Senior Care in Jupiter FL
Most people think of the hospital as a place of healing and support. If you are on a senior care journey with your elderly parent, however, a trip to such a medical treatment facility can have serious unintended consequences. A visit to the hospital is intended to be something that will bring healing and comfort for a person who is suffering from an illness or injury, or who is in need of a procedure to handle a medical need. While spending time in the hospital, however, your parent could be exposed to germs and bacteria that could lead to infections that put her health at serious risk.
Referred to as Healthcare Associated Infections, or HAIs, these infections occur because of exposure to the germs and conditions of a healthcare environment, particularly a hospital. Seniors are at greater risk of developing these infections because of several reasons, including:
- Greater frequency with which elderly adults seek care or receive procedures and treatments in hospital or healthcare settings.
- Tendency for seniors to have suppressed immune systems that make them more vulnerable to infection and illness, and make it more difficult for them to fight off and recover from these issues if they do arise.
- Higher instance of multiple health concerns that make the body more vulnerable to infection
- Longer times spent in care
Some things that you should know about HAIs include:
- More than 722,000 Healthcare Associated Infections occur each year
- Approximately 75,000 of those who develop an HAI will die during the course of their hospitalization
- More than half of HAIs do not occur within the intensive care unit, which is where most people assume that the most serious in-hospital events occur
- Common HAIs include pneumonia, surgical site infections, gastrointestinal infections, bloodstream infections, and urinary tract infections
As your parent’s family caregiver, it is important that you are your parent’s advocate whenever she is in the hospital. This means taking steps to make sure that she is protected from the possibility of an infection. Some ways that you can do this include:
• Insist on handwashing. Every single person who comes into contact with your parent during the course of her time in the hospital should wash their hands each time that they come in the room. This includes doctors, nurses, orderlies, and friends and family who come to visit. Provide hand sanitizing gel for visitors to improve germ fighting.
• Stay aware. Make sure you know what is happening at each stage of your parent’s care and treatment. This means knowing when your loved one will undergo an IV, test, injection, catheter insertion, or other procedure and ensuring that proper infection management techniques are used at each step. This also means recognizing possible signs of infection such as lethargy, redness, swelling, fever, or new complaints of pain or sick feeling.
• Support nutrition. A well-nourished, strong body will be able to resist infection and illness much more effectively than one that is not well nourished. Make sure that your parent is eating enough and that she is eating the right balance of foods, as well as getting enough hydration.
http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/prevent/top-cdc-recs-prevent-hai.html
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Professional Senior Care in Jupiter, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff at Assisting Hands Home Care at 561-829-3080 Today.
