Elderly care.. our loved persons    

As we age, various factors can make it harder to live independently whether it be illness, mobility concerns, or loneliness.    

Getting the right care for yourself or your loved one is important. This is why it’s important to understand the different elderly care facilities and methods available to you.    

Eldercare now became easier than before as the existence of  home health care providers makes it more comfortable and satisfying.    

Old people can tolerate different types of physical and even physiological troubles that need special care to keep them in their best conditions.    

So the question now is; what’s the type of care that old people need?    

The type of eldercare depends mainly on the person's health condition, psychological, and nutritional needs also.    

Firstly health care    

Health care is the first thing we must think about. elder people should have regular medical examinations every 6 months to one-year maximum so these examinations allow us to have a complete overview of the health condition so we can follow up on the progress of diseases and also can expect the occurrence of other diseases before it occurs.    

Some tests must be done regularly like:    

Some Blood tests    

1. CBC (complete blood count) gives results about the presence of anemia and the count of all types of white blood cells.    
2. Liver function test that reveals if the liver performs its function perfectly or is affected by some diseases.    
3. Kidney function test and this to measure the effectiveness of the kidney to filtrate the blood from body waste.    
4. Measurement of glucose level either random or cumulative is called Hba1c.    
5. Measurement of vitamin D level that affects mainly on bone health so we can avoid bone fragility.    
6. Thyroid gland hormone level as it affects greatly on the body metabolism, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate.    
7. Blood fat level to give an idea about cholesterol level and low-density lipoprotein(LDL) that especially affects high blood pressure patients and heart disease patients.     

Urine analysis helps us to avoid inflammations and gives an idea about kidney function.    

Taking the reading of blood pressure regularly beside other examinations like electrocardiogram (ECG).    

Measurement of sight and hearing ability to avoid their weakness.    

And nowadays it has become easier to do this checkup as home health care providers can send a doctor and a chemist to the home so the patient can have a complete examination while being at home.    

Secondly psychological care    

Mental and psychological care is the most important and effective type of care that older people need as it affects the activity and performance of the person greatly.    

Old people suffer from different types of mental and psychological disorders like depression, anxiety due to health problems they have and the inability to do normal activities that were easy before so they feel uncomfortable as they need help all the time.    

The role of the family caregiver is very important but due to our fast life, we may forget about the psychological conditions so you can ask for help from specialists that can provide companionship for the patient.    

You can provide this care in simple ways like:    

• Spend time with them and give them a feeling of how they are important and how they are loved by us.    
• Share them doing exercise and encourage them to do it regularly as it’s useful for their health.    
• Try to take his opinion in your problems that make him feel he is important.    

All these things can help to avoid the occurrence of most psychological problems but if the status becomes more complicated, you must ask for help from an elder care provider.    

Thirdly nutritional care    

Old people need special nutrition that provides them with important nutrients that their body needs which is called therapeutic nutrition.      

The best nutrition must be introduced to them so it provides them with vitamins they need like vitamin B12 and also amino acids,  fatty acids, and antioxidants as all these nutrients improve their body immunity.     

And also you can ask for consultation from a nutritional therapist who will put a good plan for what to eat and what to avoid according to the health condition of the patient.    

Written by: Dr. Asmaa Azab.    

References    

The increasing importance of elderly care.     

Understanding care and support of older people.    

Care of older adults.