How Caregivers Help Seniors with Pneumonia Post-Hospitalization
Pneumonia is a serious condition that causes inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs. It can be mild to severe and lead to symptoms like pain when breathing or coughing, fever, chills, a heavy cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, and fatigue. In severe cases, the patient may be hospitalized to seek treatment for the condition and manage the symptoms.
In seniors, pneumonia is often seen to be life-threatening and cause a wide range of complications. The fatality rate due to pneumonia is also very high among seniors. That is why seniors diagnosed with pneumonia are required to be hospitalized as soon as possible so that it can be prevented from getting worse. In any case, a pneumonia diagnosis can be quite overwhelming for older adults as well as their family members.
Even after being discharged from the hospital post-treatment, seniors may need specialized care to make sure that they fully recover from the condition. As pneumonia may also spread through airborne droplets when the patient coughs or sneezes, more care and awareness is required to ensure that the infectious disease does not spread to others. This is where assisted living care can help.
Helping Seniors Recover from Pneumonia Post-Hospitalization
Caregivers at assisted living facilities take extra care to provide all the assistance that their senior residents need to recover from pneumonia completely. It is seen that seniors with pneumonia tend to lose interest in eating, even though maintaining a proper diet is very important for their recovery. That is why assisted living communities prepare delicious and healthy meals for seniors, which include all the nutrients required to support their overall health and promote a speedy recovery.
Protein intake is vital for recovering from pneumonia post-hospitalization, as it helps to rebuild the damaged respiratory cells in the lungs. Seniors also need carbohydrates to get the energy needed to fight the feelings of fatigue and tiredness associated with pneumonia. That is why senior care communities include foods rich in protein and carbohydrates in the daily diet of their residents. They also include fresh fruits and vegetables in the meal plan to ensure a balanced diet for seniors.
As pneumonia recovery can be a long process, caregivers at the assisted living facility will make sure that seniors get constant care and assistance to fully recuperate from the condition. Aside from nutritious meal preparation, caregivers at assisted living facilities also make sure that their senior residents follow their medication schedules strictly. Moreover, they will also make sure that seniors remain well hydrated during their stay at the senior care community post-hospitalization. This is also very important to recover from pneumonia and fight against the negative effects of the condition.