Geriatric Care Essentials: Ten Pointers for Elderly Caregiving
The world is getting old and unfortunately, people have lesser time now for our elderly than they had ten years ago. We cannot blame our elderly for these things, because, after all, growing old is inevitable. For us who dedicate our time and effort to taking care of the elderly, we have to make sure that we at least do the job properly. After all, when it is our turn to grow old, we won’t want other people taking care of us simply because it is their job; we want to be taken care of the way our children, our grandchildren, or our family would take care of us.
Here are ten things to remember when taking care of the elderly. These will surely make the twilight years of your patient seem much more comfortable.
1.Communicate – a common problem among elderly patients is the communication handicap which is a result of certain physiological changes that come with age. Poor hearing and eyesight are two of the most common problems among the elderly that become a barrier to communication. When communicating with the elderly, caregivers must use a low-pitched voice because elderly patients can easily perceive low intensity sounds compared to high frequency sounds. Caregivers should also speak to the patient up-front and enunciate the words slowly and clearly. In some cases, the patient will not be able to hear at all, so they would be hard-pressed to read your lips instead.
2.Validate reality – Dementia is common among geriatric patients. This is a result of the deteriorating brain tissue. Elderly lose their short term memory and most often, live in the past. To help our elderly patients maintain a certain level of mental alertness we have to constantly remind them of reality. We can do this by reminding them of the date, the place where they currently are, and talking to them about certain details in their life like their children or their spouses. We also have to remind them of their own personal details such as their names. The more relevant the information we feed to them, the more effective reality validation becomes. This also prevents elderly patients from developing other more serious complications like psychosis and depression.
3. Moisturize and rehydrate – the skin is the most outward barrier of protection for humans and this loses its integrity in elderly patients. The skin becomes less elastic because of the diminished collagen production and dehydration. Nerve endings become less sensitive to stimuli. While we cannot reverse the aging process, what we can do is preserve the skin’s current condition as much as possible. Moisturizing agents may be used to preserve the surface condition of the skin, while rehydration can attempt to replace what water is lost to aging. We also have to be extra careful when giving our patients a bath because their decreased sensitivity to temperatures can cause inaccurate perception of high and low temperatures.
4. Mind nutrition – most elderly patients have a prescribed diet plan because of certain medical conditions. In these cases we have to see to the strict implementation of the diet plan to prevent serious health risks to our patient. A general rule when it comes to nutrition, however, is to make sure that our patients receive their daily share of nutrients and fiber. An appropriate diet can help keep physiological functions in check as well as prevent certain metabolic disorders like constipation and incontinence. Elderly should also be given foods that are easily digested and easily consumed. Always be conscious of your patient’s dietary restrictions.
5. Move – our joints are made for movement. In elderly patients, the cartilage cushion in joints as well as the liquid filled capsules in between joints has either become inelastic or dry. While there is very little that we can do to physiologically remedy this problem, we can help with the palliative treatment by encouraging them to perform range of motion exercises with our assistance. Regular movement of the joints does not only keep our elderly patients flexible for their age, but it also preserves the strength of their bones. Resistance training may also be used for more active and stronger geriatric patients.
6. Keep the environment safe – in the elderly home, there are things that we should consider to keep our patients safe. Sharp furniture edges have to be cushioned, ample, soft, but bright lighting should be available (yellow light is preferred over white light), floors should be insulated and installed with slip-guards, hand rails attached to the walls of areas where our patient would frequent, and common items like toothbrushes and grooming supplies should be kept within reach and in the same location every time. Extra effort should also be taken to rid the environment of allergens because elderly patients can be very sensitive to these things. Dust should be cleared, pillows should be of the hypoallergenic type, and fabrics used should not contain any loose fibers that may cause respiratory problems for our patient.
7. Check vitals – this is very important for patients with heart conditions. For those patients who are known to be hypertensive, blood pressure has to be monitored several times during the day, especially after physical or strenuous activity. We also have to note their normal blood pressure baseline, and any changes in this should be immediately reported to their attending physician. Respiratory rate and pulse rate also have to be monitored constantly. Temperature has to be recorded at least once a day, in case our patient might be developing a fever because of some underlying infection.
8. Expose – geriatric patients who are isolated from society usually deteriorate more rapidly. It is always advisable to take our patients on walks, or go shopping at the mall. Just make sure that your patient is safe at all times to prevent any accidents from happening.
9. Maintain dexterity – elderly patients tend to lose efficient fine motor movements with age. We can help with this by keeping our patients occupationally busy. Giving them activities that they can do with their hands will help a lot, like scrapbooking, macramé, or playing chess or any other board game. Be sure to keep away from activities that require sharp objects, though, such as knitting, crocheting, or embroidery. Keep their fingers busy.
10. Ensure medication – most of our patients usually have prescriptions that they have to take at certain times of the day. We have to make sure that they take their medications on schedule and religiously, otherwise, we may be posing serious health risks for them.
With these ten tips, we should still remember that the most important component of our team is our patient. Always keep in mind that no matter what we do, our patient should be at the center of everything that we do, therefore, we have to do everything in their best interest and welfare, otherwise, we would not be working to prepare for the day when we too are in our patients’ situations.
Be rational; be insane...once in a while! TTFN!
I love you all! Byers!