30/10/2025
In 1976, an influenza outbreak swept through several nursing homes in Vietnam, striking the elderly with devastating force. With no antivirals, no oxygen tanks, and no ventilators, caregivers were left with little more than towels — and compassion.
Refusing to give up, they improvised a lifesaving method known as postural drainage. Patients were laid on slightly inclined stretchers or supported by folded towels beneath their abdomen, allowing gravity to help drain fluid from their lungs and keep their airways clear.
The outcome was extraordinary: while other homes recorded many deaths, not a single elder in that facility lost their life.
Though the story remained little known beyond Vietnam, it stands as a timeless reminder that survival doesn’t always come from high technology — sometimes it’s born from ingenuity, observation, and the simple power of human care 💛
