Negotiating a sociophysical space for elders with dementia in Shanghai

Abstract

Dementia, which used to be a private issue due to the stigma and cultural expectations of family-based support in China, has been transformed into a social concern due to its increasing number in recent years. As a response, advocates have introduced the dementia-friendly initiative to deal with related challenges. Yet, as a project mainly proposed by developed countries, we know little about its localisation in developing countries. Based on 20-month ethnographic research in Shanghai, this article explores the localisation process of this global project. While many stakeholders who advocate on behalf of people with dementia and their family caregivers have made remarkable progress in terms of embracing the global concepts and practices, one project – community-based dementia care units – generates a lot of resistance from nearby residents due to the feng shui damage, a specific scheme in traditional Chinese culture. These findings reveal an important source of obstacle – the cultural context that shapes the public understanding of dementia and the ways of arranging dementia care – that may prevent the dementia-friendly initiative from further localisation in China. Through this ethnographic analysis, I call attention to the significance of cultural contexts in the design and implementation of dementia-friendly projects globally.