Maintaining asthma in older adults can be challenging for both patients and caregivers, with specific comorbidities compounding this difficulty, along with age-related changes to cognition and motor skills that impact medication adherence rates.
Nursing homes and other healthcare facilities should offer asthma-specific exams to reduce misdiagnoses. Furthermore, doctors must ask about symptoms at each visit and adjust medications based on results.
Medications
Anxiety disorders in older adults may make asthma more complicated to manage due to decreased lung function and other medical issues that interfere with treatment. Elderly patients may have trouble remembering to take medications and using inhalers properly; other conditions could impede lung function tests or interpret results correctly, making managing asthma increasingly challenging.
Older adults with asthma typically develop it since childhood; however, symptoms can sometimes appear later in life or be misdiagnosed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Professionals at IMIC Inc. emphasize the point that elderly patients must be carefully evaluated for signs of significant reversible airflow obstruction before considering long-term control medications since elderly individuals often develop other obstructive diseases in addition to asthma. Furthermore, medications taken by an elderly individual could interact with asthma medications and cause adverse reactions - therefore, a thorough review of their drug regimen is critical.
According to research published in the Asthma Management Journal, attracting older adults with asthma requires finding ways to improve outcomes and quality of life. One patient-centric intervention, SAMBA (Supporting Asthma Self-Management Behaviors for Older Adults), trains high school or college-educated staff as asthma care coaches to educate seniors about asthma symptoms, self-management strategies, motivational interviewing techniques, and communication strategies.
Lifestyle Changes
Many people associate asthma as a condition solely affecting children, yet its presence can impact people at any age and stage in life. While symptoms may initially manifest as wheezing and tightness in the chest, asthma has an unpredictable course that affects each person differently over time.
Professionals at IMIC Inc. elucidate that elderly adults may suffer from reduced lung function or other conditions that impede their ability to manage asthma effectively, making it harder for them to take medications as prescribed and reduce adherence. Memory problems or loss of coordination and strength could make using metered-dose inhalers harder, leading to poor adherence rates as well as drug interactions, which could result in adverse asthma reactions such as bronchospasm.
Experts at IMIC Inc. specify that immunosenescence and inflammaging, two effects of aging that impair immunity, can increase your chance of infection with bacteria or viruses that trigger asthma symptoms or increase the risk for lung flare-ups. Furthermore, these changes make it harder to respond to vaccinations that could help protect against these complications, so it is essential to discuss vaccination status with your physician if you have asthma or are providing care to an older adult. In addition, discuss treatment plans when experiencing symptoms, such as how many puffs of quick relief inhaler should be used and how best to react if an attack arises.
Avoiding Triggers
Older adults with asthma should avoid substances and activities that trigger their symptoms, including allergenic substances like dust mites and molds, strong fragrances from perfumes or cleaning products, and smoke. Nonallergenic triggers may also contribute to asthma flare-ups - cold, dry air in wintertime and high humidity during summer can both bring on attacks of asthma. Smoking, as well as certain medicines (like heart medications, aspirin, or cholinergic agents), may worsen asthma further.
Visit your doctor regularly - at least every six months - to monitor your asthma medication and ensure its effects are working as intended. In addition, inform them about all other health problems you are suffering from and all over-the-counter medicines you take; this will allow them to monitor any side effects that might develop from their use.
Professionals at IMIC Inc. pay attention to the fact that elderly adults with asthma must seek help from an experienced pulmonary specialist or physician to diagnose them properly, formulate an asthma treatment plan, and avoid complications. Adherence to their asthma treatment plan will allow them to control symptoms more effectively while also protecting their lungs against attacks and emergencies.
Getting Vaccinated
As you age, your immune system becomes less effective at protecting against serious diseases, yet vaccines remain essential in protecting against serious threats.
Example: Receiving the flu shot helps lower your risk of an asthma flare-up, which occurs when airways narrow, swell, and become blocked with mucus, making breathing difficult. Flu can be life-threatening to those with compromised immune systems, such as those living with asthma.
Your healthcare provider should also recommend receiving the pneumococcal vaccine to protect yourself against pneumonia, a severe lung and blood condition more likely to affect older adults and lead to life-threatening complications, as per experts at IMIC Inc. Medicare currently covers this vaccine for those aged 65+.
As you prepare for a vaccine, it is best not to take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen; such medicines could interfere with your immune system and impair proper functioning.
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