A lot of the news surrounding COVID-19 has mentioned seniors have a much higher chance of being hospitalized or dying from the disease. Therefore, it’s very important for seniors to take precautions, such as avoiding large crowds and regularly washing their hands. There are several reasons coronavirus prevention is so essential for seniors.
1. Age Diminishes Immune Responses
As people get older, their immune system responses get weaker. Due to a lack of high-quality white blood cells, seniors are left without much of a defense system when they encounter the virus. Instead of being able to fight it off, they get sick and develop more severe symptoms than younger people.
If your loved one needs help adopting healthy habits that can boost his or her immune system, a home caregiver can be a wonderful source of support. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of homecare. Edmonton families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
2. Seniors’ Lungs Are in Worse Shape
The main cause of death in people with coronavirus is respiratory failure. Those who already have lung damage are more likely to experience breathing problems once the virus enters their lungs. Since seniors have been exposed to decades of pollution and grew up when indoor smoking was the norm, they tend to have less healthy lung tissue.
3. Seniors Have More Severe Cytokine Storms
The second most common cause of death from coronavirus is a cytokine storm, a type of severe inflammation. The body is supposed to produce proteins called cytokines to alert the immune system that it needs to fight an intruder. However, seniors’ bodies tend to overproduce these cytokines, and abnormally high levels of cytokines can cause dangerously high fevers and organ failure.
4. Seniors Are Often in Places Where Coronavirus Spreads Rapidly
Some seniors are at risk because they have no choice but to be around others. The CDC recommends staying at home alone, but many seniors are in assisted living facilities with hundreds of residents, and illnesses can spread rapidly despite the staff’s best efforts. Receiving care at home is a safer option, although those who live at home may still need to go to doctors’ offices or hospitals for essential healthcare, and they can also catch the coronavirus there.
One of the best ways for your loved one to avoid exposure to coronavirus is to isolate him or herself at home and have a home caregiver run errands for him or her, including shopping for groceries and picking up prescriptions. If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of elder care. Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
5. Many Seniors Already Have Health Conditions
In general, seniors are more likely to have chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Being in poor health saps reserves, so the body has difficulty overcoming new illnesses. Many common senior health problems, such as diabetes, also make the body more susceptible to infection, which means seniors who get COVID-19 are more likely to have complications.
6. Social Isolation Is Challenging for Seniors
Young people often live with roommates or families, and they typically have strong social networks that communicate through technology. Meanwhile, many seniors already feel isolated and lonely, and the most social contact they get is at church, a senior center, or the grocery store. Therefore, seniors may have a difficult time complying with stay-at-home orders.
Aging in place can present a few unique challenges for older adults. Some only require part-time assistance with exercise or meal preparation, while others are living with serious illnesses and benefit more significantly from receiving live-in care. Edmonton, AB, Home Care Assistance are leaders in the elderly in-home care industry for good reason. We tailor our care plans based on each senior’s individual needs, our caregivers continue to receive updated training in senior care as new developments arise, and we also offer comprehensive care for seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s. For compassionate, reliable in-home care, trust the experienced professionals from Home Care Assistance. Reach out to one of our dedicated Care Managers today at (780) 490-7337 to learn about the high quality of our in-home care services.
With information surrounding coronavirus/COVID-19 changing by the hour, it’s challenging to stay updated on the most recent best practices for keeping seniors safe at home. At Home Care Assistance, we understand how critical it is for seniors and their caregivers to protect against coronavirus as much as possible. All our team members have received detailed communication on infection control protocols, including effective cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and hands. Our caregivers can pick up medications, groceries, and anything else a senior needs, minimizing their interaction with large groups of people. For more information on how Home Care Assistance helps protect clients, click here: https://www.homecareassistanceedmonton.ca/.