Senior Care Awareness: Understanding the Top Reasons Aging Adults End up in the Emergency Room

Senior Care in Franklinton, NC

A trip to the emergency room is never something you want to schedule into your senior care routine, but unfortunately it is something that happens to many older adults every year. Having to spend time in the hospital is not just unpleasant during the actual visit, it can have lasting serious consequences for your elderly loved ones, including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Delirium
• Increased risk of infection
• Increased risk of illness
• Decreased mobility
• Increased risk of return trips
• Diminished physical, mental, and emotional health

By making emergency visit prevention a central part of your senior care plan, you can protect your aging parents and ensure they enjoy the highest quality of life possible. This starts with knowing the most common reasons that older adults end up in the emergency room.

Be vigilant about these concerns, and ask that your parents’ referred caregiver pay close attention to them as well, so that you can work toward keeping your parents out of the emergency room whenever possible:

• Accidents. Injuries are a leading cause of emergency room visits among aging adults. These injuries come from a wide variety of accidents, including slips, falls, traffic accidents, cuts, burns, and bruises.
• Exhaustion. Seniors accustomed to living active lifestyles when they were younger or who do not have adequate care and assistance can push themselves too hard and end up exhausting their bodies. This is especially true in the hot and humid weather when even a short period of lawn work, gardening, or walking outside can zap a senior’s energy and excessively tire out their body.
• Chest pain. The fear of suffering a heart attack is very real for many aging adults, which means that chest pain is very frightening. Any sign of chest pain should not be ignored as it could be a sign of many different possible problems, including heart attack, blood clot, gastrointestinal issues, muscle injuries, or respiratory infection.
• Medication reactions. The more medications seniors take, the more likely they are to experience adverse reactions. Whether it is allergic reactions, improper dosage, or medications that should not be taken together, these problems can be very serious. Make sure that you keep careful track of all medications so that you are able to quickly identify potential problems or bring the proper information to the attention of your parents’ medical team if an emergency room visit does become necessary.

The articles posted on this blog are provided for general information and discussion purposes only.  These articles are not intended to suggest anything with respect to the operations or services of this office.