Looking forward to going to "class" every day
Mrs. Ly is 82 years old this year and is still quite lucid. As the saying goes, “young people rely on their fathers, old people rely on their children,” old people always want to be close to their children and grandchildren. Mrs. Ly also lives in the same house as her youngest daughter’s family, but their living hours are different. Her children and grandchildren are all busy with work and school all week, and only come home late at night every day.
When she was still healthy, Mrs. Ly still woke up early in the morning to go to the market to buy food or meet friends to chat. A few years ago, Mrs. Ly's husband passed away. Since COVID-19, her health has also weakened a lot, her limbs are no longer flexible, and she needs someone to help her walk. All day long, she just stays alone within four walls.
That is why Mrs. Ly decided to go to the day care center for the elderly to have both a caregiver and friends to talk to, and to help her children feel secure when going to work. Every day, both she and her grandchildren go to school. Children go to school, the elderly go to the nursing home. Every week at 7am from Monday to Friday, Mrs. Ly prepares "luggage" for her youngest daughter to take to the nursing home to meet elderly friends and receive health care. At home, both she and her grandchildren "go to class". When the children go to school, she also goes to... boarding school. Now, for Mrs. Ly, going to class is a joy, the day care center is her second home.
Seeing Mrs. Ly getting out of the car, a nurse from the center greeted her with a warm smile. At exactly 8:00 a.m., after some light exercises to start the day, Mrs. Ly and her classmates enjoyed a glass of fruit juice and chatted animatedly. In the next "class", the men and women divided into small groups to do intensive rehabilitation exercises, depending on their physical condition. A "class" day also included recreational activities such as reading, playing chess, drawing, etc. In particular, every month the men and women would have a regular health check-up and receive necessary advice from the doctor.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao Mo, head nurse of Nhan Ai Daycare Nursing Center, shared: “The elderly who come here will be able to participate in many recreational activities, massage and acupressure. Every day we will have a different schedule to avoid boredom. The criteria is to create a second home, so that the elderly do not think they are in the hospital but come here for treatment and club activities.”
In addition to physical activities, the "class" encourages the elderly to talk and interact, especially those with mild depression due to living in isolation for too long, staying at home watching TV and using their phones, leading to a loss of connection with society.
Breaking the stereotype about nursing homes
In Vietnam and many other Asian countries, there is still a prejudice that only children who shirk their responsibilities or are not filial will send their parents to nursing homes. Many families still maintain the traditional view that “pushing” their parents to outsiders to care for them is not fulfilling their filial duty and providing for them.
Or, some seniors may feel abandoned and isolated in nursing homes if they do not receive regular care and visits from their families.
Therefore, the model of a day care center for the elderly can become a solution to eliminate prejudices and negative views about nursing homes.
Different from the centralized nursing home model (residential nursing home), the day care center is a form of elderly care from 7am to 5pm. This is a completely new model in Vietnam, suitable for busy families who are unable to care for their grandparents during the day. Unlike inpatient nursing home, the elderly will return home in the evening and on weekends, still having time to be close to their children and grandchildren.
With 18 years of experience in the field of elderly care, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh - General Director of Nhan Ai International Joint Stock Company, commented: "Currently, the proportion of elderly people is increasing. Whether it is a day care model or a centralized model, nursing homes have been changing over time to keep up with social trends."
At nursing homes, the elderly will be cared for by a team of professionals including: nurses, rehabilitation technicians, social workers to help them solve psychological problems... In addition, the elderly can make friends and participate in recreational activities to feel less lonely when staying home alone all day.
Going to class for 8 hours and then returning to a familiar home, the elderly have another reasonable choice because they can receive health care, have a comfortable spiritual life while still being close to their family.
