Anemia is a health issue that people face when they don’t have enough red blood cells circulating throughout their body. Because red blood cells are the cells that carry oxygen around the body, your elderly family member can experience a huge range of symptoms that are unpleasant. Red blood cells rely on iron to do their job properly, and the most common cause of anemia is that iron levels in your senior’s body are too low.
Managing and Tracking Symptoms of Anemia
Home Health Care Syosset, NY: Seniors and Anemia
Anemia brings with it a variety of symptoms and your senior may not experience all of them. Some can be upsetting, like headaches or chest pain. Other symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, or even cold extremities. Staying on top of these symptoms can help your senior’s medical team craft a care plan for her that works to meet her needs.
Following a Diet that Supports Eating an Iron-rich Diet
One change your elderly family member may need to adopt is adjusting her diet. Eating foods that are higher in iron and that support her overall health and well-being is your senior’s best bet for living well with anemia. The first stages of making those changes can be really difficult, so having help from home health care providers and dieticians can help quite a lot.
Remind Your Senior to Stick to Her Medication Schedule
If your senior’s doctor prescribes medication for her to manage her anemia or for other health reasons, it’s vital that she’s taking those medications according to schedule. Some medications may require that she takes them with food or on an empty stomach, and not doing so can affect the efficacy of the medication. Having someone keeping her on schedule can make a world of difference.
Coordinate Physical and Occupational Therapy
People with severe anemia may have more serious needs as well. Physical and occupational therapy can assist your senior in getting back to her regular life. Home health care services can coordinate these visits so that your elderly family member is getting the care that she needs to address all of the various issues she’s facing because of her health challenges.
Offering Education and Emotional Support
There’s a lot to unpack, both emotionally and intellectually, when it comes to managing anemia. Home health care providers can help your elderly family member to learn what she needs to know in order to live with anemia and to recover her strength. They can also help her to find the support that she needs to talk through how she’s feeling, especially if the challenges that have come with her health issues are bigger than she expected them to be.
Knowing that your elderly family member is in good hands as she copes with anemia and works to get back to the lifestyle that she loves can be a huge help for you, too. It’s normal that you worry about how she’s doing, and it’s a big relief to know that there is hands-on support for your elderly family member as she recovers.