A few days ago, with the help of a bathing assistant, Mrs. Zhang, who lives in the Ginkgo community in Shanghai's Jiading Town Street, was taking a bath in the bathtub. The old man's eyes were a little red when he saw this: "My partner was particularly clean before she was paralyzed, and this is the first time she has had a proper bath in three years."
"Difficulty in taking a bath" has become a problem for families of elderly people with disabilities. How can we help the disabled elderly maintain a comfortable and decent life in their twilight years? In May, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Jiading District launched a home bathing service for the disabled elderly, and 10 elderly people, including Mrs. Zhang, are now enjoying this service.
Equipped with Professional Bathing Tools, Three-to-One Service Throughout
Mrs. Zhang, who is 72 years old, was paralyzed in bed three years ago due to a sudden brain attack. How to bathe her partner became a heartache for Mr. Lu: "Her whole body is powerless, I am too old to support her, I am afraid that if I hurt my partner, and the bathroom at home is very small, it is impossible to stand one more person, for safety reasons, so I can only help her wipe her body."
During a recent visit by community officials, it was mentioned that Jiading was piloting a "home bathing" service, so Mr. Lu immediately made an appointment by phone. "Soon after, they came to assess my partner's health condition and then booked an appointment for the service after passing the assessment. All we had to do was to prepare clothes and sign the consent form in advance, and we didn't have to worry about anything else." Mr. Lu said.
Blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen were measured, anti-slip mats were laid, bathtubs were built and water temperature was adjusted. ...... Three bath assistants came to the house and divided the work, quickly making preparations. "Mrs. Zhang hasn't had a bath for a long time, so we paid special attention to the water temperature, which was strictly controlled at 37.5 degrees." The bath assistants said.
One of the bath assistants then helped Mrs. Zhang to remove her clothes and then worked with two other bath assistants to carry her into the bath.
"Auntie, is the water temperature okay? Don't worry, we didn't let go and the support belt will hold you up." The bath time for the elderly is 10 to 15 minutes, taking into account their physical capacity, and the bath assistants pay particular attention to some details in the cleaning. For example, when Mrs. Zhang had a lot of dead skin on her legs and the soles of her feet, they would use small tools instead and gently rub them. "The elderly are conscious, they just can't express it, so we have to watch her expressions more carefully to make sure she is enjoying the bath." The bath assistants said.
After the bath, the bath assistants also help the elderly to change their clothes, apply body lotion and have another health check. After a series of professional operations, not only were the elderly clean and comfortable, but their families were also relieved.
"Before, I could only wipe my partner's body every day, but now it's great to have a professional home bathing service!" Mr. Lu said he had originally purchased the home bathing service to try it out, but he never expected it to exceed his expectations. He made an appointment on the spot for next month's service, and so Mrs. Zhang became a "repeat customer" of this new service.
Wash Away the Dirt and Light up the Heart of the Elderly
"Thank you for staying with me, for such a long chat I feel there is no generation gap with you." Mr. Dai, who lives in Jiading Industrial Zone, expressed his gratitude to the bath helpers.
In his early nineties, Mr. Dai, who has difficulty with his legs, spends a lot of time lying in bed listening to the radio, and over time, his whole life has become less talkative.
"Elderly people with disabilities have lost the ability to look after themselves and their connection to society. We are their little window to the outside world and we want to rejuvenate their world." "The team will be adding geriatric psychology to the training curriculum for bath helpers, in addition to emergency measures and bathing procedures," said the head of the home help project.
Mr. Dai likes to listen to military stories. The bathing assistant does his homework in advance and shares what interests Mr. Dai while bathing him. He said that he and his colleagues would call the elderly's family members beforehand to find out about their usual interests and recent concerns, in addition to asking about their physical condition, before they came to the home to bathe.
In addition, the composition of the three bath assistants will be reasonably arranged according to the gender of the elderly. During the service, they are also covered with towels to fully respect the privacy of the elderly.
To solve the difficulty of bathing for the disabled elderly, the District Civil Affairs Bureau has promoted the pilot project of a home bathing service for the disabled elderly in the whole district of Jiading, with the professional organization Aizhiwan (Shanghai) Health Management Co. Ltd.
The project will run until 30 April 2024 and covers 12 streets and towns. Elderly Jiading residents who have reached the age of 60 and are disabled (including semi-disabled) and bedridden can apply to street or neighborhood officials.
Post time: Jul-08-2023
