How Can You Protect Your Senior From Blood Clots During Travel?
Traveling can be one of the great joys of life, but as a family caregiver for an elderly adult, it is important to recognize the potential risks that can come with it.
Home Care in Northbrook IL: Senior Traveling Tips
Knowing the dangers you might not have previously faced and taking the steps to minimize them is a critical step toward protecting your parent’s health and ensuring the trip is fun, safe, and healthy for everyone involved. One of the greatest risks for any adult, but particularly for a senior over the age of 65, is blood clots. Blood clots cause the death of between 100,000 and 300,000 people in the United States each year, and 70 percent of them are caused by recognizable risk factors, such as sitting for an extended period of time while traveling.
Use these tips to protect your senior from blood clots during travel:
- Talk to your senior’s doctor about the potential benefits of wearing compression stockings during the travel. These can encourage better circulation for lower clot risk.
- If you are traveling by plane, look for seats with as much legroom as possible so your senior will have the ability to stretch and move their legs throughout the trip.
- If you are traveling by train, get up and walk around with your senior throughout the trip. If possible, book sleeper car accommodations. These provide private space for your parent to move around as much as they need without disrupting others or feeling as though they are “on display.”
- If you are traveling by car, plan for plenty of stops along the way to get out and walk around. You should stop every hour to two hours and get out of the car for several minutes.
- Make sure your parent stays properly hydrated throughout the trip.
- Discourage wearing tight or restrictive clothing, particularly socks and pants, during the trip.
- Discourage your senior from crossing their legs while traveling.
If you are struggling with your own challenges and limitations, you might worry you can’t be a good caregiver for your senior.
This, however, is not the case. Being a family caregiver means taking the necessary steps to ensure your parent gets the care, support, and assistance they need to manage their challenges, fulfill their needs, and live a high quality of life. Bringing senior care into their routine can be a powerful and meaningful way to achieve this.
When you have recognized the tasks you cannot effectively or confidently manage due to your challenges and limitations, a senior home care services provider can step in to fill these care gaps. This means you can rest assured your parent is getting all the care they need and you can focus more on your personal relationships with your loved ones.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Northbrook, IL, call the caring staff at LifeCare Home Health & In-Home Services. Call (888) 606-4199 LifeCare serves all of the Chicago Metro Area.
Source:
Ahrq.gov
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