Is It Just a Cold or RSV?

Posted in Home Care in Headland AL, Homecare in Headland AL |

February 17, 2021

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The common cold looks almost identical to a more serious condition called respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, for short.

RSV starts out with typical cold symptoms, especially runny nose, coughing, phlegm, and a low temperature. But, unlike the cold, RSV can progress to pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and even death. Some scientists are saying that RSV is just as dangerous to people over 65 as influenza is.

 

Home Care in Headland AL: Cold or RSV

Home Care in Headland AL: Cold or RSV

 

Yet seniors can be vaccinated against the flu. So far, there is no vaccine for RSV. And the Centers for Disease Control estimate that fourteen thousand people over 65 die because of RSV every year.

 

A Particular Risk For the Elderly

RSV has long been a health problem for the very young. Doctors test babies for RSV if the cold-like symptoms get worse or persist over many days. Of late, scientists and doctors have agreed that RSV represents a danger for people over 65 as well, especially those who have underlying health issues.

Seniors at high risk for RSV complications are those who have:

  • Asthma
  • Heart disease
  • Lung disease
  • A compromised immune system from an auto-immune disorder or use of immunosuppressants.
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

 

Protect Your Senior From Contagion

You can protect your senior from getting RSV through you, by washing your hands before having contact with your senior, cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces in the senior’s home, staying away from sick people, and avoiding contact with your senior if you are sick. If you bring your children to see your parent, be sure that they are not sick, and it’s a good idea to clean and disinfect their toys if your parent is going to handle them while playing with his grandchildren.

Many people recover on their own from RSV. Over-the-counter medications, like decongestants, antihistamines, and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin and acetaminophen may alleviate pain and congestion.

 

Treatment

If, however, a senior’s symptoms worsen and he struggles to breathe, he will need to go to the hospital. There, treatments include intravenous fluids to keep the patient hydrated, oxygen and other supportive interventions as needed. Because RSV is a virus, antibiotics are not used in treatment.

A hospital setting is the best way to ensure that RSV does not progress to pneumonia; the hospital is also the best place to treat pneumonia when RSV does progress.

Elder care aides can be very helpful in observing the symptoms of a cold. These elder care professionals will let you know if the symptoms worsen or if your parent’s cold now seems to make it difficult to breathe. If called upon to do so, elder care aides can get your parent to the emergency room for treatment.

In conclusion, RSV is a threat to many elderly people, especially those who already have breathing disorders. However, with early detection and hospitalization, it can be successfully treated. The patient has a good chance of making a full recovery. Make sure someone, like a home care provider, is checking on your parent if he or she is living alone, to make sure he or she is maintaining good health.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Headland, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.

 

Sources

https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/it-bad-cold-or-rsv

https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/high-risk/older-adults.html

https://www.nfid.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/rsv-report.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16038573/

Helping Your Elderly Loved One Have Better Quality of Life

Posted in Elderly Care in Headland AL, Home Care in Headland AL |

July 22, 2020

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As people age, they might start feeling as if they are too much for their loved ones. This might cause them to feel down or depressed. It is important that you help your elderly loved one to feel better. There are numerous ways that you can help them to have a better quality of life as they age.

 

Homecare in Headland AL: Better Quality of Life

Homecare in Headland AL: Better Quality of Life

 

 

Treating Their Depression

One of the most important ways to help your elderly loved one have a better quality of life is to get their depression treated. Depending on the cause of their depression, there are various treatment options available. Your elderly loved one might need medications, therapy, lifestyle changes, more companionship, or a combination of all these things.

 

Encourage More Interaction with Others

If your elderly loved one has started isolating themselves because they feel they are too much for their loved ones to take care of, talk to them. Let them know that you care about them and that you want to help. It might even be beneficial to hire home care providers for your elderly loved one. This may help them have a better quality of life because they won’t feel they are as much for their loved ones to care for.

 

Regular Exercise

Research shows that regularly exercising can help people to have a better quality of life. If your elderly loved one isn’t exercising enough at this point, you can help them create an exercise routine and schedule. Before doing so, however, it might be a good idea to have them see their doctor. The doctor can let them know what types of exercises are safe. From there, a plan and routine can be created for your elderly loved one in regard to exercising.

 

Going Outdoors More Often

Studies have shown that being outdoors can help to improve people’s mental state. If your elderly loved one is feeling down, getting them to go outdoors more often could help them to start feeling better. Just being outdoors for 20 minutes a day could be enough to help your elderly loved one feel happier, more content with their life, and less stressed.

These are some of the many ways that you can help your elderly loved one to have a better quality of life. Depending on what they are feeling and how they are doing, some or all of these tips might not work. However, if they don’t, you can always schedule your elderly loved one an appointment with their doctor or a therapist to further explore what is going on. These professionals can help your elderly loved one to start feeling better.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Headland, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.

How Do You Handle Mistakes When You’re a Caregiver?

Posted in Caregiver in Headland AL, Home Care in Headland AL |

March 17, 2020

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If you’re someone who gets upset at even the smallest mistakes, you might find it difficult to get used to being a caregiver. The truth is that caregivers, just like other people, are going to make mistakes. What you do about those mistakes is what might be an even bigger question, though.

 

Home Care in Headland AL: Handle Mistakes as a Caregiver

Home Care in Headland AL: Handle Mistakes as a Caregiver

 

It’s Unrealistic to Expect Yourself to Be Perfect

Lots of caregivers make the mistake of expecting themselves to be perfect. That’s unreasonable and it’s not going to happen. If you’re striving for perfection, that’s an admirable goal, but you’re going to frustrate yourself and your senior. Learn how to let go of that desire to do and to be perfect, because it’s just going to cause you to continue to feel bad about making mistakes. Mistakes are a normal part of being human.

 

Use Mistakes as a Learning Tool 

When you can let go of perfectionism it becomes a lot easier to see mistakes as the opportunity that they are. Mistakes can be a powerful learning tool that helps you to see where you need more information and guidance. There’s a lot about being a caregiver that involves consistently learning more about everything from your senior’s needs to her health issues. The more you learn, the better. 

 

Another Source of Information Is Having Some Expert Help

There’s a lot that you can learn on your own and that’s definitely important. But there’s also a lot you can learn from someone who has more experience than you have with caregiving. Hiring home care providers is a great way to give yourself and your senior a helping hand and a wellspring of knowledge. Home care providers can help you to figure out what you most need to know and to understand to be of the most help to your senior.

 

Don’t Say Mean Things to Yourself

One of the most important things to know about making mistakes is that if you beat yourself up or say mean things to yourself, that’s not going to help you at all. No one responds well to someone, even themselves, berating them for a simple error. Try to remember to be gentle with yourself and to allow yourself to be human.

If you can get past the fear you have around doing something wrong or incorrectly for your elderly family member you’re going to become a much more confident and effective caregiver for her.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Headland, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.