Life made easier for frail seniors

Problems observed

Wang Xiangjun, who works at a nursing home in the Chinese capital's Chaoyang district, saw the problems that more than 400 elderly families in her care had in taking a shower.

"It's hard for them to move to the bathrooms, most of which are small, wet and slippery, and very likely to cause accidental injuries," Wang said.

Two or three people are typically involved in the procedure required for the elderly to take a shower.

An assistant first takes the blood pressure and temperature of seniors and gains a good understanding of their basic health condition.

Li said, "If they are intubated, have high blood pressure or fever, we can't proceed in case of possible infection, which would make things worse."

The longest procedure involves preparing water to fill the bath tub. It usually takes 15 to 30 minutes to collect about 180 liters of water and maintain it at 40 C.

"The volume in most cases is way beyond the capacity of a household water heater, so we need to prepare extra hot water," Li said.

Waterproof covering for the floor, an inflatable tub, a disposable bath bag, and herbals are then put in place before the water is pumped into the tub.

When all the preparations are completed, it usually takes two assistants to carry the senior carefully to the tub.

"First-time customers are usually nervous, so we need to relax them by talking to them and comforting them," Li said.

Clients take a 10-minute bath, before an assistant starts to wash, scrub and shower them. The entire process takes about 90 minutes and costs around 400 yuan ($56).

The first time Li helped bathe a senior made her determined to persevere with her business. "The client was an 85-year-old man who had lost the ability to communicate," she said.

Li remembers the stifling air in the room and the client's sticky skin, the latter being the result of a long-term inaccessibility to bathing.

"To be frank, it was hard to take it all in, but you can imagine what this man must have had to put up with for this length of time," she said.

Li's initial embarrassment gave way to a sense of achievement and pleasure after the man was bathed and scrubbed. "You could tell from his look that he was relieved and happy," she said.

The experience gave Li a new understanding of aging. "I really feel that the elderly with disabilities need care and attention from more people. They also need a decent life," she said.

Li has recruited six members to her team, which has served more than 300 households with elderly family members who have difficulty taking a shower.

About 80 percent of Li's clients now take a shower at least once a month thanks to her service, and her most frequent customers call her every week.

Her team can deal with five to six families a day if they live relatively close to one another.

Although Li has yet to make much of a profit from her business, she said she will continue this work to nurture the market. "As long as I get to keep my team, things will surely fall into place," she said.