Daily care tips for the elderly

The core logic of daily care for the elderly has never been to buy the most expensive care products and copy standardized care processes, but to grasp the three basic points of "no injury, less suffering, and willingness to cooperate." The rest can be flexibly adjusted according to the situation of the elderly in the family. There is no absolutely correct standard answer.

Regarding the aging-friendly renovation of homes, there are now two completely different views: One group is a business that specializes in aging-friendly renovations and recommends whole-house renovations, including soft corners at the corners, handrails on all moving lines, and non-slip mats on the entire floor to minimize risks.； However, our colleague who has been working in elderly care in the community for 8 years always said that excessive modifications can easily reduce the elderly's willingness to move. He met a 72-year-old Aunt Zhang before. Her son installed 6 handrails in her home and rounded the edges of all the furniture. As a result, the aunt always felt that "I am so useless that I have to hold things while walking." She is usually too lazy to even go to the living room and balcony. When she was walking, she didn't pay attention to the anti-slip mat under her feet when she moved a small stool. She fell and suffered a slight fracture. Later, we suggested that she remove the extra armrests and leave only one beside the toilet and one in the shower area. The table corners only cover the two corners of the coffee table where she usually knocks. The non-slip mat only covers the shower area. Instead, she is willing to walk back and forth in the house several times a day. She has not fallen down in almost two years. Don’t underestimate taking medicine. There are two ways of thinking: many family members are afraid that the elderly will forget to take or take the wrong medicine, so they always watch the elderly taking medicine, and even hand the medicine into their hands and watch it swallow before they feel relieved. However, the guidelines in the field of dementia care specifically mention that the elderly with mild cognitive impairment are not suitable for being stared at like this, which will trigger their resistance. It is easier to secretly throw medicine away if it triggers emotions. It is better to put the packaged medicine in the place where he usually spends time - for example, if he likes to drink tea, put it next to the tea tray, and if he likes to listen to the radio, put it next to the radio. Put a sticker with a small water cup as a reminder. Most old people will take the initiative to take it when they see it, which will lead to higher compliance.

With the bottom line of safety being maintained, the next thing you should care about most is whether the old man is comfortable. Many details may seem inconspicuous, but suffering is really painful. Uncle Li, whom I had contacted before, was bedridden after a cerebral hemorrhage. His family members were afraid of soiling the bedsheets, so they used thickened waterproof diaper pads 24 hours a day. As a result, within half a month, a red pressure injury appeared on his back (which is what we often call bedsores). In fact, the care circle has always had different choices in this matter: Institutions are afraid of increasing the workload of cleaning, so most people choose waterproof diaper pads. However, most of the caregivers who come to care will suggest that as long as the elderly's defecation is relatively controllable, try to lay out two layers of old pure cotton sheets that have been softened during the day. They can be changed at any time when they get wet and dirty. The breathability is much better. Uncle Li's family later changed the old sheets, changing them twice a day. The red rash disappeared within a week, and the person became more energetic. There is also the care of dentures. Many people think that they don’t need to brush their teeth when wearing dentures. This is a big mistake. Dentures must be taken off and rinsed every day after eating. They must be taken off and soaked in cold water before going to bed. Never soak them in hot water, otherwise they will deform. If you accidentally swallow them while sleeping and choke your trachea, serious trouble will occur.

But to put it bluntly, no matter how good the care method is, it will be in vain if the elderly do not cooperate. Many family members complain about the elderly being "disobedient", refusing to wear non-slip socks, failing to measure blood pressure, and forcing them to eat light food instead of salty food. In fact, the old man is not deliberately losing his temper. Maybe you can just change the approach. There used to be a 78-year-old Uncle Wang in the community who always refused to measure his blood pressure, saying that the cuff would constrict his arms and hurt. Later, his elementary school-age granddaughter bought him a cartoon cuff with Ultraman on it and told him, "This is just for our kindergarten children. It doesn't hurt at all." The uncle found it interesting and took the initiative to put it on and take the test every morning when he got up. There is also the issue of eating. Many family members always think that the elderly should be absolutely light and eat only boiled vegetables. The elderly will not want to eat after two mouthfuls, and will become malnourished. Now the views of the nutrition community have changed long ago: as long as there is no severe high blood pressure or renal insufficiency, the daily salt intake should be controlled within 5g. It’s absolutely fine to eat some braised and salty dishes. Even for diabetics, fruits are not completely forbidden. If you eat a small orange or half a piece of apple between meals, your blood sugar won’t fluctuate much at all. It’s better than forcing an old man to eat something he doesn’t want to eat and end up in the hospital with insufficient nutrition.

In fact, after working in our profession for a long time, we know that there is no perfect standard answer for caring for the elderly. Each elderly person's physical condition, temperament and personality are different. There is no need to copy other people's experience. Observe the elderly's habits and ask more about his thoughts. It is more effective than copying the nursing manual. After all, what we do is to allow the elderly to live a comfortable and happy life.