomes an inevitable issue, Jiangsu's policy design shows foresight. Nanjing took the lead in breaking down the barriers to registered residence, launched the "rejuvenation" action of home-based aging products, and covered the transformation subsidies to the permanent elderly. Behind this flexible policy is a profound understanding of the laws of life: aging is not a sudden event, but a slow process.

The changes on the market side are equally intriguing. Local enterprises are starting to abandon the "medical device style" transformation approach and instead draw inspiration from Jiangnan culture. A well-established furniture factory in Nanjing has improved the Ming style armchair into an elderly friendly seat, with the backrest curvature fitting the curve of the spine, and the blue and white porcelain pattern on the armrest is actually an emergency call button. The continuation of this cultural gene makes transformation no longer cold. The intervention of the younger generation brings a new atmosphere: design schools offer "aging experience courses", requiring students to wear joint restriction devices to live and understand the dialogue between space and body in sensory deprivation.   

The Triple Dilemma of 03 Reformers

In an old community in Gulou District, Nanjing, the construction team encountered difficulties beyond textbooks. Grandpa Wu, who is 80 years old, insists on keeping the cast iron bathtub that he has used for half his life, claiming that it is a memory left by his deceased wife. The final plan is to install invisible anti slip strips on the inside of the bathtub and transform the edges into foldable seat boards. This case exposes a deep-seated contradiction in the industry: the conflict between standardized security solutions and individual life memory.

The deeper challenge comes from the cognitive level. Research shows that over 60% of young elderly people equate aging friendly renovation with "useless labeling", preferring to use cotton ropes to reinforce old furniture rather than accepting professional renovation. This resistance reflects the collective anxiety of society towards aging - when handrails become objectified symbols of aging, safety becomes the enemy of dignity. A design team in Nanjing created the concept of "memory carrier" for this: using old photos collected by the elderly to make anti-collision corner protectors, and transforming old sewing machine parts into armrests. These attempts demonstrate that emotional connections may be more effective in breaking down barriers than technical parameters.

The paradox of technological empowerment is also worthy of vigilance. A smart community in Jiangning District is equipped with a top-notch monitoring system, but an elderly person living alone, Grandma Zhang, said, "It can detect me falling, but it doesn't know why I sit still with the lights on at three in the morning." This precise and rough difference reminds us that data can capture body movements, but it is difficult to measure the depth of loneliness.   

04 Refactoring the Value Dimension of Aging Adaptation

To solve the dilemma, we need to return to the essence: aging adaptation is not a spatial transformation, but a reconstruction of social cognition. In the pilot community of Jiangbei New Area in Nanjing, the corridor rest chairs are designed in the style of a chess table, and the anti slip passage outlines the jumping house grid. The breakthrough of this "age friendly" concept lies in eliminating the label of "age appropriate=specialization" and making safety a shared foundation for everyone.

Innovation at the professional level is equally urgent. The "Welfare Living Environment Consultant" system in Japan brings inspiration - assessors need to have both architectural and geriatric medical literacy, be able to understand the pauses when elderly people touch door frames, and the subconscious hesitations at certain corners. Nanjing is cultivating cross-border talents who not only carry measuring instruments, but also know how to carry listening ears.

The most fundamental transformation may lie in a renewed understanding of the meaning of 'home'. In a renovation case in Suzhou, the designer found that the elderly always hid medication in a vase in the living room, just to maintain the dignity of "this is not a ward". The final plan removed all explicit medical elements and instead embedded the medicine box in the dark grid of the Bogu shelf. This reminds practitioners that true safety should grow within the folds of lifestyle habits.

Make an appointment with the future and build a beautiful silver hair together

When the leaves of wutong trees on Yihe Road in Nanjing were yellow, the city's thinking and practice on adapting to aging will soon blossom on a larger stage. From October 23rd to 25th, the China (Jiangsu) International Senior Expo will kick off at the Nanjing International Expo Center. This grand event of silver economy not only gathers cutting-edge aging friendly renovation solutions and intelligent products from around the world, but also presents a deep dialogue about "dignified elderly care" - from the invisible armrest design of Jiangnan residential buildings to AI enabled non-contact health monitoring; From the spatial transformation of memory carriers to the blueprint of age friendly communities, every booth is a window reflecting the innovative response of an aging society.

A wonderful review of the previous Jiangsu Old Expo

Here, you will touch the temperature of technology: smart homes learn to "hide", millimeter wave radar guards security without invading privacy; Here, you will see the resilience of culture: Su embroidery patterns hide emergency buttons, and Ming style furniture is endowed with age appropriate and new solutions; Here, you will also encounter the future of the industry - architects and physicians discussing solutions together, and young people and the elderly experiencing products side by side.

We sincerely invite every friend who cares about the issue of aging to step into this warm technological revolution. Whether it's finding a safer home for parents, exploring more sustainable paths for the industry, or simply wanting to see how this city reconciles old houses with the new era, the Jiangsu Old Expo will give you the answer. Let's meet in the autumn scenery of Jinling and witness together how aging friendly transformation has moved from concept to life, making "aging with peace of mind" no longer a vision, but a tangible reality.   

From October 23rd to 25th, Nanjing International Expo Center will embark on a new chapter of "dignified elderly care" with you!