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Improve Muscular Strength for Leaving the Bed and Going to the Toilet 強化肌力 離床如廁變容易

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Improve Muscular Strength for Leaving the Bed and Going to the Toilet 強化肌力 離床如廁變容易

2023/11/8

As the elders gets older, their disability becomes more serious. However, too much care may aggravate the incapacitation. If the disability is not too serious, the seniors should be encouraged to go to the toilet with the assistance of the family to prevent the disease from getting worse.

Use assistive devices and install handrails and commodes

When the elders want to go to the toilet, their family can help them to avoid an accidental fall. In addition, it can slow down the aging of body functions by preparing commodes and installing handrails and other assistive devices in advance and encouraging elders to use the aids to go to the toilet by themselves.

The elders are afraid of getting up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, mainly for fear of falling and sleep interruption. The way to prevent falling is not only to improve the home environment, but also to encourage the elders to do more muscle strength training. Unlike young people who can use their waist to support themselves when slipping, once aged family members lose their balance and fall, the consequences can vary from person to person. If they don't exercise, it will cause muscle degeneration, so we should encourage them to exercise as much as possible.

Two exercises strengthen the lower limbs

  • When accompanied by family members: older people can go to the swimming pool for water aerobics exercises, and walk back and forth alongside the family in the pool, which can effectively train the muscle endurance of their lower limbs.
  • No family members being present: the elders can exercise their quadriceps femoris by sitting on a chair with a back to move their legs up and down in a slow manner without swinging from side to side and with a great deal of concentration.

Improve nocturia to allow elders to sleep well

If elders have serious nocturia, they must go to the urology department to check the cause in detail. Children can observe the elders of the family. If they have to go to the toilet more than twice an hour, or they often need to find a toilet when outdoors, it means that pollakiuria has occurred, and they must go to see a doctor as soon as possible. Urinary urgency, pollakiuria, nocturia and even urge urinary incontinence can be treated. We should not ignore the negative effects brought by these symptoms, especially on the elderly. Only through early treatment can we have good night sleep quality.

The causes that affect older people’s sleep include age (light sleep, long wake-up time at night), high body temperature, pressure and emotional distress, lifestyle (the elderly’s afternoon nap will delay sleeping at night), poor environment (noise, bright light, hard bed, etc.), health status and drug use.

Doctors also remind the elderly to reduce sleep time as better and deep sleep is more important than more shallow sleep. Go to bed and get up at a fixed time every day. If you have a hard time getting to sleep, don't worry but relax. Stress will only make it harder for you to fall asleep. In general, there are several suggestions that are helpful for patients with nocturia:

  • Empty urine before bed: empty your bladder before and after meals and before bed.
  • Urination training: schedule urination every two hours during the day and every four hours at night. Regularly practicing urination time to the schedule is of great help to bladder function.
  • Drink less water after dinner: drink 200-250 c.c. liquid before 8p.m., and drink less water after dinner.
  • Avoid diuretic foods: reduce the intake of diuretic foods, such as coffee, tea, cola and alcoholic beverages.
  • Reduce the dose of sleeping medications: use as few sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and alcohol as possible because they reduce the urge to urinate and increase the likelihood of urinary incontinence, especially at night.
  • Strengthen pelvic floor muscles: Women's pelvic floor exercises can help support the bladder.
  • Prepare a bedside bedpan: Prepare a clean bedpan where it is readily accessible. Proper lighting at night and handrails are required.

Lower limb bed exercises

  • Flutter kick: The patient bends one foot, slowly raises one foot to the level of the other knee, and slowly lowers the foot.
  • Hip abduction: The patient lies on their back with their legs straight, one of which opens outwards and then closes inwards.
  • Quadriceps strengthening: Have the patient lie down on their back with two pillows under their knees and straighten their knees or they can do so by sitting on the edge of the bed or on a chair.
  • Ankle pumping: Ask the patient to straighten their feet and repeat the up and down movement with their ankles. If the patient's lower extremities are edematous, it is recommended that a pillow be placed under the lower leg to promote blood and lymph flow.
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