Leave them on the ground?

If you see an old person fall, do not help them up in a hurry, a Chinese Ministry of Health guide recommends.

The 41-page guide has stirred some controversy as it advises if a person were to witness an older adult falling, they “should not help them up in a hurry, but [should] observe and inquire about their health conditions first and then act accordingly”.

The guide states that older people should not be helped immediately after a fall because it could lead to more serious problems such as fractures, strokes or heart disease.

Instead, people should only call for medical help if the older person is on the ground unconscious, and if a person is conscious, people should question the older person – asking them why and how they had fallen before taking any action.

In China, some elderly people have tried to sue others who rushed to their aid. According to critics of the guide, the government should focus on re-establishing social trust as a priority after some cases across the country show people who were trying to help an elderly person were instead wrongly accused of causing the accident.

Complaints have been made that the guide is too complicated and professional for “ordinary people”.

“Maybe we have to carry the guide in our pockets every day so when we meet some old people lying on the ground, we can take it out and read carefully to act in the right ways,” a critic stated. “I hope the reading won’t take too long before it becomes too late to save the old person,” he adds.

Dr Wang Guisong, a neurosurgeon at Shanghai’s Renji Hospital, says only medical professionals should be able to follow the guide. “There are too many clauses requiring a passer-by to check an elderly person who falls. It is just like a health check-up on the scene,” Dr Guisong says.

More than 40 million elderly people fall at least once a year in China, and according to the guide, accidental falls have become the main cause of deaths in people over the age of 65 years. About 60% of patients using China’s ambulance service are over the age of 60 years and falls were reported as the leading cause.

If you saw an old person fall would you go to their aid? Share your thoughts on this method of care by commenting in the box below.