A complete collection of daily care tips for the elderly

The elderly's subjective comfort is the first priority, the safety bottom line is not relaxed, and the elderly's independent living ability is preserved as much as possible. All nursing measures must be flexibly adjusted based on the elderly's physical condition and living habits. There is no need to copy the standardized requirements online.

I have worked as a care specialist in a community nursing home for three years, and I have seen too many families fall into the pitfall of "doing bad things for the sake of good". The one that impressed me most was last year at Aunt Zhang's house. In order to prevent the old man with high blood pressure from falling, all the table corners in the house were covered with anti-collision strips and a full circle of handrails were installed. The old man was not even allowed to go downstairs for a walk. As a result, his old age The old man was bored for two months, and his blood pressure was higher than before. Later, we suggested that we remove all the extra bumpers and handrails, leaving only the two handrails beside the toilet and shower area in the bathroom. We gave the old man a light walking stick with a night light, and allowed him to go downstairs and play chess with his old friend for half an hour every day. Within half a month, his blood pressure stabilized back to the normal range.

Let’s talk about the food issue that everyone is most concerned about. There is quite a fierce quarrel on the Internet right now. One group says that the elderly should strictly eat light food and not touch too much oil and salt. The other group says that after working hard all their lives, they can eat whatever they want. There is no point in living with little water every day. In fact, we jointly conducted a survey with the local health center last year. It was found that there is no need for people over 70 years old who have no serious liver or kidney damage or moderate to severe cardiovascular disease to completely quit eating their favorite pickled pork elbows and pickled vegetables as long as their daily total salt intake does not exceed 5g and oil does not exceed 25g. , 82-year-old Grandma Li loves to eat pickled radish for breakfast. Previously, her children would not allow her to eat it, so she secretly hid half a piece at a time under her pillow, but her blood pressure fluctuated greatly. Now she has made an appointment with her to only eat a small piece the size of a fingernail every day. She eats happily and her blood pressure is very stable. Oh, by the way, if the elderly are prone to choking and difficulty swallowing when eating, do not give them whole pieces of jelly, glutinous rice balls, melon seeds and other foods that are easy to get stuck in the throat. If necessary, puree the vegetables and meat. This is a hard bottom line. If it gets stuck, it will be in danger every minute. Another point that is easy to overlook is that dentures must be removed and soaked in cleaning solution every night. Do not sleep with them on, otherwise they will easily cause oral ulcers and affect digestion.

The problem of eating is solved, but the most worrying thing is falling. In the past, many people thought that their home should be decorated like a hospital ward to be safe. In fact, it is really unnecessary. Installing handrails everywhere will make the elderly feel that they are "already a disabled person" and the psychological burden is particularly heavy. Focusing on installing two bathrooms is enough, and leaving enough walking space in other places is better than anything else. When buying shoes for the elderly, don’t believe those ads with soft soles. Too soft soles may cause sprains easily. Just buy the ones with tendon soles, deep patterns, and one-on-one shoes. They are much easier to use than the Internet-famous elderly shoes that cost hundreds of dollars. There is also a lot of controversy about whether to buy a wheelchair for the elderly. Some people say that if you can walk, you must not sit. If you sit down, you will be too lazy to walk and your muscles will atrophy. Others say that you should sit when you are tired and don’t hold on. Our experience is to look at the condition of the elderly’s knees. If there is degenerative osteoarthritis, If you are grinning in pain after walking for 10 minutes, prepare a lightweight folding wheelchair and push it when you go to the park. When you are tired from walking, sit down and don’t wear out your knees by holding on. If you are strong enough to walk, of course you are encouraged to walk more. Don’t force others to push you, as it will hurt your self-esteem.

Many children think that buying a bunch of health products for the elderly and reminding them to take medicine regularly is fulfilling their responsibility, but this is not the case. There was an uncle Wang. His son bought imported antihypertensive drugs for him. He thought they were too expensive, so he secretly reduced the dosage by half. As a result, he became dizzy, fell down, and needed three stitches. Later, we told his son not to buy the kind of drugs with fancy packaging that look expensive at first glance, but to replace them with affordable medical insurance drugs prescribed by the hospital. We put them directly on the corner of the dining table where he ate, next to the soy sauce and vinegar bottles. He ate them every time he ate, and he never forgot them again. When monitoring blood pressure and blood sugar, don’t chase after you every day and ask, “Did you measure it today?” It’s annoying for the elderly. Buy a blood pressure and blood glucose meter that can automatically synchronize data. You can just check it on your mobile phone. If the data is abnormal, ask again to save both parties from worrying. Oh, by the way, don’t think that “you can’t stop taking medicine” is an iron-clad rule. During the change of seasons, if your blood pressure and blood sugar have been very stable for half a month, ask your attending doctor to adjust the dosage of medicine. Don’t stick to the original dosage. On the contrary, you are prone to hypotension and hypoglycemia, which is more dangerous than high blood pressure.

I have seen too many examples of taking care of the elderly so that they have enough food and clothing to eat, but the result is that the elderly are depressed every day. Last year, there was an Aunt Liu whose children were so filial that they wouldn't even let her wash the dishes. She would sit on the sofa and look out the window every day and sigh, saying that "living is a burden." Later, we told her children that we would give her some "small tasks" every day, such as picking vegetables, going downstairs to get express delivery, and occasionally asking her to help steam rice. Instead, she felt useful, and now she happily dances in the square every day. There is also the controversy about sending people to nursing homes. Don’t just say that sending people to nursing homes is unfilial, and don’t think that being cared for at home will necessarily be good. Among the elderly people we work with, some like to live in nursing homes. They play cards and chess with the old guys every day and have company. Others just like to stay at home. They can do whatever makes them comfortable. Don’t use your own moral standards to kidnap the wishes of the elderly.

In fact, having said all this, there are really no nursing guidelines that must be followed. The elderly in each family have different temperaments and different physical conditions. The key is not to treat them as "patients who need to be cared for". First, treat them as "ordinary people with their own preferences." No nursing skills are more effective. If you really encounter a problem that you are not sure about, don't blindly search for folk remedies on the Internet. Directly ask the family doctor in the community or the attending doctor of the elderly. They are more reliable than anything else.