How Does Anemia Affect Your Senior’s Life?

If your elderly family member has been diagnosed with anemia, it might have more of an impact on her life than she expects. It helps for your senior to have and to follow a plan to improve iron levels and anything else that might be affecting her red blood cell counts.

What Is Anemia?

Anemia is a health issue in which a person doesn’t have enough red blood cells that are either available or healthy enough to carry oxygen throughout the body. Most people deal with temporary anemia, but it’s also possible for seniors to have chronic anemia. Anemia on its own is usually not a huge health issue, but it can be a warning sign of a bigger health issue, so it’s important to follow the recommendations from your senior’s doctor.

Symptoms of Anemia

The symptoms of anemia might not be super obvious to you or to your senior at first. Most people who have anemia experience fatigue or extreme tiredness. Your senior might also experience dizziness, shortness of breath, and headaches. In general, your elderly family member might just feel bad and the anemia is discovered after she goes to her doctor to find out what’s going on and they run blood tests.

Treating Anemia

Your senior’s doctor will recommend a plan of action for your senior to follow. It’s most likely that plan is going to involve some changes to her diet, including adding more iron-rich foods to her everyday diet. Your senior may also need to take iron supplements. If her anemia is caused by other health issues, getting those under control may resolve the anemia. Sometimes these changes can feel huge, which is why getting companion care at home can be a huge step in the right direction.

How Home Care Can Help

Companion care at home can truly make your senior’s anemia care plan successful. They can help your elderly family member when she’s too tired to do certain things, help her to remember to take her medications, and assist with adjusting her diet. Beyond that, they can offer emotional support as your senior adapts to these changes that she’s experiencing in her life.

Recovering from anemia is about doing all the right things to help your senior’s body to recover. That might mean resting when she’s able to and letting the changes that she’s making have the time that they need to have a positive impact on her health.

IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING Companion Care at home in palo alto, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY (408) 317-4969.

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• Seniors and Health Issues