Notice of the national health and Family Planning Commission on issuing the core information of the aged people’s health

2014885

National health offices letter to families (2014) No. 885

To the health and family planning commission of all provinces, autonomous regions ,municipalities and the health office of Xinjiang production and Construction Corps:

In order to promote aged peoples concern on health and education on aged people’s health issues, create an atmosphere for the whole society to care and support aged people’s health project and enhance aged peoples knowledge on health care, this commission arranges experts to compile a list concerning the key information on aged people’s health care. Copies are now dispatched all over the country for your reference.

Office of the national health and Family Planning Commission

2014107

October 7th, 2014

Key Information on Aged Peoples Health Care

1. Acquire actively the knowledge on aging of population and aging. Aged people should consistently enhance their own concern on self-health care and learn knowledge and skills on self-monitoring and managing. Assure that illnesses detected and healed at the early stage and maintain the body function when dealing with the illness in the middle and later period.

2. Maintain a reasonable diet and balanced nutrition. Aged people should have meal of certain quantity in a certain hour. Everyday food should contain cereals, beans and potatoes (the raw and the polished should be in proper proportions), animal flesh and organs, vegetables, fruit milk, milk product and nuts. The amount of edible oil and salt should be controlled. Encourage aged people to have three meals and two snacks every day .breakfast should contain about 30% of each days calorie, lunch 40% and dinner 30%. Snacks and fruit can be added in the morning and the afternoon.

3. Do the exercises moderately and gradually. Aged people should choose relatively easy sport according to their health condition and preference such as fast walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, shadowboxing, etc. The best time for sport is 10-11 a.m., 3-5 p.m., 30 minutes to 1 hours sport is recommended.

4. Quit smoking and control drinking. Aged people should quit smoking as soon as possible and drinking should also be controlled and avoid drinking spirits above 45 degree.

5. Sleep well. You should take a nap for an hour at noon each day. If you suffer from insomnia for a long time, snoring with pause of breath, you should go to see the doctor in time. You should follow doctors’ instructions when taking sleeping pills.

6. Test blood pressure regularly. Aged people should rest for five minutes before testing and avoid excitement, fatigue, smoking and urine holding. You should test blood pressure twice at 1 minute’s interval and take the average score. The sufferer of high blood pressure should test at least three times a day (in the morning, at noon and in the evening). Be on the alert for the morning peak of blood pressure to avoid myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke. You should also prevent low blood pressure, especially that due to the abuse of medicine.

7. Test blood sugar regularly. Aged people should test blood sugar every one or two months, not only before meal, but also two hours after meal. When the blood sugar of diabetic patient remains stable, it should be tested for at least 1 or 2 times a week. The restriction of blood sugar of the aged diabetic patient can be relaxed.

8. Prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Aged people should maintain a wholesome life style to evade the threat of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. You should control the excessive intake of edible oil, fat and salt, keep on exercising and good sleep and take regular physical checkups. If the early symptoms of coronary disease and stroke appear, you should see the doctor immediately.

9. Pay close attention to cerebral stroke and receive timely treatment. Once the aged people feel fatigue and numbness of one side of the face or body, and one eye becomes blind, and symptoms such as expression disorder, dizziness, repulsiveness, vomiting and diplopia appear, you should dial 120 to go to the suitable hospital for treatment.

10. Pay special attention to the declination of eyesight and sense of hearing. Avoid picking the ear casually and drink less strong tea and coffee. Strictly control the indication of drugs harmful to the ear such as Gentamicin and streptomycin. Live in a relatively quiet place. When hearing declines greatly, the aged people should see the doctor immediately and wear audiphones if necessary. Check vision regularly and of vision declines, go to see the doctor.

11. Pay special attention to oral health care. Aged people should persist in rinsing the mouth after meal and brushing teeth in the morning and at night. Reasonably use dental floss and toothpick. Take oral health examination once every half year and mend tooth decay timely. You should insert artificial teeth if some teeth are lost to regain the chewing function.

12. Prevent falling. Above 90% of fracture of aged people are caused by falling, therefore aged people should do moderate exercised and wear suitable glasses to improve vision. Avoid going out alone and going to the crowded place. Articles in the room should be placed in good order. There should be more light and the ground be dry and neat.

13. Prevent osteoarticular disease and osteoporosis. Aged people should warm the knees and take moderate amount of exercise. Avoid walking downstairs unless it is necessary and control weight to release the pressure on legs. Take more sunbath and take balanced diet containing enough calcium, low salt and enough protein. Enhance the strength of bones by walking and running in moderate amount.

14. Prevent incontinence due to stress. You should avoid behaviors and life styles which increase the pressure in abdomen such as standing for a long time, crouch, bearing a heavy burden, chronic cough, constipation, etc.

15. Maintain a peaceful mood and learn to dispel bad mood. When aged people show the early symptom of melancholia such as amnesia, headache, dim eyesight, ringing in the ears, depression, anxiety, worry, fear, loss of interest, low self-esteem, self-accusation, comprehensive passiveness and dependence, loss of lives meaning, fatigue, chest tightness, loss of weight, sleep disordered, they should go to see the doctor immediately and receive specialists necessary psychological counseling and medical treatment.

16. Prevent the appearance and development of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease show up after 65 years old and displays the symptoms such as constant dymnesia, expression disorder, visual disorder and change of personalities. Once the aged people show early symptoms such as the obvious declination of memory and amnesia, they should see the doctor immediately in order to prevent and control the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

17. Take medicine rationally. Aged people should strictly follow doctors instruction when taking medicine, be aware of the indication and contradiction and avoid repeated and multiple use of medicine. Avoid abuse of Antibiotics, sedative sleep drugs, anesthetics, anti-inflammatory analgesics, anti-arrhythmia drugs, cardiac drugs, etc. Avoid casual use of secret prescription, folk prescription, testing prescription, so-called new medicine and exotic medicine. When adverse reactions appear, you should stop taking the medicine and go to the hospital in time.

18. Take regular physical checkups. Aged people should take physical checkups at least one time a year and take active part in the general investigation held by government and large hospitals. They should pay much attention on the signals for cancers in the early period such as abnormal lump, intestinal bleeding and loss of weight. Once these signals appear, aged people should go for a check in Tumor specialist hospital and once cancer is found, the patient should receive the standard treatment of the standard hospital. Chronic sickness should be detected and intervened early and effective intervention can reduce the risk of falling ill. Medical record should be carefully and completely kept.

19 Aged people, when go out, should take the medical emergency card which contains the basic information such as name, family address, work place and contact details of close family as well as key information such as their illnesses, probable emergencies and simple aid method. If necessary, the requirement for ambulance and target hospital should be included.

20. Encourage aged people to take active part in the society and wholesome sport and cultural entertainment according to their own condition. Promote a scientific, civilized and healthy life style. Pay attention to the reproductive health and avoid dangerous sexual activities. Advocate the whole society to care and love aged people and enable aged people to be taken care of, illness to be healed, goals to be achieved, good things to be learned and entertainment to be enjoyed.( From the homepage of Ministry of Public Health)