What Can You Do to Help Your Senior to Avoid the Flu?

The flu rolls around every year and it’s something that most people do everything they can to avoid.
A serious bout of the flu can last for a couple of weeks and it can leave your elderly family member feeling weak and run down. That doesn’t help her when there are other illnesses just waiting to take advantage of a compromised immune system.

 

Senior Care in Beech Grove IN: Avoid the Flu

Senior Care in Beech Grove IN: Avoid the Flu

 

Being Concerned about the Flu Is Smart

Some people think that it’s a little silly to be worried about the flu and your senior. But the reality is that the flu can be very dangerous for people of all ages. If your senior has existing health issues that compromise her overall health, the flu can take an even bigger toll on her. There are so many variables involved in avoiding and treating the flu that it’s absolutely smart to help your senior to avoid it if possible.

 

Learn What the Flu Looks Like

Lots of respiratory ailments can kind of look the same. Allergies and the common cold get confused all the time, so it’s important to get to the nitty-gritty of the symptoms involved. Your elderly family member might have congestion, a sore throat, a cough, and fatigue. But flu can bring other symptoms, too, like aches and pains and a fever. If you’re in doubt at all, your senior’s doctor can sort out what she’s facing.

You Can Do a Lot Toward Prevention

Getting the flu vaccination every year can help your senior to keep her immune system strong. It’s also a really good idea for her to avoid anyone who might be sick or who definitely is sick. Thorough handwashing and regular disinfection of surfaces can help a lot to reduce germ exposure. The Centers for Disease Control recommend masks as a means of protection from the germs of other people.

 

Talk to Your Senior’s Doctor

The best plan is to talk to your elderly family member’s doctor about her flu risk and about what she personally needs to do in order to reduce that risk. If there are any supplements or nutritional changes that her doctor feels might help, it’s a good idea to take those seriously. Any way that you can help your senior’s immune system to be as healthy as possible is really important.

If your senior does get sick or if she just needs a little more help while she’s avoiding people who are sick themselves, then bringing in senior care providers may be a solid answer.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering Senior Care in Beech Grove, IN, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: (317) 471-0760

Etelka Froymovich, RN, MHA
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