Tips for Helping a Senior with a Cold Feel Better Faster

T’is the season. No, not the holiday season. It’s cold season. When your older family member gets a cold, it can make your job as a family caregiver a little more difficult. It can also make your loved one feel miserable. Finding ways to help them feel better is certainly on your mind when they aren’t feeling well, and a cold is no different.

Although there’s no cure for the common cold, there are plenty of things that can help your aging relative to feel better faster, such as the tips below.

Elderly Care Franklin Lakes NJ – Tips for Helping a Senior with a Cold Feel Better Faster

Offer Plenty of Liquids

It’s important for older adults to stay hydrated. Having to breathe through the mouth because of a stuffy nose can make their mouth feel dry. Drinking water, juice, and other liquids prevents dehydration and keeps them feeling more comfortable. Warm drinks can help to soothe a scratchy throat and the steam moisturizes dry nasal membranes. The Mayo Clinic suggests hot water with lemon and honey.

Encourage Nose Blowing

WebMD says it’s better for people to blow their nose rather than sniffling, which draws mucus back up into the head. However, they also say there’s a right way to do it. Rather than blowing forcefully, which can cause ears to hurt, they suggest holding the nose closed on one side while blowing gently from the other to clear it, then doing the same for the other side. Remind your older family member to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer after blowing their nose to avoid spreading germs.

Allow the Senior to Rest

The body needs some extra rest during an illness to help the immune system to fight the cold. When your elderly family member is feeling tired, encourage them to lie down and rest. If they don’t want to lie in bed, suggest they get comfortable on the couch or in their favorite chair with a warm blanket.

Serve Chicken Soup

Eating chicken soup to relieve a cold may sound like an old wives’ tale, but there actually is some evidence that suggests chicken soup may help fight inflammation and mucus. Even if it doesn’t, the warm broth will feel good on a sore throat and will also help to avoid dehydration. Plus, chicken soup is nutritious and comforting.

When your older family member has a cold, elderly care can help to offer them the treatment they need and deserve to feel better sooner. An elderly care provider can make sure they drink plenty of liquids. They can bring the older adult hot or cold drinks. An elderly care provider can also allow the older adult to rest by taking off any pressure they may feel to do work around the house. An elderly care provider can take care of cleaning up the house, doing dishes, making the bed, and cooking meals.

Sources:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/cold-remedies/art-20046403
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/8-tips-to-treat-colds-and-flu-the-natural-way#1
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247789.php

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Elderly Care Services in Franklin Lakes NJ, please contact the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC. In-home senior care servicing /the-staff/Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.