Top Ways the Elderly Contract Pneumonia

Pneumonia prevention is one of the things that is on the minds of many family caregivers. If you are caring for your elderly loved one and worry about them contracting pneumonia, it would be a good idea to learn about the ways elderly people generally get pneumonia. If you know more about how they get it, you and their 24-hour home care providers can help them prevent it better than before.

Acquiring Pneumonia in the Community

One of the common ways that elderly people get pneumonia is through community-spread viruses or pandemics. For example, if your elderly loved one is in a busy store where there are a lot of people standing close to one another or an event that is similar to this, they are much more likely to contract pneumonia than if they only went to public spaces where there were fewer people. If you want to help your elderly loved one to prevent pneumonia, it might be best for you or a 24-hour home care provider to go to these busier public places for them.

Catching it in the Hospital

Does your elderly loved one need to go to the hospital often? Maybe, they have a health condition that requires numerous hospital stays a year. It could just be that they have an acute disorder or illness that requires them to stay in the hospital. Sometimes, elderly people need to be in the hospital for a bit of time after surgery. If either of these situations is the case for your elderly loved one, they must be sanitizing and limiting the number of people they are around in the hospital.

You or a 24-hour home care provider can help with this by having anyone who wants to visit do a video call instead of showing up in person. The fewer people that are around your elderly loved one, the less likely they will be to contract pneumonia.

Aspiration

Another way that some elderly people get pneumonia is by aspiration. If any fluids or other debris get stuck in their lungs, it can lead to a build-up. Over time, or even in a short amount of time, this can lead to pneumonia.

If your elderly loved one commonly aspirates on drinks, saliva, or even foods, be sure that you or a 24-hour home care provider have them see their doctor. The doctor might have more recommendations on how to handle the aspiration to lower your elderly loved one’s risk of contracting pneumonia.

Working Together with 24-Hour Home Care

Are you a family caregiver for your elderly loved one? If so, one thing you might worry about is whether they will contract pneumonia. The first thing to remember is that this is a common concern and you aren’t alone. The good news is that there are numerous ways to help lower your elderly loved one’s risk of contracting pneumonia. You and 24-hour home care providers can start working together on preventing pneumonia in your elderly loved one with the tips noted above.

Sources:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917114/ https://www.cdc.gov/pneumonia/index.html

If you or an aging loved one is considering 24-Hour Home Care Services in Roswell GA please contact the caring staff at CaraVita Home Care today. (770) 643-1712