Parents who say “not sick”… 5 ways to check your health by video call
After the Corona 19 epidemic, parents should take care of their parents’ health even during the’non-face-to-face’ Lunar New Year holidays
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jandi Kim = As the epidemic of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) continues, more families are expected to spend’non-face-to-face holidays’ over the phone this year.
It’s best to see your parents in person and check your parents’ health, but it’s good to look at your face and ask hello to check your health even through a video call. In particular, parents often say that they are not sick because they fear their children are worried, so don’t miss out on the trivial clues that appear on the video call screen. With the advice of Professor Jang Il-young of the Department of Old Age Internal Medicine at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, we summarized how to assess the health of parents through video calls.
◇ First, make sure you can make video calls to your children.
First of all, you need to check if your parents can use the smartphone’s video calling feature.
Even though children tell us how to operate several times, the elderly often do not know how to make and receive video calls. At this time, rather than simply saying that it is because it is difficult to operate the smartphone, it is better to check if the concentration or understanding has decreased.
Moreover, since the video call method using a smartphone has recently become very simple, if it is difficult to manipulate the smartphone even after several explanations, it may be an initial symptom of cognitive decline.
In particular, cognitive decline can be a precursor to dementia, so be careful.
Dementia initially starts with a memory impairment, but as it progresses, spatial perception, computational abilities, and judgment abilities also deteriorate, resulting in difficulties in performing daily life alone. It is necessary to get an accurate diagnosis by finding an expert before it is late.
◇ Make sure the screen doesn’t shake often
When making a video call, make sure your parents’ screen doesn’t shake too often.
Even if the screen on the parent’s side holding the smartphone shakes, it can lead to aging, but the weight of the smartphone is not enough to directly cause the shaking.
The tremor at this time may be a decrease in muscle strength or an involuntary movement that is not related to the patient’s doctor. You need to review your nutritional status or medications you are taking.
You should ask your parents if there is any tremors even when they are still.
If your behavior is slow and you have difficulty getting your focus often, it may be an early symptom of Parkinson’s disease rather than simple metastasis.
Parkinson’s disease is a disease caused by a lack of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, as dopaminergic neurons are gradually lost. Dopamine is an important substance that allows the body to move freely and precisely as we wish. The exact cause has not been identified, and there is no way to cure it completely, but it is important to find a specialist quickly as it can sufficiently control symptoms if managed.
◇ Let’s check if your face has lost more weight than before
You should also look closely at the face you see on the screen. A sudden loss of cheeks could be a sign of an abnormal health in the elderly. Decreased cheek or jaw muscles can be an indicator of sarcopenia.
If the usual nutritional intake is not evenly done and if you do not eat properly for various reasons, the subcutaneous fat on the face is lost, and if the chewing ability to chew food decreases, the jaw muscles may fall out and the face may look slim.
At this time, if the masticatory function is generally reduced along with the jaw muscles, it is often accompanied by a swallowing disorder that makes it difficult to swallow. When you eat or take medicine, you should ask if you can’t hear it.
You should also make sure you are not overly vegetarian when eating. If you are reluctant to consume protein from meat for reasons such as dental condition or indigestion, you may want to eat a meal with a protein-containing beverage or powder.
◇ Let’s wrap the calf with the thumb and index finger of both hands
You should also check that you are not at risk for sarcopenia due to loss of muscle and strength.
Sarcopenia refers to a condition in which a decrease in muscle mass and a decrease in muscle function appear at the same time due to aging. Although muscle mass may decrease, the problem is that the quality of the muscles deteriorates.
This is because, if muscle mass decreases in old age, the risk of falls and fractures, as well as weakened immunity, may increase the risk of social disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease due to decreased body function.
Since the muscle mass of the whole body tends to be proportional to the calf circumference, it is good to measure the condition by the calf circumference. There is also a study that 82% of patients with sarcopenia have a calf circumference of less than 32cm.
When making a video call with your parents, make a large circle with the thumb and forefinger of both hands and cover the thickest part of the calf.
Professor Jang warned, “There are studies that show that if a circle made with both hands is larger than the thickness of the calf and can be wrapped comfortably, the risk of sarcopenia increases more than six times.”
It is also good to recommend exercise to your parents to train your leg muscles using chairs that are readily available indoors. You can exercise by sitting in a chair and then standing up, or slowly raising one leg forward while sitting in a chair.
◇ Let’s look at the medicine box you usually take
If your parents usually suffer from chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, you should also check whether they are taking the medicine properly.
In particular, after the Corona 19 epidemic, it is reluctant to visit the hospital, so it is necessary to see if the drug was not prescribed in time or the drug has not run out. Medications for high blood pressure or diabetes are the simplest, but they must be taken daily and should not be discontinued.
If your parents take multiple medications, make sure you understand which medication is prescribed for which disease.
If you don’t remember the medication instructions properly, you should write the date on the package or set an alarm on your phone to help you take it on time.
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