Elderly Care
Why Nursing homes need clean air, and what you can do to help
Air quality is gaining more attention in Europe and across the globe. It’s well established that clean air results in healthier people of all ages – especially seniors?
We owe a lot to the elderly people in our lives. Whether they are parents, grandparents, or life-long friends, they deserve the best possible care and comfort.
So, how do our elderly loved ones, especially those living in senior-care facilities and nursing homes, handle air quality?
For that matter, what can nursing homes, loved ones, and caregivers do to ensure clean air for senior citizens?
Nursing Home Air Quality
For many elders, the threat of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 poses additional concerns, given that elders often have more compromised immune systems. What’s more, nursing homes and assisted living centers are prime areas where COVID-19 infections occur. According to the New York Times, 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths nationwide has occurred in nursing homes; as of September 16, 2020, the virus has also infected more than 479,000 people at some 19,000 facilities.
Lung health should be a concern for everyone, regardless of age, but elderly individuals and the people who care for them should be particularly aware of potential risks affecting their respiratory systems.
Asthma, for example, is often considered a childhood disease, but this condition can affect elderly individuals and has the potential for doing greater harm among seniors.
Allergies in elderly patients also creates more complications for symptoms and treatments.If an elderly person is dealing with allergies, there can be challenges related to medications, as allergy medicine used in a younger person could interact with prescribed medication.
The truth is, getting clear, precise information on the air quality of air in long-term care facilities can be difficult. This is largely because each facility is different and the information we have available is sparse. Therefore, the use of the HV V+ model, one of our portable air cleaning units, in these areas will be a result-oriented approach.