A collection of daily care tips for the elderly

There is no universal formula for the daily care of the elderly. The most effective core logic is to "focus on individual needs and do small things to avoid risks." There is no need to pursue fancy care equipment. By paying attention to the small details of eating, activities, washing, and emotions, you can avoid more than 80% of common pitfalls in elderly care.

A while ago, we were helping each other at a community nursing home. I met Aunt Zhang's daughter who had just brought back half a box of imported nutritional supplements to the old lady. She said that protein supplements would prevent muscle loss. As a result, the old lady's kidney function was weak. After three days of eating, her feet were so swollen that she couldn't even put on slippers. In the end, she went to the hospital and was hospitalized for two days before the water disappeared. In fact, there has been a lot of controversy about the elderly’s diet. One group of nutritionists emphasizes low-fat, low-salt and sugar-control. Some clinical geriatricians also suggest that as long as there are no underlying diseases, elderly people over 75 years old do not need to deliberately limit salt and sugar. After all, malnutrition caused by poor appetite and inability to eat is much more harmful than eating something salty. In actual operation, you can actually take the middle value: for example, when cooking, add a little salt first, and then add the normal amount for the young people in the family after serving the elderly. ； It is better to prepare some flavorful snacks such as prunes and low-sugar hawthorn cakes for the elderly than to force him to eat boiled vegetables all the time. There is also a small detail that many people overlook: it is best to choose a bowl for the elderly that is deeper and heavier, with slightly upward curved edges, so that it is less likely to spill when your hands are shaking. I previously changed my neighbor Grandpa Li to a deep-mouthed ceramic bowl. He later told me that he rarely drops rice on the table when eating, and he is even more interested in eating. By the way, here’s another reminder: when giving medicine to the elderly, don’t break it into pieces and mix it in porridge or milk, especially enteric-coated tablets and sustained-release tablets. Breaking it into pieces will affect the efficacy of the medicine. If the elderly have difficulty swallowing medicine, ask the doctor in advance if they can break it, and don’t mess with it yourself.

The problem of eating has been solved, but the most troublesome thing is preventing falls, which should be the number one concern of all caregivers. In the past, a lot of popular science said that the whole house should be covered with non-slip foam mats. There are family members around me who actually do this. However, the actual feedback after using them is polarized: some family members of the elderly with hemiplegia said that they did not get hurt when they fell, while many said that the edges of the mats are easy to warp. The elderly cannot lift their feet when walking, but they are more likely to trip. What our hotel now recommends to the elderly is "paving in key areas": it is enough to lay thin non-slip mats that stick to the floor and leave no edges in the four areas of the bathroom sink, toilet side, shower area, and bedside. In other places, ordinary anti-slip flooring is enough, which is safer. There is also a very practical tip: when buying shoes for the elderly, don’t buy shoes with particularly soft soles. Buy shoes with a wide toe box, deep sole texture, and a small wedge of 1-2 cm in the heel. They are more stable when walking. I bought a pair of these shoes for my grandma before. She was always afraid of falling when she went out, but now she wears them for walks in the park every day. Oh yes, there is another piece of trivia that many people don’t know: Don’t let the elderly sit up suddenly when they get up at night. It is best to sit on the bed for 30 seconds, hang your legs on the edge of the bed for 30 seconds, stand still for 30 seconds before walking. These three 30 seconds can avoid most of the fainting caused by orthostatic hypotension.

In addition to going out for activities, there are actually many small pitfalls for daily washing, especially for the elderly who are bedridden or semi-disabled. If they are not taken care of, problems may arise. I met a family member who was giving a bath to a bedridden old man. He closed the bathroom door tightly for fear of catching a cold and opened the bathroom heater. After 20 minutes of bathing, the old man was so stuffy that he fainted due to lack of oxygen. He was sent to the hospital for rescue for a long time before he recovered. In fact, you don’t have to worry about how frequently you bathe the elderly. Once a week in winter and 2-3 times in summer are enough. Leave a small gap in the bathroom for ventilation when bathing. The water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees. It is best to use a shower head that can be hung on the wall to free up both hands to support the elderly. There are also long-term bedridden elderly people to prevent bedsores. Many people’s first reaction is to buy an air mattress. In fact, what is more important than the air mattress is the method of turning over: when turning, do not pull the arms and legs. Turn the whole body sideways, put a soft pillow behind the waist, and rub the bony areas such as hips and heels with olive oil for two minutes every day. It is more effective than applying any pressure ulcer ointment. There is also a controversial point here: some professional nursing textbooks say that the elderly should turn every 2 hours, and some experienced elderly caregivers say that if the elderly have no weight problems and are sleeping well, they do not need to be woken up to turn over in the middle of the night, which will affect sleep and lead to a decrease in immunity. In actual operation, it can be adjusted flexibly. Before going to bed at night, the elderly should be turned over and put on pillows. If the elderly sleep deeply, there is no need to wake up at a specific time. Just turn over a few times during the day.

In fact, many people focus on physical care when caring for the elderly, but neglect emotional care. This is the part that most affects the quality of life of the elderly. There is an old man named Grandpa Wang in our community. His children are very filial, and they eat the best food. He hires two caregivers to take care of him in turns. However, the old man is depressed every day. Later I found out that the caregiver wouldn’t let him do anything. He even had to hand a cup to his hand. He felt like he had become a useless burden. Later, we told his children that we usually let the old man do small things within his power, such as picking vegetables and folding socks, even if he did it slowly and poorly. Within two months, the old man felt much better and went downstairs to play chess with others every day. Here’s another tip: Don’t get too close and shout loudly when talking to the elderly. Many elderly people’s hearing loss is due to high-frequency hearing loss. The more you shout, the harder it will be for them to hear you. If you speak a little slower and lower your voice, they will understand you better. If an old man likes to go out and chat with people, don't blame him for not dressing well or walking slowly. Spending more time with him out is ten thousand times better than being bored at home.

Having said so much, in fact, there is no standard answer to nursing care. After all, every elderly person’s physical condition, personality and habits are different. There is no need to follow any standard. Observe more and ask the elderly for their thoughts. Any trick will work better. If you are really unsure about something, don't speculate on your own. Ask a family doctor or geriatric doctor in the community, which can save you a lot of detours.