Shingles is a painful disease of the skin that can be experienced by both men and women who are more than 50 years old. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Shingles is also called herpes zoster but it is not related to the herpes virus. When offering elderly care to a loved one with shingles there are some things to understand to help in their care.
- How Shingles Develops
The varicella virus will be in the person who experienced the chickenpox forever. This will stay dormant in the nerve root found on one of the spinal cord’s side. There is a 20% chance of having varicella virus when you had chickenpox before. In a number of individuals the virus stays dormant for a lifetime. In others it becomes active because of stress, the aging process and illness which make the immune system weak. The condition’s severity depends upon the age of the person and whether or not his immune system has been compromised.
- Symptoms of Shingles
There is a pattern with this skin disease. A sufferer is expected to experience burning and tingling of the skin for a number of days. Usually red rash can be seen on one side of the face, body or neck. The rash will become blisters which dries up and scabs over within many days. Some of those with shingles feel pain after the rash disappears. This is post-herpetic neuralgia. Usually shingles tend to last between 3 to 5 weeks.
Shingles cannot be caught from somebody who has it. But the person can catch the chicken pox from somebody who has shingles and in the blister phase. While a person can have shingles more than once, typically people get it once.
- The Role Of Senior Home Care
Senior home care services can help in making life more comfortable for an individual who develops shingles by:
- Ensuring the senior gets enough rest.
- Preparing nutritious and well-balanced meals.
- Applying cool washcloth to the blisters so they dry up easing the pain.
- Listening to the senior while sharing his frustration and feelings.
Senior care for a loved one who has shingles offered by a reliable non-medical home care agency in Framingham MA like Angelic Love Home Care includes letting the person take the prescribed medication and offering encouragement when he deals with the pain. Shingle vaccines are available. Elderly people who are more than sixty years old must consult with their physician on getting the vaccine.
Do you have other suggestions in terms of taking care of a loved one with shingles? We would be happy to hear from you. Use the comments section below to tell us your story.