At the Suzu City Headquarters meeting, the General Manager spoke about the resumption of corona vaccinations. He said, “We still have a lot of work to do, but I am very happy that we have changed to a phase where we are about to resume normal operations. So, I hope you will all put on your best smiles and continue your activities today.” His words and smiles were very impressive.
The people living in the evacuation centers also said, “It is precisely in times like these that we need to laugh and have a good time,” and we felt that we, too, should always try to put on our best smiles during our dispatch period while keeping close to everyone’s thoughts and feelings.
Today, we spoke with evacuees together with prefectural dispatched public health nurses, nutritionists, and logisticians to support their rounds and share information. When we asked about oral care for the elderly, we learned that due to water and sewerage problems, dentures are only being wiped down after meals. We also found that they did not yet have the necessary supplies to care for their dentures. Based on this information, we asked the evacuation center management staff for their cooperation and discussed with the public health nurse team what we could do in the mid- to long-term support.
In addition, we visited the home of an elderly couple with oral pain together with the JDAT dental team and a team of Iwate public health nurses. The dentist examined the patient and found a pressure sore when the lower denture was removed. This pressure sore was the cause of the oral pain, and it was highly likely that the patient was having difficulty eating. Since the lower denture was worn down, a plastic cushion was molded onto the denture as a first aid measure.
We received a consultation about a person living in an evacuation center who suddenly collapsed. We immediately rushed over and performed an emergency examination, including an electrocardiogram, blood test, and echocardiogram, to check for any life-threatening abnormalities. In the unlikely event that a major abnormality was found, it may be necessary to immediately transport the patient to a hospital. HuMA dispatches experienced members such as emergency physicians and nurses who are able to make such decisions on a regular basis.
Collaboration with other teams, each with their own strengths, will improve the quality of our support. While maximizing what we can do, we hope to work with those with whom we collaborate to help evacuees in shelters and at home to become self-reliant.
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| First Aid for Dentures | Visiting the home of an elderly couple |
HuMA team performed ECG monitoring on a patient who had fainted. Consciousness improved quickly.