However, she quickly learned a lesson that no product description can teach.

"If I give them a toy and walk away, they won't play. They are like children. They need someone beside them and simple interaction.

"When I was little, they played with me. Now I play with them," Guo said.

Like Guo, a growing number of families are turning to toys not just for entertainment, but as tools for connection and cognitive care.

Besides medical treatment, Chu Yue provides toys for her 66-year-old mother, who has developed symptoms of memory decline.

The 41-year-old from Daqing, Heilongjiang province, said: "My mother had even gotten lost inside her own neighborhood. She was worried that she might have developed dementia."

Chu went online and typed a simple search: "Toys to prevent dementia for the elderly."