Senior Pneumonia 101: Senior Care Experts Share Most Common Symptoms, Prevention Methods
Caregivers are always cognizant of pneumonia in seniors, but as the temperature starts to drop around the country and winter sets in, it becomes even more imperative to keep sometimes-deadly infection at the front-of-mind. According to the CDC, seniors are at a higher risk of getting pneumonia than their younger counterparts because of their weakened immune systems. Make no mistake, it is a very serious infection. But senior care and health experts from around the world have come up with many helpful tips for identifying and ultimately treating the infection. If you or a loved
Signs that a senior might be developing pneumonia
Some symptoms are more common than others, senior care experts say. But that doesn’t mean you can overlook anything. Here are some important symptoms to keep in mind when deciding if you or a loved one might be at risk of getting pneumonia.
- A wet cough: A wet, productive cough filled with mucus, along with wheezing, can be a sign that someone is developing the infection. It can be a bit confusing though since these symptoms are also associated with the flu and
common cold. - Fatigue: One symptom that almost everyone with pneumonia shares is an overwhelming sense of tiredness.
- Confusion: Before some of the more noticeable physical symptoms start to occur, one way to detect that a senior is developing pneumonia is if they are getting more and more confused by basic tasks that they were able to accomplish recently.
- Fever: Like with other infections or diseases, a high fever for 24 or more hours is a sure sign that something is wrong. People suffering from pneumonia infections often have a fever.
Prevention methods
Despite the seriousness of the infection, there are definitely things you can do to help prevent pneumonia in yourself or a loved one, according to senior care experts.- Eating and staying healthy overall will decrease the chances of getting pneumonia due to you or your loved one’s immune system being stronger.
- Try not to smoke or drink alcohol. Both of these make immune systems weaker, which increases the chance of infection.
- If you or your loved one hasn’t already, consider getting the one-time vaccine designed to prevent the pneumonia infection.