What are the precautions for daily care of the elderly?

In fact, there is no standard list that applies to all elderly people. The core is to grasp two major principles - first keep the bottom line of safety, and then adapt to the individual physical and psychological conditions of the elderly. It is much more effective than copying the general list on the Internet.

I have been working as a caregiver in a community nursing home for four years and have seen too many examples of mistakes. The first thing I want to mention is the degradation of sensory perception that many people tend to ignore. As the elderly get older, their responses to temperature and pain slow down. Last winter, there was an uncle Wang who lived alone in our jurisdiction. His child bought a rechargeable hot water bottle. I kept it warm under my knees all night. When I woke up, I had palm-sized blisters on my whole calf. I didn’t feel any pain at all. It took me almost two months to change the medicine before it healed. I also used the water temperature for bathing and soaking the feet of the elderly. It’s best to try it yourself first. Don’t just ask the elderly whether it’s hot or not. He’s probably already been burned by the time he feels it’s hot. Medication safety is also the bottom line. Last week, there was a 72-year-old aunt who took antihypertensive medicine in the morning and forgot about it. She took it again at noon. She was so dizzy at home that she couldn't stand and fell. She had three stitches on her forehead. In fact, this kind of problem is easy to avoid. If you live together, just keep an eye on your food every day. If you don't live together, set an alarm and send a video reminder when both of you are free. Don't be too troublesome.

After talking about the most basic safety issues, the most common mistake many family members make is to use the "universal health standards" to apply to their own elderly people. A while ago, a family member bought an internet celebrity hiking stick for his 76-year-old father with COPD, and forced him to walk for half an hour every day in the name of exercising lung function. As a result, he was hospitalized after walking for a week because of asthma. There are a lot of controversies on the Internet about elderly care. For example, whether to supplement more protein. Nutritionists say that proper supplementation of high-quality protein can prevent sarcopenia syndrome. Nephrologists also remind the elderly with chronic renal insufficiency that excessive supplementation will increase the metabolic burden. ； There is also whether to walk more. Rehabilitation departments advocate moderate exercise to delay functional deterioration. Orthopedics recommend that elderly people with meniscus injuries and severe knee arthritis reduce weight-bearing walking to avoid cartilage wear and tear. In fact, these views are not wrong. The core is to first understand the underlying disease of the elderly person. All adjustments to diet and exercise should be made after consulting with his attending doctor. This is more reliable than popular science popularized by Internet celebrities.

There are also many people who think that nursing care is just about taking care of food, drink, and diarrhea. In fact, the psychological state has a much greater impact on the body of the elderly than many people think. There used to be an 82-year-old man in our jurisdiction. He used to be very healthy and could buy vegetables and cook for himself. But after he fell once, his children did not dare to let him go out alone. He bought the vegetables and put them at home every day, and did not even let him take out the garbage. As a result, the old man sat at home in a daze every day, ate less, and lost twenty pounds in less than half a year. Later, we came to the home for a nursing assessment, and discussed with the children to arrange some "small tasks" for the elderly, such as being responsible for watering a few pots of flowers at home every day, and helping to put the garbage at the door to the elevator the next day. The old man gradually felt that he could still help the family, and his condition gradually returned. Not to mention that his appetite improved, and he signed up for a calligraphy class in the community last month.

After working in this industry for a long time, I feel that there are no rules that must be followed. It is just to squat down more often and ask the elderly how they feel. Don’t impose the standards we think are good on him. It is more effective than buying expensive supplements.