Pneumonia can affect every person differently, but it’s something you want your senior to avoid if possible. Pneumonia sounds complicated, but the simple description is that it’s a lung infection. Various bacteria and viruses contribute to pneumonia and your elderly family member could have a mild case or one severe enough that she ends up hospitalized.
Smoking Is a Risk Factor
Whether your senior smokes herself or spends time around people who smoke, that’s a huge risk factor for her when it comes to possibly contracting pneumonia. Smoke, and getting rid of smoke, is hard on the lungs. That causes them to be less able to do things like fight off bacteria and viruses that can cause pneumonia. Limiting your senior’s exposure to smoke is an excellent first step in keeping her lungs strong so that they can fight off infections.
Double Down on Hygiene
The second most important factor in preventing pneumonia is to make sure that you’re paying a lot of extra attention to hygiene. If you can only choose one way to improve hygiene, make that hand washing. Removing germs from hands keeps those germs from making their way into your senior’s lungs and causing her to develop an infection, also known as pneumonia. Cleaning and disinfecting the house is also important but might be difficult for your senior to do on her own. Elder care providers can make that task much easier.
Dental Hygiene Counts, Too
There are other types of hygiene that matter, though. Keeping the house clean is one thing, but your senior is exposed to bacteria through her mouth, too. Making sure that she’s brushing her teeth, cleaning her mouth, and ensuring that her dentures are clean can go a long way toward keeping germs from wreaking havoc in your senior’s body.
Pneumonia Vaccines Can Be Effective
It’s worth talking to your senior’s doctor about pneumonia vaccines, too. Like the flu vaccine, which may also be recommended by her doctor, the vaccine makers are able to put together a formula every year that is expected to help most people avoid most of the germs that cause pneumonia. This may also be something that you might want to look into taking as well, just as a preventative measure. Vaccines can be especially important if your senior’s lungs are vulnerable because of asthma or COPD.
Keeping your elderly family member as healthy as possible is much easier when you know what you’re up against and how to take preventative steps.
