Medics, reporters go above and beyond for elderly patients

May 1 marked the start of a new life for a 103-year-old apo (granny) who had been hospitalized for abnormal nucleic acid test results a month before. She had received attentive care and therapy.

"Congratulations, apo, now you're 'dismissed,'" the doctors and nurses in charge of a special ward for elderly patients at Huashan Hospital's Baoshan District branch in Shanghai told the centenarian.

According to a May 3 report in Wenhui Daily, the centenarian, surnamed Chen, was the oldest of six 100-year-olds who were released from the hospital. Almost a quarter of the patients treated at the hospital were over 70 years old. The hospital has admitted nine centenarians and 59 people between the ages of 90 and 100.

An old 'baby'

After her nucleic acid testing suggested a possible COVID-19 infection, Chen was hospitalized in early April. Her Alzheimer's and cerebral infarction made treatment difficult, Wenhui Daily reported.

Wu Wenxiang, the chief nurse of a ward with 50 patients, said: "She was like a 'baby' who couldn't articulate herself adequately. So we had to make extra efforts for her.

"We were in heavy protective gear. We would sweat profusely after we fed her, patted her on the back, and changed diapers and bedsheets for her."

In spite of the need for particular care for the apo, the ward's medical team leader, Xuan Dandan, stated that the team never felt tired. "We fed apo yogurt with a syringe so she wouldn't choke on it. To thank everyone who supported her, she would call us ajie, or sisters."

The medical staff's attentive care of the centenarian extended beyond daily meals and chores. Thanks to timely medical exams, doctors and nurses were able to discover significant inflammation in Chen's lungs and urinary tract and prescribe precise treatment.

Chen is just one example of how elderly patients have been effectively cared for during the city's ongoing battle against COVID-19 resurgence. There is always space for improvement, but it is widely agreed that we must work harder to safeguard them because they are a weaker group in the current health crisis.

Reporters respond

In the last two weeks, reporters from the Xinmin Evening News assisted many people, especially the elderly, in coping with the city's lockdown to combat the spread of Omicron.

According to a May 4 report, a 74-year-old woman contacted Xinmin's hotline for assistance after becoming restricted at home and unable to have her outdated catheter changed. She said that she had high paraplegia for seven years and that she was now experiencing pain because she had been using an old catheter for more than two months.

Reporters promptly contacted a nonprofit alliance of physicians for rapid assistance. As a result, a registered nurse performed a nucleic acid test before rushing to the elderly woman's apartment. The nurse changed the patient's catheter in around 20 minutes.

In another case, a 92-year-old resident lost contact with his son because the telephone at home was broken. The son requested assistance from Xinmin. The newspaper called a telecommunications company to repair the old man's phone.

"Now I'm at rest!" The son called back to appreciate their efforts. "Thank you very much for assisting my father." Xinmin had helped the man earlier to arrange vegetables and meat for his father.

The stories of many physicians and reporters going out of their way to assist elderly people in fighting the pandemic and dealing with related challenges speak volumes about how everyone in the city cares about everyone else, especially at a time when weaker groups may have an urgent need.

When people prioritize the interests of others over their own, a society thrives. In the same way, a city thrives when the weakest voices are heard.