How can the elderly strengthen their self-protection? If they feel unwell, when should they go to the hospital?

How can the elderly strengthen their self-protection?

If the elderly have fever, cough or other physical discomfort,

How to determine whether you need to go to the hospital?

At the press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council on December 13,

Li Yanming, director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Beijing Hospital, answered:

1

How can the elderly strengthen their self-protection?

Pay attention to ventilation : Open windows for ventilation while at home. For the elderly, pay attention to the temperature difference when opening windows. It is recommended that if conditions permit, the elderly can be moved to another room and return to the room after ventilation is completed and the indoor temperature returns to normal.

Chronic disease management : Manage underlying diseases well, take medication regularly, and do not stop taking medication because you are afraid of going to the hospital. You can ask your family to pick up the medication.

Maintain a regular schedule : Keep your mood relaxed, don’t be nervous, ensure sleep, eat regularly, drink plenty of water, and avoid smoking and drinking as much as possible.

Reduce visits : If family members have a lot of social contact, reduce the number of unnecessary visits to the elderly.

2

**If someone living at home is infected, ** how can the elderly avoid being infected?

If someone living at home is infected with the new coronavirus, in order to reduce the risk of infection for the elderly living with you, it is recommended that:

Reduce contact : If conditions permit, the infected person can be transferred to another residence or isolated in a separate room. Family members and the elderly need to pay attention to hand hygiene. The infected person needs to eat separately from family members and disinfect the tableware.

Wearing masks : If contact is necessary, it is recommended that both parties wear N95 masks.

Clean environment : Clean and disinfect shared spaces, especially toilets and frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, faucets, etc.

Strengthen observation : Pay attention to the elderly's condition and deal with any problems at any time.

3

How can family members or caregivers in nursing homes intervene promptly and effectively for elderly people who are unable to express their physical condition or those who are disabled or semi-disabled?

Understand the common symptoms of COVID-19 infection : Family members or caregivers should have a general understanding of the systemic and local symptoms that COVID-19 infection may cause. Systemic symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, chills, etc. Local symptoms include sore throat, cough, runny nose, sputum, sneezing, and occasionally loss of taste and smell.

Understand the basic condition of the elderly : Family members or caregivers should understand the resting vital signs of the elderly in a healthy state (such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate per minute and respiratory rate, etc. ). For the elderly with underlying cardiopulmonary diseases, it is recommended to record the finger pulse oxygen saturation to detect changes in the condition in a timely manner.

Understand the characteristics of atypical symptoms in the elderly : The symptoms of this special group of people are often hidden and atypical. For example, typical symptoms such as fever and cough may not be obvious; for the elderly who cannot express themselves normally, their symptoms may be even more hidden. Therefore, when they experience unexplained fatigue, decreased mental state, decreased appetite, unsteady walking or falls, unexplained increased heart rate or increased respiratory rate, etc., they should be highly concerned.

4

If an elderly person experiences physical discomfort such as fever or cough, how do they determine whether they need to go to the hospital?

At this stage, most people infected with the new coronavirus can consider home treatment. The elderly are at high risk of severe illness, so the elderly who are diagnosed with the new coronavirus and receive home treatment should monitor their vital signs every day , such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, etc. The elderly with underlying cardiopulmonary diseases can also monitor their finger pulse oxygen saturation and pay attention to their mental state, appetite, urination, etc.

For the following situations, it is recommended to go to the hospital to assess whether hospitalization is needed:

Progressively worsening fever or respiratory symptoms, or worsening of symptoms after improvement;

Significant muscle soreness;

The ability to move is significantly reduced compared to usual, or obvious breathing difficulties occur after slight activities;

Chest pain or pressure, rapid heartbeat or dizziness, abdominal pain;

New weakness or abnormal movement of the face, arms, or legs, especially if it is on one side;

Incontinence or decreased urine output not related to decreased fluid intake;

Changes in consciousness, disorientation, aphasia, progressive loss of consciousness, seizures or delirium;

Experiencing anxiety or worsening mood;

The original underlying disease is significantly aggravated and cannot be controlled;

Elderly people with multiple underlying diseases or severe comorbidities.

5

How should the elderly use medications reasonably after being infected to avoid physical harm caused by blind use of medications?

For elderly people infected with COVID-19 at home, symptomatic treatment is the main approach. It is recommended that:

Get plenty of rest and sleep.

Give light and easily digestible food, eat small meals frequently, do not eat too much at one time, and avoid vomiting.

Replenish water appropriately according to body temperature and sweating conditions, drink small amounts of water multiple times, and avoid replenishing large amounts of water at one time, which may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and increased cardiac workload.

Use of antipyretics : For patients with fever, antipyretics (such as acetaminophen) can be given, but for the elderly, the dosage should be started at a small level and the temperature should be lowered slowly. The higher the body temperature and the older the elderly are, the more cautious you should be. Avoid excessive sweating at one time that may cause collapse or even hypotension, and replenish water in time according to sweating and blood pressure conditions. When using antipyretics, avoid taking multiple drugs at the same time, and read the drug instructions carefully.

Application of Chinese medicine : Symptomatic Chinese patent medicine can be given. It is not recommended to use multiple medicines at the same time. If discomfort symptoms occur, it is recommended to stop using the medicine.

Basic disease management : For patients with concurrent chronic diseases, it is not recommended to interrupt their chronic disease-related medications. However, patients with hypertension and diabetes should pay attention to changes in their condition. During a fever, especially when using antipyretics, you must pay attention to blood pressure monitoring. If the blood pressure is already low and below normal levels, antihypertensive drugs may need to be reduced or even discontinued, and then used as usual when the blood pressure returns to normal. In addition, the elderly may eat very little after being infected with the new coronavirus, so it is necessary to monitor blood sugar changes to prevent hypoglycemia.

Prevent falls : Infection and fever can make the elderly weaker, their stability declines, and they are more likely to fall or even fracture. It is best to have the help of family members when doing activities; do not put too many things on the ground, and the walkways should be unobstructed; water on the ground should be cleaned up in time; wear appropriate shoes and clothes at home to avoid tripping; go to the bathroom at night, wake up half a minute before getting up, stand up half a minute after getting up, stand for half a minute before walking, and be sure to wake up completely before getting up, etc.

Source: National Health Commission official website, Healthy China