Seniors to get first aid training in hospital outreach plan

Beijing Geriatric Hospital is planning an outreach program to send instructors into communities in Beijing to train seniors in basic first aid and how to prevent falls.

Song Yuetao, director of a geriatric research department at Beijing Geriatric Hospital, Haidian district, said they aim to teach 100 healthy seniors aged from 60 to 70 in some of Beijing's residential communities next month. The initial 100 will then be sent to other communities to teach more seniors.

"The program has nothing to do with people having misgivings about helping seniors when they fall," Song said.

Song explained the program was aimed at promoting self-help, particularly as most seniors stay close to home.

"It's not our intention to address this larger social issue," he said, referring to a number of cases in which an elderly person accused a good Samaritan of having caused the accident.

A 72-year-old woman, surnamed Yang, from Tongzhou district praised the program.

"I can't raise my legs easily now, and sometimes I sprain my ankle," said Yang, explaining that if she injures herself, she is often unsure what to do.

"I'd like to be a first-aid instructor helping out friends; our fragile bones really need to be taken good care of," Yang said.

Wang Yuhong, chief physician for an NGO affiliated to the Ministry of Health, which promotes health awareness, said that Beijing's population is ageing 10 years ahead of that of other Chinese cities, and so there is a high rate of seniors being injured in falls, especially those who suffer from diseases such as osteoporosis.

Basic preventative advice is that seniors should take care when getting out of bed, wear good shoes and soak their feet to aid blood circulation.

Nationwide statistics show that falls are the foremost reason for people over 65 to be hospitalized, in terms of accidental injuries, according to a February 2 Beijing Evening News report.