"Old drifters" generally refer to the elderly who leave their long-term residence and migrate to unfamiliar cities with their children in order to take care of their children or grandchildren. Such elderly people often need to change some of their past living habits and concepts, and integrate into the new environment from economic, social, cultural and other aspects.
The "old drifters" will generally face the problem of adapting to the new environment.
First of all, as they get older, their lifestyles and ways of thinking gradually solidify, and they may not adapt to the lifestyle and habits of the new city.
Secondly, due to language and life differences, the "old drifters" rarely go out, have fewer opportunities to interact with other people, and lack of participation in community activities, so they are easy to become "invisible people" in the community.
Thirdly, the "old drifters" are prone to disagreements with their children in terms of parenting concepts and life concepts, and these differences are easy to make the elderly feel anxious and helpless psychologically.
Finally, there is inconvenience in the medical treatment of the "old drifters", because they are not local hukou, medical insurance reimbursement is more troublesome, and they are not familiar with the place, some "old drifters" are sick but unwilling to seek medical treatment.
It is inevitable that the "old drifters" will encounter difficulties in adapting to the new environment, and they must always believe that this is only temporary, and that as long as they work hard to accept and learn new things, they can integrate into the new city.
The "old drifters" can do the following:
●Maintain an open mind and take the initiative to accept the environment of the new city: The elderly should adjust their mentality, be at peace with the situation, and take the initiative to accept the lifestyle, living habits and customs of the new city.
●Maintain enthusiasm for learning and learn about new things around you: Older people should take the initiative to learn local customs, living habits and skills that will help them adapt to urban life. The way to learn can be to observe what other people are doing, communicate with other "old drifters", etc.
●Participate more in community activities and actively integrate into the surrounding environment: In addition to playing the role of family caregivers, the elderly can take the initiative to participate in community activities, buy groceries with their neighbors, chat, and visit homes, so that they can make new friends in their interactions and gradually integrate into the new city from the psychological and social level.
●Take the initiative to communicate with children and seek social support from children: the elderly should express to their children in a timely manner the troubles they face in adapting to the new environment, and seek help from their families when they are in difficulty.
Content Sources:
People's Medical Publishing House published "100,000 Healthy Whys Series - Protecting the Health of the Elderly"
Editor-in-Chief of the book:
Yu Pulin, an expert of the National Health Science Popularization Expert Database and a researcher at Beijing Hospital
Zhang Cuntai, an expert of the National Health Science Popularization Expert Database and a professor at Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Author of this article:
Chinese People's University Xie Lili Deng Ningfei
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