 |
The elderly often suffer from deterioration in their overall health due to an insufficient intake of nutrition and water, mental and physical fatigue caused by the disaster, and the poor living environment of the shelter. Because of interruptions in use of medication and failure to receive medical treatment by primary or appropriate specialists, chronic diseases suffered before the disaster often get worse.
It is necessary to evaluate the health of the elderly and provide support to prevent the aggravation of chronic conditions.
Assessment
| 2. |
ADL
Feeding, bladder and bowel movements (including assessment of excretions), physical movement, sleep state, etc. |
| 3. |
Facial expression, vitality |
| 4. |
Physical conditions (fatigability, shortness of breath, palpitation, gastric discomfort, malaise such as numbness of the limbs, and other symptoms. |
| 5. |
Living environments
| 2. |
Distances to washrooms and toilets |
| 3. |
State of provision of everyday goods |
| 4. |
Presence/absence of family members and supporters |
|
Coping methods
| 1. |
Secure and provide daily necessities
| 1. |
Daily goods (such as blankets, portable body warmers, tatami mats and screen. |
| 2. |
Drugs and wet compresses, etc. |
|
| 3. |
Evaluate and triage of elderly in need of support
| 1. |
Identify elderly in need of support from visiting health professionals and volunteers |
| 2. |
When elderly evacuees in need of support are detected, contact should be made with medical, long-term care and welfare institutions, administrative bodies or volunteer groups for their transportation to appropriate institutions |
|
| 4. |
Health consultations
| 1. |
Health consultations may be required by specialist groups(physicians, nurses, public health nurses and rehabilitation staff members. |
| 2. |
Make case reports in each shelter to enable the continuous
evaluation of the health of elderly evacuees |
|
| 5. |
Continue medication and diet therapy
| 1. |
Produce medication and diet therapy lists and classify elderly into
those in whom self-management of oral drug intake/self-injection is possible, confirmation is necessary, and self-management of oral drug intake/self-injection is impossible |
| 2. |
When self-management of oral drug intake/self-injection is possible (including management by family members), enough drugs for several weeks should be given to enable self-management |
| 3. |
In elderly in whom the self-management of oral drug intake/ self-injection is impossible, nurses or other staffs in charge of the shelter should confirm drug intake/ self-injection, regarding these individuals as high priority during rounds |
| 4. |
When special diets are necessary in elderly with diseases such as diabetes mellitus or nephropathy, special food should be arranged. In addition, therapeutic diets should be requested from the ration center |
|
| 6. |
Provide information
| 1. |
Enlighten elderly on disorders that often develop following disaster
(such as economy class syndrome, shelter pneumonia and food poisoning. |
| 2. |
Confirm the place of a temporary clinic, and its office days/hours,and distribute this information |
|
|
|
Deterioration of health Condition
