From “Smart Living” to “Healthy Living”: WONDERLAB Supports the “Golden Dreamers” Program, Bringing Dual Care to Older Adults

On December 10, 2025, the “Digital Life” course under the “Golden Dreamers” program, jointly hosted by the Shenzhen WonderLab Commonweal Foundation and the Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation, was held again at the Xiaolanhua Civic Center in Changning District, Shanghai. The session combined hands-on smartphone training for older adults with an innovative gut-health education component, putting the public-interest principles of age-inclusive and holistic health into practice.

Figure 1. Volunteers help older adults learn smartphone skills

Digital Literacy in Action: Bringing Technology to Older Adults

As China’s population continues to age, ensuring that the large older population can share in the benefits of digital development has become an important social issue. For many older adults, the confusion and inconvenience they experience when using smartphones are manifestations of a “digital divide” that urgently needs to be bridged.

The “Digital Life” course under the “Golden Dreamers” program was designed to address this challenge. During the 100-minute in-person session, younger and middle-aged volunteers formed learning groups with older participants and provided patient, face-to-face, hands-on instruction focused on functions closely connected with everyday needs, including photography and image enhancement. This immersive and highly interactive learning model was designed to reduce older adults’ sense of distance from emerging technologies while helping them build practical skills, strengthen their sense of social participation and reinforce their sense of self-worth.

Figure 2. Volunteers help older adults learn smartphone skills

From Children to Older Adults: Extending and Deepening WONDERLAB’s Public-Interest Work

Combining digital-literacy education with health education was another highlight of the session. This was not the first collaboration between WONDERLAB and the Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation; the two organizations have already built a strong partnership through their public-interest work.

Previously, the WonderLab Commonweal Foundation supported the Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation’s “Adream Center” program in Xiaogan, Hubei, through donations, bringing modern learning spaces and educational programs to children in rural communities. From supporting the “dreams” of rural children to caring for the “dreams” of older adults in cities, WONDERLAB’s public-interest initiatives now reach two key groups: children and older adults. This expansion reflects a systematic and sustained public-interest strategy. As demonstrated by its Hubei initiative, WONDERLAB regards “health” and “education” as two indispensable pillars supporting people’s all-round development.

Empowering Health: A Special “Gut-Health Essentials Class” and Science-Based Solutions

In addition to digital-skills training, the session included a dedicated gut-health education segment. As a foundation of overall health, the gut is particularly important for older adults, whose immune function changes with age: approximately 99% of the body’s nutrients are absorbed through the gut, and around 70% of immune function is also derived from it. As people age, beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria, which act like “guardians” in the gut, naturally decline. The session aimed to raise older adults’ awareness of “gut-age” management and introduce science-based ways to maintain a balanced gut microbiome, laying a stronger foundation for overall health.

Figure 3. Gut-health education session

As a biotechnology company dedicated to evidence-based probiotic research, WONDERLAB has always upheld the mission of “protecting health with science.” Drawing on deep insights into gut health and strong research capabilities, WONDERLAB provides professional probiotic solutions for consumers of different ages and with different needs. The brand offers a range of flagship products for specific population groups. Its widely recognized All-in-One Probiotics, also known as the Blue Bottle, have become a trusted choice for everyday gut care among urban consumers thanks to their high-viability multi-strain formula. For the older adults at the center of this public-interest initiative, WONDERLAB has developed 50+™ Probiotics. The product uses a 100% bifidobacteria-based formula developed by WONDERLAB and is designed to replenish key bacterial groups that are more likely to be lacking in the gut microbiome of people aged 50 and above. Its core patented strain, GOLDGUT-BB66™, has a research history spanning 30 years. One bottle is designed to support the multiple needs of middle-aged and older adults, including gut health, self-care capacity and sleep support, putting the principle of “age-specific needs, age-specific strains” into practice.

Figure 4. Gut-health education session

Dual Drivers: Research Innovation and Public-Interest Practice

A representative of the Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation said: “Our collaboration with WONDERLAB has left a deep impression. WONDERLAB takes a long-term view of public-interest work, integrates it into its corporate strategy and proactively fulfills its social responsibilities. We are honored to work alongside a company like this. Together, we are combining our respective resources and strengths to create greater social value through coordinated efforts in the public-interest sector.”

Looking ahead, WONDERLAB said it will continue to draw on the dual drivers of research innovation and public-interest practice to share health and hope more broadly. By deepening its cooperation with professional partners such as the Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation, it will explore more diverse and effective approaches to public-interest work.