Geriatrics!! I am sure this may sound like Greek and Latin to many of us as we Indians have a deficiency syndrome when it comes to the needs of elderly people. I too have known the word when I was in research to write this article for you. Yes! There is a special branch of medicine pertaining to the care and treatment of elderly people which is known as ‘Geriatrics’. In the course of my research about elderly people, I am moved by certain incidents as 24 hours home care for senior citizens is a luxury for most of them and I started relating my old parents and parents-in-law in every case. They give birth to us, nurture us with extreme love and care, they are with us in every milestone we achieve in our early childhood, they teach us about the environment and behavior with elders, peers and counterparts, they impart us all the knowledge and make us capable of earning a bread for ourselves while facing all the worldly challenges.
Having guided us for so long being the prime mentors of our lives, they go back to childhood again owing to the nature’s cycle. It is just that the order is descending for them to go back to childhood while it was ascending for us in our growing years. Probably, Mother Nature wanted us to experience the pain our parents might have faced while fostering us and hence she wanted us to see our parents in a vulnerable state. Every one of us want to see our parents in a comfortable condition if not luxurious in their old age. However, lack of time, infrastructure, support and finances, we may not be up to the mark in protecting them in their old age. However, it is just the attitude but not anything else that matters. As we know, our parents never want us to suffer because of them.
As we said attitude is that little miracle in improvising the life of our old parents and grandparents, lest focus on some basic safety tips for elderly people.
Non slippery flooring: The wax polished floors and the smooth marbles can be dangerous for elders as they may fracture their bones with a tiny skid. It has to be remembered that elders more often fall down after a breakage in their bones and not that they fall down and break. Anti slip stickers are a great choice for floorings.
· Additional grips in washrooms: Grab bars, shower benches, armed chairs and benches, hand shower holders, curve grab bars, safety rail pieces, rubber grip bath mats, tap turners are few attachments in the wash area to keep them safe and secure. They do not cost much and can improvise elders’ life to a greater extent.
· CCTV surveillance: A good resolution CCTV camera would play a good role in closely monitoring elders from work.
· Safety Railings: Safety railings are the best attachments while climbing steps as they protect the elders from falling.
· Medical alert: Medical alert bracelets and pendants allow the users to call the customer care without having to find a telephone. The customer care professional in turn would alert the family members immediately.
· Vibrant lighting to enhance visibility: Lighting needs to be bright and glare free to enable elders view clearly as they are already short of vision.
· Responsive Care giver: A care giver with the right attitude can make the elders’ life more pleasant with their bubbly presence in aiding them at every beckon.
Care giving homes such as SAMARTHCARE are doing a great job with Emergency services for elderly in India when their children are not able to take care of them due to varied reasons. It is after all a little attitude that speaks volumes conveying a simple message “I am there for you when you need me”
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