Courage, dignity heal scars of Tangshan quake

Emotional well-being

As survivors have grown older, Zhao said, the challenge has become more than just medical.

"Many never married or had children. Others have watched their parents pass away and their siblings grow old, leaving fewer people able to care for them," she said.

As a result, questions that rarely arose decades ago have become increasingly common: Who will accompany them to hospital? Who will help transfer them onto an examination table? Who will look after them when they can no longer live independently?

For those requiring full-time care, the rehabilitation center provides dedicated nursing. Residents still living in Tangshan Rehabilitation Village receive additional support through home visits, long-term care insurance and continued assistance from the center.

Wang Yuanzhi said the rehabilitation center changed her understanding of what nursing meant.

Born the year after the earthquake, Wang grew up in a family marked by its scars. Her mother was seriously injured, and her older sisters did not survive. As a nursing student, she chose the center as her first job after graduating in 1996.

"I thought nursing was mainly about medical care," she said.

"But after I came here, I realized our job goes far beyond treatment. We care for their daily lives and, more importantly, their emotional well-being."

Many residents have become more like family than patients.

"They'll stop by after breakfast and ask, 'Do you want anything from the market?'" she said with a smile.

Nurse Liu Liyan said offering companionship has become an essential part of her work.

Every July, many survivors quietly remember the family members they lost in the earthquake. Listening, accompanying them and simply being there, she said, are just as important as medical care.