5 Ways to Handle Allergy Season as a Family Caregiver
Senior Home Care in Plainsboro NJ
Over 19 million U.S. adults are diagnosed with seasonal allergies. While some adults experience symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing, and watery, itchy eyes, others experience severe symptoms like asthma and chronic sinusitis.
When your allergies leave you feeling tired and uncomfortable, the last thing you want to do is leave your home and help your dad with his daily tasks. If he’s the one dealing with allergies, his cranky attitude may be driving you crazy. What tips help family caregivers handle allergy season and how can senior home care help?
Invest in an Air Purifier
Do yourself a favor and buy an air purifier for your main living area and bedroom. Look for a model that uses a HEPA filter to remove allergens and small particles of dust, dander, and more. If it has UV lighting to kill viruses and bacteria, that can also help clean the air.
Make sure the model you buy can clean the size of the room it’s in. Look at the cost of filters when deciding, which model best fits your needs and budget. When you run it, close all windows to avoid cleaning the air from outside.
Close Windows at Night and Until Late Morning
Pollen counts outside are highest in the night and early morning hours. If you want to open your windows to let in the fresh air, aim for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Once the sun starts to set, close your windows again. As tempting as it is to put in a window fan and leave it running all night, this will worsen your allergies.
Pinpoint What Pollen Affects You
If you can, pinpoint which pollen affects you the most. Some of the biggest offenders are elm, maple, ragweed, oak, and pigweed. Pull pigweed and ragweed from your gardens and yard when you spot them starting to grow.
Suppose you find that it’s the dark yellow powdery pollen that comes from pine trees, it may be best to remove pine trees from your yard. If that’s not possible, make sure you’re paying attention to your pine trees’ growth and start taking precautions when the buds are starting to form.
Talk to Your Doctor
Whether you’re the one with allergies or it’s your dad, talk to a doctor about the best medications. You or your dad may need a prescription allergy medication, especially if you’re developing frequent sinus infections or have asthma.
Arrange Senior Home Care
Senior home care aides are a perfect solution if you’re the one being driven nuts by the congestion and other allergy symptoms. Hire caregivers for respite care services while you get your symptoms under control.
Stay home, rest, and let a caregiver help your dad for the day. Call a senior home care agency to learn more.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/allergies.htm
If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Plainsboro, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care today. Call (732) 607-8870.
The Care Street mission is straightforward and compelling: to provide a comprehensive range of the highest quality home health services in a professional and efficient manner that will enhance our clients' quality of life and empower families to keep their loved one at home.
Care Street has earned a reputation of excellence among hundreds of families, and is recommended by medical professionals and hospital discharge planners throughout the State.
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