{"id":2375,"date":"2019-11-13T18:39:46","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T22:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/?p=2375"},"modified":"2019-11-14T02:16:30","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T06:16:30","slug":"preventing-infection-in-older-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/preventing-infection-in-older-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Preventing Infection in Older Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2381\" src=\"https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/adult-3991873_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/adult-3991873_1920.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/adult-3991873_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/adult-3991873_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/adult-3991873_1920-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Infection is the leading cause of death in older adults age 65 years and older. It\u2019s easy to guess why. Older adults tend to have a more impaired immune system and the existence of comorbid chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).\u00a0 But with caregiver awareness and proactive health measures, preventing serious infection in older adults is possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The most common infections include: <strong><em>bacterial pneumonia, elderly influenza, skin infections, gastrointestinal infections, and urinary tract infections.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Infection: Early Detection in the Elderly<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Early detection of infection is critical for effective treatment. However, since patients over 65 exhibit fewer symptoms like coughing, high fever, and chills, early diagnosis can be difficult. Therefore, a caregiver should be vigilant in assessing even subtle changes in the patient\u2019s behavior. Symptoms of infection in the elderly could include:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Confusion or worsening dementia<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Sudden change in behavior<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Urinary incontinence<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Loss of appetite<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Unusual itching<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Diarrhea<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Vaccinations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vaccination is another effective measure in preventing infection in older adults. For the elderly, vaccinations against<em> influenza,\u00a0Streptococcus pneumoniae, and herpes zoster <\/em>are usually recommended as well as booster shots against<em> tetanus\/diphtheria\/pertussis\/polio<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Personal Hygiene<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Personal hygiene can steer infection away. Because physical contact is a major line of transmission, hand washing with soap and clean water is essential.\u00a0 By washing parts of the body and hair, a person protects herself from not only the germs that lurk invisibly on other people and surfaces, but also prevents the spread of those germs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Healthy Lifestyle<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise and a healthy diet will have a positive effect on a senior\u2019s well-being. In addition, the following proactive measures are important:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Health care screenings and regular doctor visits<\/li>\n<li>Routine dental care as well as check-ups<\/li>\n<li>Advocacy for one\u2019s health<\/li>\n<li>Social activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By behaving proactively, older adults can not only treat their <a href=\"https:\/\/sinaipostacutecare.com\/are-there-enough-infectious-disease-doctors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">infection<\/a> more effectively, but in some cases, avoid illness altogether.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Infection is the leading cause of death in older adults age 65 years and older. It\u2019s easy to guess why. Older adults tend to have a more impaired immune system and the existence of comorbid chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).\u00a0 But with caregiver awareness and proactive health measures,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[81,69,112,100,93,103,84,85,79,78,97,99,44,45,48,77,40,39,110,73,98,46,47,54,61,62,92,63,64,83,21,41,42,55,53,38,43,96,66,88,74,75,76,67,89,86,80,111,105,94,68,10,65,95,18,90,91,102,87,101,51,50,52,49],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Preventing Infection in Older Adults iwith Proactive Health Measures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Infection is the leading cause of death among those over 65. 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