What are some daily care tips for the elderly?

I have been doing nursing care for the elderly for almost 8 years. What I want to say most is that the core of daily care for the elderly has never been to "take care of the elderly without having to do it yourself". Instead, it is to try to help him retain the ability to complete small things in life independently. In many cases, if you help less, it will be better for the elderly. I met a 72-year-old Aunt Zhang a while ago. She was a track and field coach before she retired. After a fall, her children were extremely nervous. She brought meals to the bedside table, helped her put on clothes and socks, and even handed her water to drink. After half a year, she could walk on her own while holding on to the wall. She was shaking even after standing for a minute. Later, we adjusted the nursing method and let her take the spoon by herself when eating. Even if she spilled half of the table at the beginning, she would not interfere. When she went out, she would hold on to the handrail of the unit building and walk slowly. She would stop walking for 5 minutes a day. After two months, she was able to go downstairs to buy a steamed bun by herself.

Many family members always feel that the elderly have bad teeth and have to cook porridge and chop vegetables into small pieces. In fact, as long as the elderly's teeth can bear it, try to keep some food that requires a little bit of chewing, such as steamed corn segments and stewed bone-free ribs. This can not only exercise the masseter muscles and swallowing ability, reduce the risk of food choking into the trachea, but also make the elderly feel that eating is an interesting thing, not a task. If the elderly has underlying diseases, such as diabetes, don’t completely deny them all their favorite sweets. There are currently two different views in the industry. One group believes that the elderly must strictly follow the doctor’s instructions and not touch even half a mouthful. The other group believes that the elderly are older and living happily is the most important thing. I usually recommend that the family members compromise and give one or two small cakes and a small spoonful of honey every week. It is better than not allowing the elderly to eat secretly and eating too much secretly, which will cause the blood sugar to spike higher.

In addition to not taking too much care of your food, don't go to extremes when it comes to daily exercise, either not allowing you to move at all, or forcing you to walk 10,000 steps a day. Last month, there was a 76-year-old man. His child heard people say that walking more is better, so he watched him walk 8,000 steps every day. As a result, after walking for a week, he had fluid in his knees and was so painful that he couldn't get out of bed. Instead, he lay down for half a month. In fact, there is no need to limit the steps at all, just find something that interests the elderly. Those who like to grow flowers move a small stool to water the flowers and loosen the soil every day. Those who like to play chess go downstairs and sit with the old man for half an hour every day. The amount of movement is enough, and the elderly do not feel it is a burden.

Many people also ask, since the elderly are prone to falls, should they install restraints on the bed and buy very high guardrails? This topic is quite controversial now. Those who support it feel that if it falls and causes a fracture or cerebral hemorrhage, the consequences cannot be afforded. Those who oppose it believe that tying up the old man will make him emotionally anxious, and even make him fall more easily in order to break free. I generally recommend changing to a short bed with a height of only 30 centimeters and a soft floor mat 2 centimeters thick next to the bed. If he falls, it will not be a big deal, and there is no need to restrict the old man's freedom of movement. It is much easier to use than a restraint belt.

In fact, there is another small detail that people tend to overlook. If you have nothing to do, touch the hands and feet of the elderly. If the hands and feet suddenly become cold, or the ankles are swollen, or there is insufficient wear, or there is a small problem with the circulation, it will be much earlier than waiting for the elderly to complain of pain, or to have regular physical examinations to find the problem much earlier. It is not a big deal to just touch it while chatting.