Guo Feng, a 39-year-old with Down syndrome, waits for a bus with his mother, Meng Fanrong. [Photo by Liang Yingfei/For China Daily] A lack of care options means many will have no support when their elderly parents die, as Xin Wen reports. Meng Fanrong once considered jumping into the Pearl River in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with her baby son in her arms because she was fearful of the future that awaited him. Meng, now 70, quickly abandoned the idea, but her concerns over the future of her son, who has Down syndrome, persist nearly 40 years later. Guo Feng, 39, is unable to speak, so he can't alert anyone if he is unwell or experiencing pain, and Meng can only discern his state of health through tiny changes in his expression. He is also unable to care for himself or perform basic tasks, and it took years to teach him basic skills, such as getting a newspaper from the newsstand or pouring water from the kettle. Down syndrome, also called trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder that results when a person is born with three, rather than two, copies of chromosome 21. The extra chromosome results in impaired mental capacity, delayed growth, flat facial features and lower immunity to a number of illnesses. The mental ability of an adult with Down syndrome is equal to that of a child age 8 or 9. More than 2 million people in China have Down syndrome, according to the China Association of Persons with Intellectual Disability and their Relatives. They have trouble communicating and controlling their emotions, and often rely on their parents for care into adulthood. As their parents age, though, the question of future care becomes an overriding concern. People with Down syndrome generally take a long time to adapt to new environments, and some never adjust to new surroundings. Helping them to adapt requires knowledge of the syndrome, familiarity with the person's habits and endless patience. As a result, many parents worry that without professional care, their children won't be able to adapt at all, and are concerned that caregivers will lose patience and mistreat their charges. festival wristbands for sale
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An eye specialist is warning parents and students about the misuse of laser pens, which can be purchased easily but have harmed the eyesight of a number of children in recent months.Laser pens are often used as pointers by teachers in classrooms, and have become popular with some schoolchildren in Chengdu, Sichuan province.Sold in many stationery shops in the city, most are priced between 5 yuan and 200 yuan ($0.8-$31). They can emit a narrow beam of light in either red, blue or green with a single click of a button.But pointing a laser beam into a person's eyes can damage the delicate organs. A number of students have sought treatment at the Ineye Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Xie Airui, an eye specialist at the hospital, has received two boys since September whose visual acuity fell off sharply after incidents involving laser pens. The first boy's eyes were burned. He couldn't see an object 10 centimeters away. A checkup showed that the macular area of his retina had been damaged, Xie said.The macular area is the most sensitive part of the eye and critical for vision, she said.The second boy, a high school student, was 15 when he sought treatment from Xie in September, after a classmate pointed a laser pen at him.A test found that the macular areas of both his eyes were burned and had obvious scarring. He could only see objects within 50 centimeters, Xie said.The resulting scars were consistent with those left by clinical lasers, she said, noting that damage to the macular areas can be permanent.Four years ago, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued a warning that laser pens could harm consumers. But no market supervisors have taken up the matter in a serious way, according to Xu Bin, a lawyer in Chengdu.
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