As soon as she stepped into the corridor, Li Minhua smelled something wrong with the smell in the air. The more she went up, the strange smell became stronger and stronger. It was not until she knocked on the customer's door that she confirmed that the smell was coming from this family's house. .
Relying on her own experience, Li Minhua went straight to the old man's room. The moment she opened the door, she was choked by the smell coming from inside and coughed continuously.
What kind of taste is this?
Li Minhua couldn't describe it accurately, "It's like a person who doesn't take a bath for many years, mixed with the smell of sweat and excrement." Recently, this person resigned from the position of corporate director with an annual salary of 500,000, and switched to the National People's Congress who started as a bath assistant in Beijing. In an interview with Ziniu News reporter, Master Li Minhua recalled the recent experience of helping a disabled elderly person in a bath.
Where does the high "return rate" come from
Embarrassed and repulsive for the first time bathing, but the harvest is full of moving
The first time I came to my house to help with the bath, I saw that half of the old man's head had sunk in, which surprised Li Minhua, "At that time, the 85-year-old man had a cerebral infarction, and his overall face was terrifying, and he lost communication and communication. The ability to communicate." Although she had experienced many trainings and drills before, she did not expect such a daunting challenge when she came to help her for the first time.
The turbid smell in the air and the sticky body of the old man made Li Minhua feel serious psychologically.
After repeated psychological construction and self-encouragement, Li Minhua held back her breath and started to help bathing step by step. However, facing the nakedness of a strange old man, Li Minhua, who was bathing for the first time, still could not hide her heart. The embarrassment, "I think about it later, in fact, the embarrassment at that time is too trivial compared to letting the disabled old man do a good deep cleaning." Clean and fragrant, Li Minhua felt an unprecedented sense of achievement and satisfaction, as well as a kind of joy of helping the disabled elderly.
Since then, Li Minhua has also gained a more intuitive understanding of aging. "I really feel that this group of disabled elderly needs more attention and care. In fact, they also need a more decent life."
During the first bathing assistance process, Li Minhua was most impressed by the old man's son, "Actually, during our bathing assistance process, the family members do not need to do anything, they just need to supervise on the side, but the old man's son insists on the whole process. Accompanying, including washing feet and ears, is also done by the old man's son himself."
Li Minhua said that bath assistants will not only provide the elderly with physical cleansing, but also bring spiritual comfort to the elderly in the process.
She still remembers that she once helped an elderly man in his 90s with Alzheimer's disease to bathe every week. "He has a very bad temper and never takes the initiative to care for his children." Later, Li Minhua learned from the old man's daughter, After a few baths, the change in the old man's temperament surprised the family members. "The old man knows he cares about his children. Later, he even remembered our names." Li Minhua said, "So generally there will be Clients in their 80s will invite us to help the elderly with bathing again every now and then.”
What are the specific procedures for bath assistance services?
There is a big difference between bath assistants and nurses. Elderly people cannot take a bath for two or three years.
"A few days ago, the secretary of our community called me and said that many families in our community have disabled elderly people, their family environment is very bad, and some are accompanied by incontinence, resulting in a strong smell in the room. In an interview with reporters, Li Minhua said, "The community secretary wanted me to go to see the situation of these elderly people and provide public bath assistance services." Li Minhua added that nurses and sons generally wiped it simply, and it was difficult to penetrate deeply. To clean the body of the elderly, "This kind of old man's smell cannot be completely removed by wiping. It can only be removed by taking a deep bath and rubbing."
The old man lay helplessly on the bed, the room was dead.
Li Minhua tried to break the embarrassment and communicate with the old man.
The old man couldn't speak, but fortunately his son cooperated very well. During the conversation, the atmosphere in the room became more relaxed. Li Minhua and the team members started the bathing process.
First, measure the body temperature and blood pressure of the elderly, check whether there is any trauma, and determine whether their current physical condition is suitable for taking a bath.
Then, the bath assistants began to lay out bath aids and pour hot water into the bath. Generally, the water temperature will be controlled at about 40°C, and medicine bags will be placed in the bath.
Afterwards, the two bath assistants carefully carried the old man into the bathtub. In order to avoid the embarrassment of the old man, they would cover the old man with a sterilized towel and then wash the old man.
About an hour later, they dried the washed old man, put them on the bed, and measured blood pressure and body temperature again.
Li Minhua told reporters that according to the degree of disability of the elderly, two to three bath assistants should be arranged to help an elderly person in the bath.
"The two or three bath assistants are not necessarily all of the same sex. We will match them. The bathing must be done by the same sex." Li Minhua once met an old man who hadn't taken a bath for about two or three years. The longest she's ever seen.
"It doesn't have to be a wealthy family that invites us. Some of the clients we have contacted also have relatively average family conditions, and even low-income households. They also hope that the elderly have a better living condition." For low-income households, Li Minhua They will also give certain discounts on the price. "So far, I have never encountered an elderly person who asked us to do (bathing assistance) by himself."
Why switch careers as a bath assistant
The resignation of the director position with a salary of 500,000 last year was questioned but insisted that there is a lot of room for development
Li Minhua, 43, previously worked as a sales director for key accounts in a Beijing-based company that specializes in auto parts, and also managed a factory for a period of time.
"The annual salary at that time was about 500,000 yuan, and the company would give me some options." In 2016, Li Minhua felt that the company's development did not meet her expectations, so she submitted her resignation letter, "When I first resigned, did I not Knowing that there is a career as a bather, I want to rest and adjust first."
Perhaps the focus of her previous life was all on work. When the pause button was pressed for work, Li Minhua's life seemed to be pressed on the accelerator button.
After that, Li Minhua completed the two major life events of marriage and childbirth. During this period, Li Minhua was also admitted to Renmin University of China, studied for an MBA, and successfully obtained a master's degree.
Li Minhua said that she came into contact with the bathing assistance service because she chatted with a friend who works in a nursing home abroad, and learned that bathing assistance for the elderly is a very popular service abroad, but in China and even in Beijing, the industry is still blank. .
As a result, Li Minhua, who had resigned for 5 years at that time, was still in confusion and found a new direction.
In March 2021, Li Minhua began to set up a team of bath assistants, equipped with professional bathing equipment imported from abroad, and formulated a set of scientific bath assistance procedures.
From a high-paid white-collar executive to becoming a bath assistant in the service industry, Li Minhua always felt a strong sense of gap when he first came to help the elderly in the bath, "Many people will ask me, Master of Renmin University of China. After graduation to be a bath assistant, is it a self-depreciation, but I am full of expectations for the prospects of this profession, and I think there is still a lot of room for development in this industry."
At the same time, Li Minhua also encountered the incomprehension of many customers. "We even proposed to cooperate with the community at the beginning to provide free bathing assistance to 100 disabled elderly people." But when the community called the disabled elderly family members, they did not Very resistant, and firmly refused Li Minhua's request to help the elderly in the bath.
"They think that washing in this way makes the elderly prone to catch a cold, but in fact, we will strictly check the room temperature when taking a bath, and we will use various methods to ensure that the room temperature is in a comfortable state."
■Full of expectations>>
In order to let more elderly people live a clean life, bathing assistance teams have appeared in many places.
Li Minhua's bathing assistance team has provided bathing assistance services for more than 300 elderly people since its establishment more than a year ago. The price of a bathing assistance is about 400 yuan.
Li Minhua said frankly, "I can guarantee that I will pay the team's bathing assistants. Although the salary is not high, what everyone cares about is not the immediate income." At present, Li Minhua's Keyi bathing assistance team has a total of 6 people. The bath assistants, half male and female, with bachelor degree or above, are basically born in the 1980s. The youngest one was born in the 1990s. The two partners, including Li Minhua, are also working as bath assistants.
Recently, many young people have found Li Minhua and expressed their willingness to be a bath assistant, "Basically, they are all college students who have just graduated and have seen the social value of this profession, including a young man in Nanjing who contacted me and said that he wanted to volunteer. I feel everyone's respect and admiration for this profession." Many people from all over the country have also asked Li Minhua for advice on how to open a bathing assistance service in their own city.
It is understood that at present, in Tianjin, Shanghai and other places, there have been door-to-door bathing assistance teams like Li Minhua and the others.
When it comes to future plans, Li Minhua wants to base himself on the present, and first ensure the income of several bath assistants in the team.
"Actually, there are still many disabled elderly people and their families who don't know about this service." In the context of an aging society, she wants to continue to carry forward this industry in the future, so that more people can be as caring as she is. , middle-aged people who are facing difficulties in re-employment join the industry to provide adequate bathing support for the disabled elderly, so that more elderly people can live a clean and fragrant old age.
■Extended reading>>
There is no similar bathing team in Nanjing
The reporter searched online and visited many elderly care institutions in Nanjing, and found that there is currently no similar on-site bathing assistance team in Nanjing. Only some elderly care institutions can come to help the elderly with simple scrubbing in the shower, and more are It is necessary for the elderly to go to the institution for a shower, and arrange for a nurse to help them take a shower.
These services are currently priced at 50-200 yuan according to the specific circumstances of the elderly.