Senior Care in Boca Raton, FL
Anybody who has had chickenpox when they were younger still has the virus inside them. This is a specific type of virus that becomes dormant and could come back when the person is an older adult. It especially affects older individuals who have weakened immune systems. For anyone who provides or relies on senior care, it’s important to understand this serious health risk.
You’re never too old to get shingles.
Shingles is often associated with a painful condition that produces a rash, burning sensation, and other painful symptoms. It generally affects one side of the body and there is no cure for it. The best that doctors could do would be to treat the virus with antibiotics and manage the pain symptoms for the patient.
Antiviral medications are the preferred choice of treatment by doctors. This can help shorten the duration of the viral outbreak, but for those individuals who are advanced in years, the virus could be even tougher to beat.
Over the counter pain medications are generally recommended, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. This is generally used to help manage the pain that the patient experiences with shingles. Finally, certain topical antibiotics can be applied to the skin to help alleviate or prevent the infection that can be common with blistering of the skin.
Preventive measures.
Today, there are shingles vaccines that can be given to those individuals who have had chickenpox as a child. It can help prevent an outbreak of shingles later in life. Even elderly individuals who have not had shingles, but who had chickenpox, this could be beneficial.
It’s important to understand that when a person gets the shingles vaccine, they shouldn’t go anywhere near infants or pregnant women for up to five days. This is due to the fact that they could end up giving the virus to the baby. That could end up being a potentially fatal situation for the infant.
For the senior care provider, you may want to talk to the patient to find out if he or she has ever had chickenpox as a child. They may not remember, or they may not know any longer at this point in their life. They should consult their doctor to find out if they can or should get the shingles vaccine.
There’s no reason to take unnecessary risks when it comes to shingles, especially given the fact that the vaccine is highly effective.
If you or a family member in Boca Raton, are in need of senior care services to help relieve caregiver stress, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today (631) 423-6689. Providing Service in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, Coconut Creek, Taramac, Margate, and surrounding Florida cities.
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