If you are a caregiver for a senior citizen, there are many things that you should consider. One of the things that you should consider is how you will be prepared for an emergency with your elderly loved one. While you can’t predict what will happen, you can be more prepared for the most common emergencies that happen with senior citizens.
Fall Related Accidents and Injuries
One of the most common emergencies with senior citizens is fall-related accidents and injuries. There are numerous reasons that senior citizens fall including poor nutrition, balance issues, tripping over a torn carpet, vision issues, and more. If your elderly loved one falls and gets injured, you may need to hire caregivers to take care of them until their injuries heal.
Heart Disease
Heart disease issues are another very common emergency for the elderly. Atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack, and other heart disease issues occur in many elderly people. If your elderly loved one has a fast heart rate, dizziness, or other heart disease-related symptoms, you should make sure they get checked out by a doctor right away.
Pneumonia and Influenza
For many people, treating and overcoming pneumonia and influenza isn’t too difficult. However, many senior citizens that get these health issues have a very difficult time having them treated. In fact, many senior citizens end up in a hospital when they get the flu and/or pneumonia. If your elderly loved one gets sick, it is important that they get the best treatment to help them get better. When they go home from the hospital, they might need caregivers to continue helping them until their body fully heals.
Abdominal Pain
There are so many reasons why the elderly might have abdominal pain that requires emergency care. They might have appendicitis, gallbladder issues, heart disease, IBS, Crohn’s disease, or another bowel issue. If your elderly loved one is having severe pains in their abdomen, be sure you get them the emergency care they need.
These are some of the most common senior citizen emergencies. If you are caring for your elderly loved one and any of these emergencies occur, it is important that you get your loved one emergency medical care. The sooner your elderly loved one gets the care and treatment they need, the sooner they can start feeling better. If your elderly loved one does go to the hospital, when they are discharged, it may be a good idea to hire caregivers to provide care for them, at least until they are better.
Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5156362/