Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that is easily spread from one person to another. It is usually fairly easy to manage in healthy adults, but for infants and the elderly, it can have devastating health consequences. Senior home care providers can help seniors with RSV with daily support in their homes.
What is RSV?
RSV is a virus that attacks the respiratory system. It infiltrates the lungs, nose, throat, and breathing passages. It usually will have mild symptoms that last for a couple of weeks for those with healthy immune systems, but for older individuals such as your elderly loved one, it could lead to more dangerous conditions and it’s those conditions that you need to be aware of and monitor because they may put your loved one in the hospital and make the recovery much more difficult.
What Can RSV Lead to in Older Adults?
If your elderly loved one already battles some health issues or has a weakened immune system, the risk of his RSV developing into something more serious increases. Adults who have asthma and other breathing issues like COPD can easily fall victim to the serious consequences of RSV. Those serious complications could lead to pneumonia, bronchiolitis, congestive heart failure, or a worsening of their prior breathing conditions.
How Senior Home Care Services Can Keep Your Senior Healthy from RSV
The best prevention usually starts at home with good, healthy habits and smart decisions about whether or not to risk exposure to the virus by going out. RSV is highly contagious and an airborne pathogen, so catching it from a stranger is a possibility in closed-in spaces or by touching something after someone with the virus has touched it.
Here are a few ways a senior home care provider can reduce the risk of your loved one getting RSV.
- Cleaning the home. When guests visit, your senior home care provider can help by making sure all shared contact areas are thoroughly disinfected. They will regularly clean areas like door knobs, light switches, and countertops to keep them free from any residential droplets that may be on them; RSV can stay on surfaces for several hours after someone has left.
- Providing transportation. If your loved one normally takes the bus or other public transportation to appointments, your senior home care provider can help provide rides that will not expose him to a lot of strangers who might be carrying RSV or other illnesses. Reducing your loved one’s exposure to other sick people will reduce his risk of getting RSV.
- Providing healthy food options. A senior home care provider can help your loved one eat well, which in turn gives his body what it needs to fight any bacteria or virus it comes across.
- Reminders for self-care. A senior home care provider can help remind your loved one to wash his hands for at least 20 seconds when he comes home from the store as well as reminders to not touch his eyes or face until his hands are clean.
If your elderly loved one does start to develop RSV symptoms, your senior home care provider can monitor them so that if they begin to develop into a serious complication, your loved one will get the treatment he needs right away, providing him a better shot at a full recovery.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Bellevue, WA, please contact the caring staff at Acti-Kare Responsive In Home Care today!
Acti-Kare provides exceptional senior home care across King County, Pierce County, and Snohomish County; including Bellevue, Kirkland, Kenmore, Bothell, Lynnwood, Woodinville, Redmond, Sammamish, Shoreline, Everett, Renton, Tacoma, and surrounding areas.
