Many of us worry for our aging parents. We feel sad every time we notice they’ve grown older, and guilty when we hear of ailments we cannot help relieve.  We think back to our memories with our grandparents, look at our children, and worry that we’re robbing them of a better childhood.  Although we try to fight for vacation days, coordinate and schedule them at the same time as our spouses, our kids’ schools, and our friends and relatives back home, we still always feel like we’re falling short.

Thankfully, there is a solution.

If we can just convince our parents to come to China, then we can all spend more time together. Global Times recently published an article on how more and more foreigners are traveling to China for the holidays, a season, or for good. They stay at nursing homes that hold onto the traditions of eastern medicine, allowing them to practice qigong on a daily basis while avoiding western medication.

Those who come are attracted by Chinese culture and a change in scenery, but they come back for the holistic approach nursing homes here take to caring for the elderly. Many owe their health to qigong, crediting the daily exercise for their improved well-being and recovery from pain. The experience of another culture, language, and healing method can be an enriching experience to any retiree.

Sold on the Benefits

Chinese nursing homes are also more cost-efficient than their Western counterparts. Although foreigners can only choose private institutions, which cost between RMB 5,000 (USD 754) and RMB 10,000 a month, it is still cheaper than the standard monthly cost of USD 2,600 to USD 4,000 in the UK and US, respectively.

If Beijing’s winter months are too chilling for grandma and grandpa’s joins, find a center with transprovincial or transnational agreements that allow its patients to transfer from one center to another. The agreement allows an inhabitant in, for example, Beidahe (Hebei) to transfer to a southern, warmer climate for the winter season, and then return afterwards.  A nursing home in Hebei that cooperates with another nursing home in France is a good example of transnational cooperation; its residents can escape to Hebei for the summer months.

If you’ve been sold on the idea, know that all grandma and grandpa need are their passports and medical records!

Photo: Flickr (el_taytus)

• Mattresses
• Box springs
• Bed frames
• Headboards

• Under peeling paint and loose wallpaper
• Under carpeting near baseboards
• In upholstered furniture seams
• Under light switch plates or electrical outlets

• There are many possible signs of bed bug activity. The first would be seeing the bugs. Adult bed bugs are about the shape and size of an apple seed. A second sign would be case skins. As the juvenile bugs grow, they shed their skins, discovery of which can indicate their presence.
• After feeding, bed bugs return to their harborage to hide. They eventually defecate in these areas, which appears as black to brown stains on porous surfaces or black to brown mounds on nonporous surfaces.
• Bites also may indicate bed bug activity, but further signs will need to be found, since other sources can cause red welts on the skin, the best decision would be to hire bed bug control services to determine if you have a bed bug problem.

• Red, often with a darker red spot in the middle
• Itchy
• Arranged in a rough line or in a cluster
• Located on the face, neck, arms and hands

• When at home, follow these handy tips to help keep bed bugs at bay.
• Remove all clutter from your home, which makes finding bed bugs easier.
• Wash and dry your bed linens often using the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric.
• Closely inspect any second-hand furniture for bed bugs before you bring it into your residence.
• Inspect your residence regularly—after a move-in, a trip, when a service worker comes in or guests stay overnight.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons

A 61-year-old woman from Langfang, Hebei province, is in critical condition after being infected with the H7N9 virus, the latest known case of bird flu on the mainland.

Most of those infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus have been older people with pre-existing medical problems, putting them at greater risk of getting critically ill or dying, according to China’s first comprehensive study of the new virus.

 

The analysis was led by scientists from Fudan University and was published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Click here for the full story.

With this new case, it’s best to be cautious. Check Dr. Richard’s My Health Beijing blog for tips on how to avoid infection.

 Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

Last week, United Family Health Care launched United Family Home Health (UFHH) for elderly patients, new mothers and newborns, and patients with chronic illnesses who are confined to the home.

Currently, UFH provides three types of service:

• Continuing Care: For the elderly, chronically ill, post-stroke patients, homebound patients (e.g. Blood pressure tests, chest exams, diabetes management, dressing change, etc.)
• Post-Partum Services: For newborns and post-partum mothers (e.g. Newborn health screening, breastfeeding and emotional support, blood tests according to need, etc.)
• Concierge Services: For patients who want privacy and convenience, such as hotel guests, tourists, and busy professionals (services tailored to individual needs)

To access UFHH, patients must first sign up for the service by calling 5927 7333 or emailing homehealth@ufh.com.cn. They must then go to a UFH hospital for an initial evaluation, after which UFH nurses will visit their home to provide care.

To find out more, consult UFHH’s website.

Photo by Matthew J. via Flickr

According to China Daily, the elderly affairs research center of the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences recently carried out an extensive study. More than 10 percent of the grown-up children in the study receive financial support from their elderly parents per month, while a third of them receive money occasionally.

Despite the parents’ generous offers of time, devotion, and even money to their children (and grandchildren), they are not getting much in return. Most of the elderly, more than 75 percent in fact, reported feeling lonely even when some of them live with their children. More than anything, they crave for more emotional and spiritual connection to their children.

Sadly, with the erosion of traditional values, China’s senior population, projected to reach 200 million by 2015, is gradually becoming a forgotten group while the younger generations go about their busy lives, leaving little time to care for the physical and mental wellbeing of their elderly parents and grandparents.