When Zhu Caiping, 73, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment three years ago, she found that anxiety, depression and even looking down on herself became normal in her life.

三年前，73岁的朱彩萍被诊断为轻度认知障碍。深陷焦虑、抑郁甚至自卑情绪已是她的生活常态。

It was not until last year, after she participated in a reality show and became a restaurant server, that her situation began to improve dramatically.

去年，她参加了一场综艺，成为餐厅服务员，一切才开始明显好转。

The restaurant in Shanghai where she works is the Forget Me Not Cafe, a bricks-and-mortar spinoff of the reality show of the same name. The restaurant shares the reality show's goal of providing job opportunities for elderly people who have Alzheimer's disease or other cognitive impairments.

她在上海的“勿不了餐厅”工作。作为同名综艺衍生的实体店，该餐厅与其目标一致——为患有老年痴呆症或其他认知障碍的老年人提供就业机会。

The cafe has eight elderly employees with cognitive impairments who take turns working with other waiters to help customers.

现在，餐厅内有八名患有认知障碍的老年员工，轮流与其他服务员一同帮助顾客。

"I provide basic services for guests, such as pouring water, serving and taking orders. I can now remember all the dishes on the menu," said Zhu, who has come to the restaurant three times a week since February and works three hours a day.

朱彩萍说：“我只做些小事，比如倒倒水、点个餐、上个菜什么的。现在，菜单上的所有菜品我基本都能记住了。”2月份起，朱彩萍每周来这家餐厅三次，每次工作三个小时。

"The colleagues take good care of us. They never allow us to deliver hot dishes such as soups. The guests are also very tolerant of us, because sometimes we make mistakes," she added.

她补充说：“同事们对我们很好，太烫的汤菜也不让我们上。有时也犯点错，但客人们都很宽容。”

In addition to providing services, the elderly employees participate in welfare activities organized by volunteers, such as baking, dancing and learning English. Other elderly people with cognitive impairment are also invited to participate.

除了在餐厅帮帮忙之外，老年雇员还参加志愿者组织的福利活动，烘焙、跳舞和英语课之类的。这些活动里，也有其它被邀参加的有认知障碍的老年人。

"These activities are essential for me. They reactivate my brain," Zhu said. "What old people like us worry about most is that our brain stagnates due to being inactive."

朱彩萍表示：“搞搞这些活动对我很关键，可以锻炼我的大脑。像我们这样的老年人最担心的就是，大脑太长时间不用就转不动了。”

Because of memory loss, Zhu writes down all the information she wants to remember on sticky notes, such as the names of the volunteers and teacher as well as English words.

为了避免记忆流失，朱彩萍把她记不住的东西都写在便笺上，比如各位志愿者和老师的名字，还有英语单词。

"But I really became happy and confident because of being here," she said.

朱彩萍说：“不过我在这里确实更快乐、更自信了。”

Understanding the painful difficulty of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, Zhu wants to help elderly people in a similar situation.

深知患认知障碍和阿尔茨海默病的痛苦，朱彩萍也希望帮助处于类似情况的老年人。

"There are many seniors with similar conditions who visit us accompanied by their families. I will pay special attention to them, because I used to have the same feelings as they do," Zhu said.

朱彩萍说：“有很多有类似情况的老年人会在他们的家人的陪同下拜访我们。我会特别关注他们，因为我过去和他们有着同样的感受。”

She recalled one customer in particular, a 58-year-old woman from Jiangsu province, whose husband brings her to the restaurant.

她特别回忆起一位顾客，一位来自江苏省的58岁妇女。她的丈夫带她来餐厅。

"When she came here for the first time, she barely said a word and was expressionless and indifferent. I told her that she must speak and communicate, and I left her homework every time with rewards," Zhu said.

朱彩萍说：“她第一次来这里时，一句话也不说，面无表情，无动于衷。我告诉她，她要说点什么，和大家交流交流。然后我会给她留下作业，完成以后便给她奖励。”

The woman has since come to the restaurant every Friday, and after several months, her condition has improved.

此后，这位奶奶每周五都会来餐厅。几个月后，她的病情有所好转。

"She started to comment that the food was 'delicious' and to talk to others. Moreover, she began to embrace me every time," Zhu said.

朱彩萍说：“她开始说吃的很不错，开始慢慢和其他人交谈。此外，她每次都来抱抱我。”

"People with cognitive impairment actually refuse and fear to communicate with society, but this will aggravate their condition," she added. "Helping more people like us is the meaning of this restaurant and what I am eager to do most."

“有认知障碍的人会拒绝和害怕融入社会，这样反而会加重他们的病情。”她补充道：“这家餐厅的意义在于帮助更多像我们这样的人，这也是我最渴望做的事情。”

In addition to the job opportunities for the elderly, information about cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease is posted on a board outside the restaurant to help people recognize symptoms and seek treatment as soon as possible.

除了为老年人提供就业机会外，餐厅外的一块宣传板上还张贴了有关认知障碍和老年痴呆症的信息，帮助人们及时发现症状并尽快寻求治疗。

Zeng Rong, a co-founder of the restaurant, said the reality show Forget Me Not Cafe has had a great impact on elderly people with cognitive impairment. "I can see that the elderly participating in the show have obviously changed."

这家餐厅的联合创始人曾荣说，综艺《忘不了餐厅》对有认知障碍的老年人产生了巨大影响。“我可以看到，参加节目老年人都发生了明显的变化。”

As China faces an aging population, the increasing number of seniors with cognitive impairment has become a significant social issue.

中国人口渐趋老龄化，越来越多患认知障碍的老年人已成为一个不容忽视的社会问题。

According to the seventh National Census last year, 38.77 million people ages 60 and over in China have been diagnosed with cognitive impairment, including 9.83 million patients with Alzheimer's disease.

据去年第七次全国人口普查结果显示，3877万60岁及以上的中国人被诊断为认知障碍，其中包括983万名阿尔茨海默病患者。

With the deterioration of brain function, they may gradually lose memory and the ability to take care of themselves and might even see the loss of emotions.

因大脑功能不断退化，患者可能会逐渐丧失记忆、照顾自己的能力，甚至失去了感情。

"We should feel lucky that the whole of society is concerned about the seniors, especially for people like us. The neighborhood committee always checks on our situation and watches for other elderly people with symptoms," Zhu said.

朱彩萍说：“我们应该感到幸运，全社会都在关心老年人，特别是像我们这样患有认知障碍的老年人。居委会时刻关注我们的情况和其他有症状的老年人。”

Shanghai is also home to other eateries that provide help and support for vulnerable groups.

上海还有许多帮扶弱势群体的餐馆。

Last year, the cafe Hinchijou went viral after word spread that half its employees have disabilities, especially hearing impairment. Also known as the Bear Paw Cafe, it features a hole in a wall through which a furry bear paw serves coffee to customers and protects the employees.

去年，在传闻其一半员工身患残疾，特别是听力障碍后，熊掌咖啡馆迅速走红。这家咖啡馆的墙上有一个洞，毛茸茸的熊掌从这个洞里伸出来，给顾客递咖啡，同时也保护了员工。

In 2018, A-Coffee was established in the city, training people with autism to become professional baristas and waiters and providing them with opportunities for social interaction.

2018年，A-Coffee在上海开业，旨在培训自闭症患者成为专业咖啡师和服务员，为他们提供社交互动的机会。

"The popularity of these special cafes and restaurants shows that many people in the city pay attention to public welfare, which is the embodiment of Shanghai's soft power," said Lyu Xiaohui, who is on the standing committee of the Xuhui District Committee and is director of its publicity department.

徐汇区区委常委、宣传部部长吕晓辉表示，这些特色咖啡馆和餐厅的受欢迎程度表明上海很多人都重视公益事业，这是上海软实力的体现。

"We have good public welfare and volunteer organizations," Lyu added. "The government does a good job in planning and services, and residents are enthusiastic about participating. Together, these add to the warmth of our city."

吕晓辉补充道，上海有良好的公益志愿组织，政府在规划和服务方面做得很好，居民也积极参与；这些形成合力，温暖了上海市。

重点词汇：

diagnose

英 [ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz]；美[ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊs]

v. 诊断（疾病）；判断（问题的原因）

~ sb (as/with) (sth)

impairment

英 [ɪmˈpeəmənt]；美[ɪmˈpermənt]

n.（身体或智力方面的）缺陷，障碍，损伤；某种缺陷

Alzheimer

英 [ˈæltsˌhaɪmə]；美[ˈælzˌhaɪmər]

n. 阿尔茨海默氏病；阿兹海默氏症；老人痴呆症

stagnate

英 [stæɡˈneɪt]；美[ˈstæɡneɪt]

vi. 停滞；不发展；不进步；因不流动而变得污浊

autism

英 [ˈɔːtɪzəm]；美[ˈɔːtɪzəm]

n. 自闭症；孤独症

“忘不了餐厅”在上海开业，这些老人可能会上错菜，但没有客人抱怨… 05:24 Share

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“忘不了餐厅”在上海开业，这些老人可能会上错菜，但没有客人抱怨…