Managing chronic conditions
We stop in front of the Fu’an Temple to find the elderly Qingquan (not his real name) dozing in the shade of a banyan tree.
Working in perfect synchrony, Yu and Lin unpack their equipment, check their patient’s vital signs, and evaluate his condition.
The 95-year-old Qingquan suffers from many of the ailments common in old age, including high blood pressure, skin allergies, and osteoarthritis. He nonetheless remains active, still waking at five o’clock every morning to make his way to the temple in his wheelchair and tend to the vegetables he grows on an open piece of land.
But his circumstances were very different just a few months ago. Then untreated for several conditions, he suffered from itchy skin that prevented him from sleeping soundly and arthritis that made it difficult to walk, as well as having systolic blood pressure of over 180 mm Hg.
The remote location of his home and his family’s lack of a car made it very difficult for him to receive medical care. Yu didn’t begin treating Qingquan until a home services worker with a social welfare organization turned the case over to him. The regular medical care he has received since then has greatly improved his quality of life.
“Take these!” says Qingquan, bustling to his garden to cut sweet-potato leaves that he then stuffs into the doctor’s trunk.
Home healthcare delivers preventive care. With good-quality care, seniors can maintain their daily routines.