Comprehensive knowledge of daily care for the elderly

The core logic of daily care for the elderly has never been to set a unified standard, but to "understand the individual basic situation of the elderly first, then put risk prevention first, and put physiological care and psychological needs in the same position." This is the most practical conclusion after I have worked in community elderly care service stations for 4 years and accompanied more than 100 families to adjust their care plans.

Last month, I met a girl from Aunt Wang’s family and searched the so-called “care standards for the elderly” on the Internet. She forced Aunt Wang, who had severe knee arthritis, to walk 6,000 steps a day and drink 2,000 ml of warm water at regular intervals. Within a week, Aunt Wang’s knees hurt so much that she couldn’t get out of bed, and she was hospitalized for three days because of edema due to weak kidney metabolism. You see, copying rigid standards can really cause problems.

When it comes to food, there is actually the most controversy. For example, should we strictly limit salt and oil for the elderly? In fact, there have always been different opinions in the academic circles: one group believes that as long as there are basic diseases such as high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, salt must be strictly controlled within 3g/day and oil 20g/day. ； Another group of people believes that the taste of people over 75 years old has seriously deteriorated, and excessive taboos will lead to loss of appetite and malnutrition, which is not worth the gain. The 82-year-old Grandpa Liu I met likes to eat two pieces of braised pork every day for lunch. As long as he has no serious underlying diseases, if he relaxes his dietary restrictions a little, being able to eat is better than anything else. His current blood lipid index is more stable than that of his peers who eat boiled vegetables every day. Don't stick to the "8 cups a day" target when drinking water. Elderly people with normal kidney function can drink 1500-2000ml a day. If they have underlying diseases such as chronic renal failure or heart failure, they must strictly follow the doctor's advice to control water. Just take a look at the elderly person's urine. If the color is like strong tea, drink two more sips. If it is clear and transparent, there is no need to force it down.

When it comes to eating, we can’t avoid the most tangled issue of health care products. The two schools of thought have been arguing for more than ten years, but there is no unified conclusion: Most Western medicine clinics do not recommend buying the "hypertensive miracle drugs" and "anti-cancer health products" that are so popular in WeChat Moments and live broadcast rooms, especially products that are clearly stated to be able to replace antihypertensive drugs and antihyperglycemic drugs. 9 out of 10 of them are pitfalls. Last year, an old man in our community stopped his antihypertensive drugs without permission and took "natural antihypertensive peptides". Finally, he had a cerebral hemorrhage and was sent to the emergency room. But not all supplements should be rejected across the board. If an elderly person usually eats less and spends less time in the sun, and goes to the hospital to find out that he is indeed deficient in vitamin D and calcium, it is perfectly fine to take the dietary supplements prescribed by the nutrition department of the regular hospital according to the dosage. You don’t need to hear the word "supplement" to feel threatened.

The most important thing to pay attention to in daily life is to prevent falls, which is the number one cause of disability among people over 65 years old in my country. Don’t think that everything will be fine if you install handrails at home. I have seen too many elderly people fall down by stepping on warped anti-slip mats or kicking slippers lying around at the door. If you really want to prevent falls, you should first remove all the debris piled on the floor at home, slippery thin mats at the door, and warped anti-slip mats in the bathroom. Buy slippers with closed heels and deep textured soles. Oh, by the way, don’t let the elderly hold back their urine. Many elderly people are afraid of trouble and don’t want to call their family members in the middle of the night. They hold back their urine and rush to the toilet. If their foot slips, something will happen. If the elderly urinate a lot at night, just put a portable toilet next to the bed, which is more effective than installing ten handrails. If there is a bedridden elderly person at home, don’t stick to the standard of “turning over every two hours”. If the elderly person is very thin and has poor skin elasticity, it is best to turn over once every 1.5-2 hours. If the elderly person has flesh and good skin condition, it is not necessary to turn over every 3 hours. Question, when turning, don’t pull your arms and legs hard. Put a soft pillow on the joints. Don’t rub the skin with alcohol as it is too irritating. Just apply a mild moisturizer after taking a shower. If the sacrococcygeal area is already red, just buy a decompression dressing and put it on. Don’t use folk remedies blindly.

There is another small detail that everyone often forgets: when cutting the nails of the elderly, do not cut them too bald, especially the toenails. Cutting them too bald can easily lead to ingrown toenails and paronychia. If the elderly have high blood sugar, the ulcers will not grow back after a long time. Last month, there was an aunt at our station who cut her toenails too harshly, and ended up having to pull out her nails.

Having said that, the most easily overlooked thing is psychological care. Many family members think that I am being filial by giving money to the elderly and buying the most expensive nutritional supplements. Last month, Grandpa Li’s children came to me to complain, saying that the elderly loses his temper at home every day and nothing goes well. I need to ask carefully before asking. I know that every time my children come to the house, they have to "help the old man clean up the house". They throw away the old newspapers that Grandpa Li has saved for decades, the enamel jars given by his old comrades, and the stamps that he has saved for half a lifetime. They call it "cleaning up the clutter and living comfortably". Do you think the old man can not be angry? For the elderly over 80 years old, those seemingly useless old things are their connection to the past life, and are much more effective than the health products you bought for thousands of dollars. Don’t always think about “teaching the elderly how to do things”. If he is willing to save some empty bottles, let him save them. If he is willing to watch anti-war movies over and over again, let him watch them. As long as it does not affect his health, following the rules is better than anything else.

In fact, there is really no standard answer to caring for the elderly. Spending two more days observing his living habits is more useful than searching 100 "standard care guides". After all, we are caring for living people, not products produced according to standards. His comfort and happiness are the core measurement criteria.