When Life Burns Lower

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 299, 14 September 1937, Page 5

When Life Burns Lower

r [Y) keep fit, old people require exercise. A quiet walk in the sun daily is advisable, or any exercise which does not overtax the heart or the circulatory system. Nature’s signal of. distress is breathlessness. Immediately this symptom appears the exercise should cease for the time. A warm baitlr should be taken daily, either in the morning or evening, according..to inclination. The bath keeps the pores of the skin active and stimulates the circulation.

The aged should be encouraged to continue doing odd, non-strenuous jobs about the house. They should be made to feel they are still useful, allowed to help in the preparation of meals and the routine of housekeeping or gardening. The time, of course, has gone by when they can stand on chairs, carry heavy weights, or go frequently up and down stairs. Movements which entail much stooping are liable to make them giddy. Reasonable amount of recreation should be taken. To keep the aged still absorbed in life, maintain as fa r as possible their interest in church and civic affairs —give them an occasional day’s shopping, taking care to save fuss and excitement by having transport arrangements made beforehand. A motor drive or bus drive gives old people pleasure, and, although they may be tired after an outing, they wdll -sleep better, eat better, and be more cheerful in consequence. Old people are a Pt to become selfcentred. As it is a failing which grows, the first signs ought to be checked. A household which contains an aged tyrant is, indeed, to be pitied. Sunny Bedroom. r pilE bedroom of an aged person should got a good deal of sunshine, and the bed should be placed out of the draughts. There should be easy access to a lavatory or commode. The window should be open a little during the night. Stuffy rooms arc to bo avoided at all costs.

The bed should be comfortable and soft—not too soft, but capable of '‘fluffing” somewhat after the necessary daily airing. That, and a wellsprung mattress, are conducive to sleep. As old people are somewhat restless sleepers, it is advisable that they have separate beds, and, if possible, separate bedrooms. So often one of the partners has the habit of reading in bed before settling down for the night, or even of reading during the night. The light is an annoyance to the other. When an aged person is lying in bed helpless, see that face and hands are coyered with mosquito netting, in order to avoid the annoyance of flies or other insects.

Exercise and Recreation are Better When Not Too Strenuous Medical Talk No. 4—By Cairnsmuir. 'J'O have done something for years is no guarantee that you are doing right. That is a truth which older folk often ignore. Here, then, is good advice from a New Zealanjl woman doctor on how to take care of the aged by rules of science rather than tradition.

And, because the person is helpless and cannot respond, don’t conclude that all receptivity has vanished. Talk to him, show him flowers and pictures, occasionally have old friends to visit him for short periods, turn on the wireless for short intervals to low and pleasant music. In short, “play up” to any lucid interval the patient may have.

All Pain is Not Serious. YVHEN an elderly person is kept in ’’ bed for a week or longer, care should be taken that he does not lie in the one position all the time. As the circulation is feeble, and the ventilation of the lungs not so vigorous, blood is liable to collect in the dependent parts of the lungs, causing congestion or a hypostatic pneumonia. It is wise to change position at intervals, and, if possible, sit patient up occasionally. As a general rule, medicines are not the best way of tackling constipation, but when a person is over sixty years of age, educating the bowels is tin unsafe plan. It is preferable to allow the custom of resorting to salts, senna, cascara, etc.

Au endeavour should always be made to find out the cause of headaches instead of weakly relying on headache tablets. In the aged, headache . may be due to such simple causes as biliousness or eye-strain, but on the other hand, it may be of serious import, indicating a sharp rise of blood pressure or severe circulatory disturbance.

Find out the cause of pain, too, before taking medicine for lumbago, muscular rheumatism, kidney pain, etc. The cause may be simple. For the aged are prone to aches and pains of some kind, usually not of great importance. Has not the psalmist said: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength, labour and sorrow.” Care of the aged may be summed up in these gene rl rules: Small meals, freedom from worry, and abundance of fresh air.