As someone gets older, there are many things that might make them fall ill. Unfortunately, there may even be times when your elderly loved one needs to go to the emergency room. Knowing more about the common reasons that elderly adults often visit the emergency room can help you to better care for your elderly loved one.
Falls
Unfortunately, when many elderly adults fall down, they get injured. While most of these are nonfatal accidents, sometimes they can be fatal. This is why it is extremely important to make sure that your loved one is as safe as possible. There are tips that can help you to prevent falls in your loved one. Getting non-slip mats for their home, adding grab bars throughout their home, and making sure they are wearing non-slip socks or slippers are all things that could help.
Car Accidents
If your loved one is getting older, it is probably time for them to stop driving around on their own. You or their home care providers can drive them where they need to go. While not all elderly adults are bad drivers, many of them get into accidents that can harm themselves or others who are out on the road. If you want to prevent your loved one from getting injured in a car accident, be sure that you drive them around as much as you can.
Mistakes with Medications
Unfortunately, there are many elderly adults who either don’t understand their prescriptions or they forget whether they have already taken a dose. Millions of elderly adults end up in the hospital every single year because of mistakes with medications. There are, of course, certain medications that can be more dangerous than others when misused. It is important that you or your loved one’s home care providers keep an eye on the medications your loved one is taking.
Heart Health Issues
There are also millions of emergency room visits every year due to heart health issues. Elderly adults often need to seek emergency care due to symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, exhaustion, and other heart-related issues. If your loved one has already experienced heart health issues, be sure you keep an eye on their symptoms to prevent as many of the emergency situations that you can.
Diabetes Complications
There are also many elderly adults that experience diabetes complications. Many of these elderly adults become hospitalized due to the symptoms they are having. If your loved one has diabetes, make sure they are seeing their doctor regularly and following through with any treatment plans they might have.
These are some of the reasons why an elderly adult might need to go to the emergency room. Now that you know more about these things, you can do what is needed to keep your loved one safe.
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/diabetes-older-people
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/heart-health-and-aging
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4293156/
https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/index.html
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care services in Highlands Ranch, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today at 303-953-9924.
