The weather outside is getting warmer by the day- a change many of us have been enthusiastically waiting for. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when there is a lot of pollen in the air. You may have noticed that a lot more people are sneezing, have runny noses, or have irritated eyes. Allergy season is in full swing, and it’s important to look after the seniors in our community at this time. Seasonal allergies are becoming more common in adults (including seniors). The symptoms of allergies can have a devastating impact on seniors, especially if they already have lung or cardiovascular issues.
Here are some tips to help you make it through the season:
Medications: If you or your loved one is suffering from allergy symptoms, it’s important to talk to your doctor. Antihistamines are normally what people take, however these can have side effects that can be detrimental to the health of seniors. Your doctor might prescribe different medication if necessary.
Nutrition: It’s always important to have a nutritional and balanced diet. This is especially true in allergy season. Foods such as apples, leafy greens, ginger, walnuts, and anything that has high vitamin C can alleviate the inflammation that allergies can cause.
Other helpful tips:
- Keep track of daily pollen counts. You can find local information through many weather apps or a quick google search. Click here for pollen counts in your area.
- Stay indoors on days with very high pollen counts. If you can reschedule some activities to a day with lower pollen counts, you should.
- Keep pollen out of your house by keeping windows up and using an A/C if possible. You may also want to replace the air filters in your home to prevent the circulation of pollen throughout the home.
- Take a shower or bath and change into fresh clothes after being out for extended periods of time to prevent pollen from spreading throughout your home.
As always, it’s very important to talk to your doctor before implementing any of these tips or any other tips you might find online.
A video with these tips will be posted soon. Thank you for reading!
Hope Home Care Services