9 Tips for Helping Seniors with Allergies

When you’re a senior citizen, popping an allergy pill become significantly more complicated than it was when you were younger. The allergy medications you relied on in the past may now have adverse interactions with other medications you need for other conditions. Also, they might not work as well as they used to. An in-home caregiver can help you deal with some of these extra allergy-avoidance tactics seniors with allergies may need to deal with. Contact At Home Personal Care at (703) 494-3989 for help with these 9 tips:

1. Discuss Allergies with Your Doctor

If you have allergies and also have other medical or chronic conditions that require medications, it’s critical that you discuss the potential drug interactions with your doctor. If the medications don’t get along, you’ll need to try other options and remain under a doctor’s care until you find the right combination of medications or a successful allergy avoidance strategy.

2. Know How Weather Impacts Your Allergies

Windy weather blows higher levels of pollen, dust and mold spores around outside, so if you can avoid being outdoors on windy days, do so. There are several weather and pollen level apps you can track on your phone to get an idea of what the air quality is so that you can take evasive action indoors, or know when it’s going to be a good day to go outside.

3. Use the AC at Home

It’s sad, but true—opening the windows for fresh air is fraught with hazards for allergy sufferers of all ages, including seniors. So, keeping the AC on and the windows closed is important for keeping your home an allergen-low one.

4. Use the AC in the Car Too

If you enjoy driving with the windows rolled down, this is another no-no for allergy sufferers. Pollen grains coming at your eyes and nose at a high rate of speed will only cause misery, so keep the windows rolled up and re-circulate the air in the car.

5. Let Someone Else do the Yard Work

Mowing the lawn and working in the garden can be fun, but in your golden years, it’s better to let someone else do it if you have allergies. Lawn mowing and other landscaping activities can kick up a lot of pollen, dust and mold that can aggravate your allergies, so hire a landscaping service or the neighbor kids to take care of that.

6. Avoid Hanging Laundry Outdoors

Wet, hanging clothing on a clothesline is a great place for allergens to land on a sunny day. So, don’t hang your laundry outside. Use the clothes dryer instead and keep your clothes, bedding and other items as pollen-free as possible.

7. If You Can’t Avoid the Outdoors…

Nature is wonderful. It’s hard to stay indoors all the time, even if you have allergies. So, if you plan to be outside, just be ready. Wear a hat and sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes and hair. If you need to, it’s even OK to wear a mask. And if your doctor has given the green light on an allergy medication, just don’t forget to take it! Once you arrive home, put clothing you were wearing outside directly into the wash to prevent tracking pollen, dust and mold around the house.

8. Housekeeping to Reduce Indoor Allergens

An in-home caregiver can help seniors with allergies keep up with the extra laundry, cleaning and dusting that allergy sufferers need to do to keep their home’s as comfortable as possible.

9. An Air Purifier Can Help

An air purifier may help many allergy sufferers breathe easier, especially while sleeping. Since allergy symptoms can worsen at night, an air purifier in the bedroom can make a good night’s sleep a little easier to get.

Allergy sufferers know that combatting the itchy, stuffy, sneezy irritation is a full-time job. Seniors with allergies need extra help to keep their symptoms at bay, so consider hiring an in-home caregiver to help minimize the risks and exposure to allergens. Contact At Home Personal Care today to ask about in-home caregivers who understand the allergy battle: (703) 494-3989.