Today on Your Caregiving Journey, Nancy Hanley and Becky Lowry of My Health Care Manager joined us to offer strategies to help when your caree has the flu or a bad cold. (You can listen to the show via the player at the bottom of the post.)
Becky offered prevention tips, including good hand-washing techniques. Nancy shared ideas to manage those tough days when your caree just doesn’t feel well, including creating a back-up plan so others can step in to help so you can work or attend to other responsibilities.
A few important tips:
–With older adults, a temperature (or lack of a temperature) is not a good indicator of an illness’s severity. Contact a health care provider if your caree’s temperature is above 99 degrees;
–Older adults are more fragile; their condition can change quickly. It’s important to closely monitor your caree.
When you first notice that your caree is not feeling well, observe and note your caree’s condition, including temperature, color of urine (a dark color can indicate dehydration), skin and mucus membrane. With the information at hand, contact your caree’s physician for further instructions.
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