Influenza and the Elderly

Posted by: matthew

The recent outbreak of the swine flu has the world health community on alert as many organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), mobilize for a potential pandemic. Senior home care providers and family members of the elderly community have a responsibility to keep a vigilant watch for the symptoms of the flu and take extra care to prevent the spread of the influenza virus to our elder loved ones.

*The following content is being provided for your information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Influenza Prevention

According the CDC there are some basic steps every person can take prevent the spread of the Flu.

• Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow and avoid coughing directly into your hands.
• Avoid shaking hands if possible; If you must shake hands wash or sanitize afterwards.
• Wash or sanitize your hands often.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes.

The elderly are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases, so we must be especially careful when providing senior home care services. Caregivers who are sick should not provide services to the elderly for at least 7 days after the onset of flu symptoms.

According to the CDC the symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. If some one living in the home becomes sick with the flu or flu like symptoms the CDC has provided the following guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.

• Keep the sick person in a separate room and keep the door to the room closed.
• The sick person should not leave the home except for medical care and stay home for at least 7 days after the onset of flu symptoms.
• When the sick person moves about the house they should wear a surgical mask.
• The sick person should be provided their own bathroom and it should be cleaned daily.
• The sick person should have no visitors and only one person in the household should provide care.
• Each person in the household needs to take extra care to wash their hands often. Alcohol based hand sanitizer should be used.
• Caregivers should avoid face to face contact and wash their hands after contact with the sick person.
• The caregiver should wear a mask while both caring for the sick person and when around other people.
• Talk to your health care provider about taking antiviral medications.
• Extra care should be taken when handling and washing the linen and clothes of the sick person. Ensure they are dried on the hot setting.
• Each member of the household needs to be monitored for flu symptoms.

The CDC recommends you seek immediate emergency medical treatment if you have any of the following warning signs.

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

If you would like assistance or information you can always call us at 1-866-273-2995, visit our Senior Home Care Agency Directory, or fill out this simple online form. Get Help Now!