Information is one of the most important tools you have as a family caregiver.
This information can help you to better care for your parent and help them to avoid the serious consequences that can come from such issues as pneumonia. The most important first step is recognizing the potential risk factors your senior has for the disease. These factors can make it more likely your parent suffers the disease, and can make it more difficult for your senior to recover should they contract it.
Senior Care in Broomall PA: Risk Factors for Pneumonia
Some factors that may increase the risk your parent could develop pneumonia include:
● Age. Approximately 30 percent of cases of pneumonia throughout the United States occur in those over the age of 64. This is over 1 million cases. Approximately 85 percent of the deaths that occur from this disease happen in people in this age group
● A recent history of respiratory disease
● Cigarette smoking
● Conditions that make it difficult for your aging parent to swallow, such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease, which can cause your parent to aspirate
● Personal history of chronic lung disease
● Cerebral palsy
● Current or recent history of other serious illnesses such as influenza
● Chronic serious illness such as diabetes or heart disease
● Recent trauma
● Recent surgery
● Hospitalization
● Being in a long-term care or treatment facility
● Weakened immune system
It is important to remember that elderly adults have immune systems that tend to not be as effective as those of younger people.
This means they are more vulnerable to all forms of illness and infection. They are almost more likely to experience severe consequences to seemingly minor illnesses and infections. This means if your aging parent contracts even a cold that seems minor to you, they could worsen into pneumonia without proper care. This makes it critical for you to pay close attention to your parent’s health, and make sure they get the care they need whenever they are suffering an illness.
If your aging parent has recently suffered pneumonia, senior care can be a valuable addition to their recovery. A senior home care services provider can be with your elderly parent on a customized schedule to provide them with a full range of services designed to help them recover and heal from their sickness, and move forward in a healthier way. This can include managing household tasks for them so they can rest, ensuring they get the healthy food and fluids their body needs to recover and get stronger, and helping them to create and maintain a germ control approach. They can also give your parent valuable medication reminders that will help them to be compliant with prescriptions and guidelines from their doctor so they can get the maximum benefit from these instructions.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Broomall, PA, please talk to the caring staff at Better Care Home Health Services LLC today. Serving individuals and their families in Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks counties. Call Today: (267) 766-5218
Better Care Home Health Services is a family-owned agency dedicated to providing excellent and comprehensive home health care to individuals and families of Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks counties. We are honored that God has blessed us with the opportunity to positively impact and change people’s lives. It is our mission to ensure that we provide the very best of care to our clients.
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