Daily care precautions for the elderly

Avoid risks, comply with needs, and intervene less - don't pursue "complete care", and don't forcefully correct the living habits that the elderly have maintained for decades. What is more important than "taking care of the elderly as children" is to help them maintain the dignity of their independent lives. This is the most practical conclusion I have come to after spending 7 years in a community nursing station.

Don’t believe it. Last month, our station just picked up an Aunt Zhang who fell down. She has a filial daughter. I heard that she was going to make aging-friendly renovations. All the edges and corners of the furniture in the house were covered with anti-collision strips. She threw away the old wicker chair she had been sitting on for more than 20 years and replaced it with a soft functional sofa. As a result, the aunt sank in when she sat down and couldn’t stand up while holding on to the armrests. Instead, she sprained her feet on the side of the sofa. There are currently two schools of thought in the industry regarding aging-friendly modifications: one advocates a "zero-risk environment" that removes all potential bumps and slips, and is suitable for the elderly who are disabled, semi-disabled, and have cognitive decline. ； The other group advocates "appropriate retention of familiar risks". As long as the elderly can take care of themselves, try to keep the old furniture and objects they are used to. Even if the bench is a bit short and the steps are a bit high, as long as they can understand the position after decades of walking, the probability of falling will be lower than if they completely changed their environment. Both options are supported by clinical data, and there has never been a standard answer.

The pitfall that many people easily fall into is putting "I think it's right" before "What the old man wants". A while ago, Grandpa Li, who lives in Building 3, had a bad temper. Because his children had diabetes, they purged all the sweets from the house. Even half of the steamed rice was filled with brown rice. As a result, the old man secretly hid half a catty of fruit candies under his pillow. Last time, he suffered from hypoglycemia and his hands were shaking and he couldn't touch the candies, which almost caused a serious accident. We have discussed this matter with internists many times. Most endocrinologists advocate strict sugar control and avoid eating anything sweet if possible. However, most geriatric doctors are more relaxed: if you occasionally eat a piece of cake and half a spoonful of honey, the blood sugar will rise by that much, which is worse than quarreling with your children. Instead of forcing the elderly to hide the food secretly, it is better to proactively provide a "quota" and replace it with low-GI low-sugar snacks. Just test the blood sugar once after eating, which is safer.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that is easily overlooked: do not rush to help the elderly with any work. I have seen too many children take over the elderly's tasks of washing dishes, cleaning tables, and picking vegetables as soon as they return home, euphemistically calling it "let the elderly enjoy happiness." As a result, the elderly, whose legs and feet were still neat, sit and watch TV every day. In less than half a year, their muscle mass is lost so fast that they can't even go downstairs to buy groceries. The "use it or lose it" concept that is now recognized in the elderly care industry is not a joke. As long as the elderly person is willing to do it, even if the table cannot be wiped clean, the vegetables are picked slowly, or the dishes are spilled on the floor, let him do it. If he is really tired, find him a high stool to sit on and do it. It is much better than not letting him do anything, and finally raising him to the point where he doesn't even want to reach for a cup. When you really need personal care, you have to be careful: don't take off your clothes when you wipe the body, lift the quilt where you wipe, and cover other areas while wiping, so as to prevent colds and take care of the dignity of the elderly. ； Don't rush when feeding. Even if he holds a mouthful of rice for half a minute, don't reach out to pick it up. Accidentally choking into the trachea will be more troublesome than eating slowly. ； When dividing medicines, don’t just buy a medicine-dividing box. Print the photo of each medicine, how many pills to take, and when to take it in large characters on the medicine box, so that the elderly with poor memory will not take it again after just taking it, or secretly throw it away because they think there are too many medicines.

To be honest, caring for the elderly is not a standardized project. It is more like going to the park with an old child who walks slowly at home. Don't force him to go to the scenic spots you think are beautiful, and don't carry him on your back because he walks slowly. If he wants to watch ants on the roadside for a while, just watch with him for a while. If he wants to move slowly, just follow him and walk slowly. It is more effective than any carefully planned care plan. After all, what we want is never a "perfectly taken care of the elderly", but a family member who lives a comfortable and prosperous life.