Precautions for daily care of the elderly

The most important thing to pay attention to in the daily care of the elderly is never to check in items one by one according to the online "care list"; First respect the independent wishes of the elderly, and then make flexible adjustments based on their physiological status, underlying diseases, and emotional needs. There is no universal standard answer. . The core reason why many children fall into this trap is that they put "what I think is right" before "what the elderly find comfortable".

I have been volunteering at a community elderly care service station for more than five years, and I have come across too many examples of care that went wrong according to the "standard template". Let’s take the 68-year-old Aunt Zhang. Her children read a lot of health-preserving posts and cooked her multi-grain rice without oil and salt every day, and forced her to drink 250ml of low-fat milk, saying it was good for blood vessels. As a result, Aunt Zhang secretly hid half a bag of pickled radishes under the pillow. She would take a few bites of them every time when the nanny wasn't paying attention. She didn't dare to complain about heartburn after eating. Finally, her blood sugar fluctuated and she was admitted to the hospital.

Speaking of eating, this is actually a very controversial area in the nursing community. In the past, the old saying was that the elderly with bad teeth had to eat soft and rotten liquid food. However, the current consensus among dentistry and rehabilitation departments is that as long as the elderly still have more than 3 permanent teeth that can chew normally, there is no need to cook all the vegetables into puree. Properly giving soft ribs and steamed apples that need to be chewed can delay the atrophy of masticatory muscles. If there is total tooth loss or severe gastroesophageal reflux, it is not too late to consider a liquid diet. There are still many people who are confused about whether to supplement protein powder and vitamin tablets for the elderly. The advice of the nutrition department is that as long as they can eat 1 egg, 2 taels of lean meat, and 300g of vegetables every day, there is no need to supplement them. Taking too much will increase the burden on the kidneys. If the elderly really can't eat, just follow the doctor's advice to supplement.

As long as you pay more attention to the problem of eating, you can always adjust it. The real problem is in the medication process. I have seen too many families make mistakes in this area. Uncle Wang, a 72-year-old man in the neighborhood next door, has high blood pressure. He usually takes his own medicine. His children are afraid that he will not find it, so they put the antihypertensive medicine, aspirin, and his grandson's calcium tablets and vitamins in the same storage box on his bedside. Last month, he got up dizzy and took the wrong ones. He took 4 calcium tablets at one time. His blood pressure soared to 170 that day. He fell and hit his forehead and needed three stitches. There are also two different nursing ideas here: Some people say that the medicines that the elderly need to take every day should be packaged according to morning, noon and evening, and placed in the most conspicuous place for easy access. ； Some licensed pharmacists also suggested that if an elderly person has mild cognitive impairment or has a particularly poor memory, it is better not to put the medicine where he can easily reach it. It is best to have family members or caregivers check the medicine every day before handing it over to avoid missing, taking more, or taking the wrong medicine. There is no right or wrong between the two options. The choice depends entirely on the cognitive status of the elderly person.

Many people think that the elderly should rest more as they get older. If you can lie down, don't sit. If you can sit, don't stand. In fact, this is also a misunderstanding. Previously, our station received an old man who had a broken leg and had surgery. His children were afraid that his bones would not grow properly, so they kept him lying down for a month. During the follow-up examination, the doctor said that he had mild pneumonia due to hypostasis and asked him to sit up for at least 2 hours a day and pat his back frequently to expel phlegm. Of course, this does not mean that all elderly people should move more. For example, those who have just undergone joint replacement or have severe heart failure must follow the doctor's instructions to brake and not move blindly. Even the universally recognized "turn over every two hours to prevent pressure sores" has been adjusted in the latest clinical guidelines: if the elderly have good skin condition and use a qualified pressure-reducing mattress, it is completely fine to turn over once every 3 to 4 hours. There is no need to deliberately wake up the sleeping elderly to turn over, which will affect the quality of sleep and lower immunity.

In fact, most people only focus on physical care, and what is most easily missed is emotional needs. Grandma Li at our station used to have a live-in nanny for her children. She was not allowed to do any work. She was given food in her hand and helped her put on clothes. As a result, Grandma Li sat by the window in a daze every day and talked a lot less. Later, we discussed with the nanny and asked Grandma Li to help choose a vegetable every day, fold a rag to clean the table, and if she was in good spirits, let her help share the afternoon fruit with everyone. With such small things, Grandma Li became much more cheerful in half a month, and told everyone she could still "work" and that she was not useless. There are also many family members here who have concerns: They are afraid that the elderly will be tired from work or fall and bump into each other. In fact, as long as the risks are avoided in advance, such as not letting her touch boiling water or climbing high, and doing small things within their ability, it can actually make the elderly have a sense of presence, which is more effective than buying many health care products.

To be honest, after working in elderly care-related work for so long, I have seen too many family members pursuing "perfect care". They listed dozens of care guidelines and checked in one by one every day. As a result, the elderly lived a depressed life. Caring for the elderly is never a test, and there is no unified standard answer. In your eyes, "for his own good", it is better to ask "what do you want" and treat the elderly as an ordinary person with his own preferences, which is easier to use than any thick nursing manual.