Family caregivers face a lot of different challenges as they balance taking care of the seniors they love and other responsibilities like caring for other family members and managing their own careers and health. Some family caregivers might be surprised to deal with issues like shingles well before they ever thought they might. Solutions like medical conditions services can offer some help warding off dealing with health problems among other difficulties.
What Is Shingles?
Shingles is a viral infection caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. People who had chicken pox early in life, often as children, may find that later in life, usually after the age of 60, the virus returns in a new form. Shingles appears as a painful, itchy rash around the torso, usually on one side or the other of the body. The rash eventually blisters, and even after the blisters heal there may be pain and itching as the body continues to heal.
Risk Factors for Shingles
One of the reasons that family caregivers may need to think about shingles sooner than they expect is because of the many risk factors there are for developing shingles. Eating a less-than-healthy diet, not getting enough sleep, and chronic stress are some of the biggest risk factors related to a shingles outbreak. Family caregivers are often dealing with all of these issues and more as they work to keep their seniors healthy and happy.
Is It Shingles?
But how can family caregivers know it’s shingles and not something else? The shingles rash is very distinctive, with small red bumps that are intensely itchy. The area around the rash may be sensitive to touch as well and family caregivers might have other symptoms as well, like a fever, increased fatigue, and a headache. Once blisters develop, that’s often a big giveaway that shingles is the culprit.
Managing Stress
The best way for family caregivers to reduce their risk of developing shingles early is to manage their stress effectively. That means learning to delegate, possibly even hiring home care providers to offer their experienced assistance. Taking time away is so important, especially since there are so many demands on family caregivers daily. The medical conditions provider ensures that aging family members are getting the help they need, but family caregivers can still take time away to rest and to take care of their own needs.
Talk to Doctors
If family caregivers have had chicken pox in the past, they already carry the virus that causes shingles. The shingles vaccine has an excellent track record for helping people to avoid an outbreak of shingles. Doctors recommend that people over 50 years old get the shingles vaccine, but some doctors may recommend it for younger patients if they have other risk factors. Family caregivers need to talk to their doctors to determine if that’s something that might help them.
The bottom line is that stress is not something that family caregivers should ignore or just chalk up to being a normal part of life. Caregiving is incredibly stressful, and there are major impacts on their lives from those higher stress levels. Medical conditions provider is an easy and powerful solution to make sure seniors have the care they need while also helping family caregivers take time for themselves.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Medical Conditions Services in Huntington, NY, please contact the caring staff at Star Multi Care today. Call (631) 424-7827
Star Multi Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving Long Island and NYC, including Dix Hills, Floral Park, Great Neck, Huntington, Manhasset, Massapequa, Northport, Plainview, Rockville Center, Stony Brook, Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Queens County.
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