Elderly People and their Food Safety Concerns

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Food safety and hygienic storage are eminent issues affecting the health of seniors. According to the Senior Health survey reports developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 76 million older adults suffer food poisoning, or get ailments due to food borne diseases every year. Every year around 5000 elderly people die due to severe food poisoning problems. It is therefore extremely necessary for the caregivers at home to take special attention to maintain proper food hygiene to ensure safety of their senior relatives.  

Symptoms of Food Poisoning Evident in Elderly People

Food poisoning can result in several symptoms in the seniors including stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, constipation, vomiting, fever etc. These symptoms may appear immediately or after some hours or even days later. Generally, the symptoms of diseases may appear in few weeks or months.

Diagnosis and Treatment Recommendations for Food Poisoning

It is extremely important to consult a doctor and arrange for a medical treatment immediately if any of the above-mentioned symptoms are found. If you suspect any particular food item to be contaminated, pack it in an airtight pouch, label it and preserve in the refrigerator. Show it to the doctor to help him to diagnose the problem quickly and impart appropriate medication for faster recovery. Samples of blood and stool may be taken for laboratory tests if required. The elderly care services at home have to take the responsibility to make sure that the medicines are given as per schedule for completion of the recommended course. Failure in completing the treatment properly can lead to infection or diseases in the body.

Food Safety Measures Suggested by Academy of Nutrition & Diabetics and FDA

• Use warm water with cleaning agent to clean the utensils and cooking items such as chopping boards, knives before and after use.  
• Rinse the fruits and vegetables with fresh water several times thoroughly for proper cleaning.
• Use separate knives for cutting vegetables and fruits. Keep the other one for cutting meat, fish and other non-veg items.
• If you are washing the raw meat or fishes, then ensure that you wash the utensils properly with soap water after using to prevent spread of worms or diseases.
• Recommended cooking temperature for beef, seafood and fishes is 145 degree Fahrenheit; 160 degree Fahrenheit for eggs, pork, lamb and veal; 165 degree Fahrenheit for poultry and left over food.
• Do not thaw the frozen foods at room temperature. You can thaw them in the refrigerator or microwave. Cook them immediately to prevent staling.
• Adjust the refrigerator temperature to 40 degree Fahrenheit or below. The freezer temperature should be kept at 0 degree Fahrenheit or below.
• Do not refrigerate leftover food for more than 3 days. Use it within this period itself. Food that smells or looks good after this period is not suitable for use.
• While using packaged foods, always check the ‘use before’ or the expiry date.
• Always keep hot food at a temperature above 140 degree Fahrenheit or above and cold food at 40 degree Fahrenheit or below to prevent the growth of bacteria. 

For safety and hygiene, wash hands with anti bacterial soap before preparing food. Serve fresh foods in clean utensils and wash them after use. Professionals offering assisted care services take a note to ensure that the hands of the elderly are properly clean before eating and the food served are completely safe for the health.   

Post Surgery Medical Treatment and Caring for Seniors

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Caregiving is a matter of consideration for the family members and relatives of an elderly person who has gone through some intense surgery. The support of the near ones is the most important relieving factor, but the professional elderly care provisions are supportive to confer timely medicines, dressing the wounds etc. Here is a short synopsis of what can be the ideal solution to ensure maximum comfort and faster recovery for the seniors after going through a crucial surgery.

Role of Family Members in Assisting the Seniors after Surgery

1. It is extremely essential for the relatives to accompany the elderly patients during the doctor’s visit and check up after the surgery. There are several important matters of discussion with the attending physician. Do remember to take the necessary notes about the medicines, diet, dressing and other factors.
2. Keep the contact information of the medical professionals with you so that you can call and ask anything that is required at that point of time or in case of emergency.
3. Try to explain the condition, the past instances and other details properly to the doctor in case your parent or grandparent is suffering from speech related problems.
4. Sometimes, the older adults are too resistive to follow the strict medical instructions and diet regulations. You need to handle the matters patiently. Try to take the same diet, arrange a family dinner together to reveal your concern, and convince gradually to accept the temporary change for faster healing. 

How Can Assisted Living Care Services Help Faster Recovery After Surgery?

There are certain additional responsibilities that need to be taken into prime consideration to provide complete attention to the patient after the surgery. After you bring the patient home, the next 24 to 48 hours are very decisive. Some critical surgeries such as joint replacement, brain surgeries, gastric bypass, and cardiac operations require the patients to remain on the bed. Wheel chair mobility is often provided for essential movement but is not always permissible. The in-home elderly care services Canada offers extra support in bathing the patients, taking care of timely medicine, changing clothes, giving food to the patient and much more.

While a professional caregiver is around, you can bestow involvement into the household work, look after the kids, attend important meetings, go to the market and do lot of other regular works. The support of such non-medical care provisions are saviors that help you to relax for some time so that you do not get fully exhausted. The elderly care services at home ensures complete peace of mind for the members at home that complete attention and deep monitoring is always there to observe every minute problem of the senior patient.

Do you think sharing the responsibilities with the other family members along with the care provider can help in attending these patients in a better way? Do share your suggestions. 

Arthritis Complications in Elderly and Their Caring

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The body tends to lose calcium and other mineral contents with ageing. Arthritis is a common problem with seniors. People over the age of 65 in almost all countries develop higher chances of developing arthritis pain attacking the joints in one or more parts of the body. While pain and swelling may occur at some point, the major concern is the damages to the joints.

Arthritis Symptoms and Diagnosis in Older Adults

• Severe pain, swelling, redness or stiffness at the joints
• Tenderness feeling while touching the joints
• Difficulty in moving the joints

If the above symptoms last for more than two weeks in your elder relative, consulting a rheumatologist can help you in proper treatment and caring process. Some physical tests, X-rays, and laboratory examinations may be done to identify the problem, the type of arthritis and the level of severity. The treatment process, medication, physiotherapy and other assisted care services are generally suggested based on these reports.

Types of Major Arthritis Complications

Osteoarthritis (OA): OA is very common in elderly people and result in the gradual wearing of cartilages. Patients may experience stiffness and pain while walking, moving their joints, etc. The pain may last for some time after some physical activity. The pain may also exist during resting period or sleep.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): This type of arthritis is categorized as an autoimmune disease. The lining along the joints are largely affected due to RA and the patients may have inflammation, redness and swelling at the joints. There can be difficulty in moving the joints and the duration of the pain can stretch to several hours. This is largely seen in women.

Gout: Gout is considered the most painful arthritis. Under this type of arthritis, uric acid crystals may deposit at the joint spaces and connective tissues. Heat, swelling, pain, redness and stiffness may persist for long. The patients can experience swelling in elbows, toes, ankles, knees, wrists etc.

Reactive Arthritis: This form of Arthritis is also termed as Reiter’s Syndrome. Reactive Arthritis may occur in the body in form of joint inflammation that is largely caused by some sort of infection in other parts of the body such as eye inflammation or conjunctivitis. Some people also get this type of symptoms due to the inflammation in the urinary tract (urethritis).     

Treatment of Arthritis and Care for Elderly    

Some analgesic creams may be applied to reduce the pain. Glucosamine supplements and similar others often help to reduce the symptoms considerably. Doctors recommend that people over the age of 50 should be given 1200mg of calcium doses to compensate the wearing of the minerals from the bones. In some rare cases, the doctors may suggest surgical procedure to get rid of the problem.

People imparting elderly care services at home need to take care of these issues and impart medication such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) as per recommendations. In some cases, the physiotherapy sessions may be advised by the doctor. Exercising, physiotherapy and weight loss (for obese seniors) have been considered the best measures for reducing the complications. While walking, try to use wedges or insoles in your shoes for better comfort.

Ignoring the early symptoms of arthritis can increase the problems and complicate the treatment procedure. Proper medical assistance and elderly care measures should be taken to reduce the problems.