19 May 2017,

Off

Approximately 8 percent of the population of the United States, or 25 million people, are currently living with asthma. As a family caregiver it is extremely important to understand that this condition can make a tremendous impact on your parent’s health, functioning, well-being, and quality of life if not managed properly, but that you can help them to handle it more effectively. This can help them to preserve their health as they age in place and avoid potentially serious complications.

Use these tips to help you effectively care for a senior who is living with asthma:

Help them understand their triggers. According to the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, approximately 53 percent of adults who are currently living with asthma report that they have never been instructed on how to avoid they triggers. This means that they are not able to identify what can cause or worsen their asthma. Work with their doctor to help them to understand their triggers, which can range from exercise to allergies.
Help them to avoid their triggers. Among those seniors who have learned about avoiding their triggers, nearly half of them do not follow through with these recommendations regularly. Help your parent to understand the importance of avoiding their triggers and how it can impact their health and their experience with their condition. Adjust your care efforts to help them to accomplish this goal. This can include more regular deep cleaning to avoid allergens in the home, keeping them away from animals, and other steps.
Stay safely active. While exercise can trigger asthma symptoms, this does not mean that your elderly parent should live a sedentary lifestyle. Instead, it is extremely important that they remain active to keep their lungs and the rest of their body as healthy as possible. Talk with their doctor to find out how they can stay active safely and what you should look out for when they are exercising to ensure that they stay safe and healthy. .

If your elderly parent has been suffering with a health challenge such as asthma or you simply feel that they would benefit from more diversified care, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting senior care for them. A senior home care services provider can be with your elderly loved one on a fully customized schedule that is tailored specifically to them. This ensures that your parent will have access to the care, support, and assistance that they need, while allowing you to continue giving them the level of care that you want to and are able to provide. A senior care provider can work with your parent to create a highly personalized set of services designed to not only help them manage their needs, challenges, and limitations, but also to encourage them to maintain a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, and independent as possible throughout their later years. When it comes to handling health issues, one of the most beneficial services that this senior care provider can offer for your aging parent is reminders to help with medication and treatment compliance. This will help ensure that your senior will take their medications or follow other guidelines from their doctor when and how they were meant to in order to gain the maximum benefit.

For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.

Sources:

http://www.aafa.org/page/asthma-and-allergy-awareness-month.aspx

http://www.aaaai.org/about-aaaai/newsroom/asthma-statistics

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/basics/symptoms/con-20026992