After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, 76-year-old Han Dingrong deteriorated quickly. She lost control of her bladder and bowels, threw her own feces out the window, and even hit her two daughters when they would bathe her, leaving bruises. The family went through four caregivers, each pushed to the breaking point, and each leaving Han’s home in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, never to be heard from again.
Desperate, Tang Tao, one of Han’s daughters, scoured the internet for help. On lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, she stumbled on a user with the handle “Elderly Care Manager Jiu Jiu,” who offered to assist families in “finding the right care solution.” Tang reached out for help. Tang paid a 99-yuan ($14) consultation fee and, that evening, received a detailed plan from Jiu Jiu recommending five nursing homes.
After visiting Jiu Jiu’s recommended nursing homes in February 2025, they chose one for their mother to move into. At the end of their one-week trial, the sisters felt it was the right place for her. The family now pays a monthly fee of 4,800 yuan for her care, after subsidies.
Tang says that there was no such thing as an elderly care manager before — finding a nursing home meant asking people you knew, and information was limited. “Now, this service exists,” she says. “It’s like a real estate agent for care. They understand your needs and give you options.”
