Returning to infancy： the ethical implications of classical childlike thought in Alzheimer’s disease care
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2026.03.07
- VernacularTitle:复归于婴儿：古典童心思想在阿尔茨海默病照护中的伦理意蕴
- Author:
Jing WU
1
;
Jie YANG
2
Author Information
1. College of Communication， Qingdao University of Science and Technology， Qingdao 266061， China
2. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences， Simon Fraser University， Vancouver V5A1S6， Canada
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease;
classical childlike thought;
bioethics;
nursing ethics
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2026;39(3):328-335
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The negative “second childhood” theory in the West has raised the medical ethical issues of infantilizing elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In contrast， Chinese classical childlike thought represents a positive and simple idea of the overall life course， which contains four core connotations， including seemingly weak yet resilient， returning to simplicity and being gifted with nature， purity without hypocrisy and sincere feelings， and enjoying playfulness while hating restraint. Drawing on the essence of Chinese classical childlike thought， learning from the past to guide the present， and fully exploring its ethical implications in contemporary Alzheimer’s disease care， can help overcome the stigma of the disease and establish a positive bioethics value in the whole society； help caregivers adjust their mindsets and optimize nursing ethics； help build a care approach that returns to nature and enhance patients’ physical and mental health； help create a game-oriented rehabilitation environment to help patients regain their happiness； and help promote emotional communication between doctors and patients and explore new methods of emotional healing. The classical childlike thought provides a novel approach to building a friendly society for Alzheimer’s disease in China and offers Chinese wisdom and solutions for the global care and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
