Skip to Main Content
chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Mail
Phone
Our Services
Home Health Services
Infusion Therapy
Physical Therapy
Wound Care
Chronic Disease Care
Living with COPD
Living With Diabetes
Living with Heart Disease (C.A.D.)
Hospice Care
Bereavement and Grief
Facts and Myths About Hospice
Your Hospice Care Team
Personal Care and Support
HomeLife Enrichment
Respite Care
Interim Connect®
Healthcare Staffing
TeleHealth
Careers
Education Center
Resources
Stories From Home
Our Community
About Us
Contact Us
Blog
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Youtube
Newsletter
Location Icon
Norton Shores MI
800 Ellis Rd. Suite 172, Norton Shores, MI 49441
(231) 629-4219 - Main
(616) 219-0010 - Staffing
(616) 229-0004 - Hospice
Helping Seniors Avoid Pneumonia
Posted: 2/21/2018 2:21 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Pneumonia is a lung infection, either bacterial or viral in nature, causing inflammation in the air sacs in your lungs, which are called alveoli. The alveoli fill with fluid or pus, making it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. It is most serious for infants and young children, people older than age 65, and people with health problems or weakened immune systems. But there are ways to avoid pneumonia all together. Below is a list that can help your elderly loved one avoid pneumonia.
Practice Good Hygiene Habits
Bacteria is one of the main ways pneumonia enters the human body. To eliminate bacteria entering our bodies it is important to encourage proper hygiene habits especially regularly hand washing.
Dental Health
Just like the bacteria on her hands, the bacteria in her mouth can pose a problem in terms of pneumonia. Help your elderly loved one to keep her teeth and her mouth as healthy as possible. Also make sure that your loved one is keeping up with her dental appointments.
Quit Smoking
This habit may be hard to break but it puts your senior loved one at a much higher risk level because smoking damages the lunges and leaves them even more vulnerable to the bacteria that infect the lungs cause pneumonia.
Proper Diet
To improve the strengthen of your elderly adult’s immune system, eating a proper diet that contains more vegetables and nutrient dense foods is ideal. With a healthy and strong immune system their bodies are better suited to fight off the pneumonia illness.
Along with these recommendations and working with your loved one's elderly care providers, other family members, and medical team to create a plan that minimizes her risk of pneumonia as much as possible.