7 Common Respiratory Challenges in Older Adults
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Struggling to breathe triggers understandable panic. To say it interferes with your quality of life is an understatement. Unfortunately, respiratory challenges in older adults can quickly grow dangerous.
Recognizing the warning signs and seeking early intervention is crucial to a positive health outcome. Here’s what you should know.
What Contributes to Respiratory Challenges?
Multiple factors contribute, including genetic and epigenetic influences beyond your control. However, several environmental conditions can factor in, and you can reduce your risk through lifestyle modifications.
Your immune system doesn’t work as well as you age, making you more prone to infectious diseases. Most deaths from respiratory illnesses occur in those aged 65 and older. People in this age group are nine times more likely to die from COVID-19, and approximately 6,000 to 10,000 of them perish from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Additionally, older adults are more likely to be obese, although the impact the excess weight has on their health seems to decrease slightly with age, when the extra pounds serve a protective function. While their body may have more energy reserves for fighting disease, carrying too much weight strains their heart and makes getting cardiovascular activity difficult, negating some of these positive effects.
The Complications Respiratory Challenges Can Cause
Respiratory challenges can cause multiple complications that quickly lead to a downward spiral of adverse health effects. For example, trouble breathing may contribute to physical inactivity, leading to obesity, which increases the risk of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea leaves you deprived of necessary rest and can be fatal, as the lack of slumber puts undue stress on your heart, raising your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Furthermore, challenges such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema increase the risk of minor infections turning into major problems. For example, older adults with COPD are more prone to severe COVID-19 infections requiring hospitalization. They are also more likely to develop worsening long-term symptoms after recovering from the acute illness.
Tips for Preventing Respiratory Challenges in Older Adults
Preventing respiratory challenges hinges on positive, proactive health habits that promote general wellness. By increasing your immune response and reducing factors such as obesity that can increase your risks, you stand a better chance of avoiding chronic diseases and recovering more quickly from temporary infectious ones.
Solid tips to improve your overall resilience and germ resistance include:
- Quitting smoking if you currently use tobacco, seeking free resources to help you kick the habit.
- Get regular exercise, particularly cardiovascular exercise, such as jogging, walking, dancing, biking, hiking, or vigorous yard work.
- Eating a healthy diet and reducing your consumption of ultra-processed foods and unhealthy fats. Focus on whole foods that resemble their natural forms and eat the rainbow for a complete array of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Include some fermented foods or yogurt for gut-nurturing probiotics and regular servings of fish, flax, or chia seeds for the healthy omega-3 fats your body needs.
- Reducing stress can affect your immune system if you allow it to build out of control.
- Sleeping well, as your body makes crucial immune cells while you sleep.
The 7 Most Common Respiratory Challenges in Older Adults
The seven issues below are the most likely to cause respiratory challenges in older adults. Recognizing the signs and seeking prompt treatment can reduce your risk of complications.
1. Infectious Diseases
It’s pretty hard to differentiate between many types of upper respiratory infections, such as the flu, COVID-19, and RSV. Prevention and swift action are your best bets.
Consider getting your annual flu shot and an RSV vaccine if you’re older than 75 or at severe risk. If you suspect COVID-19, get tested so your doctor can prescribe a course of Paxlovid, which may help you dodge severe complications.
2. COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease results from lung damage that causes ongoing inflammation. The common culprits are long-term exposure to smoke or other chemicals. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis fall under the COPD umbrella.
Symptoms include:
- Trouble catching your breath
- Wheezing or whistling when breathing
- An ongoing cough that produces mucus
- Chest heaviness or tightness
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Weight loss
- Frequent infections
- Swelling in hands and feet
The number one treatment for COPD is to quit smoking, as it is the most common underlying cause of this disorder. However, it can strike those who worked around toxins and never smoked. Treatments include medications, inhalers, oxygen therapy, and portable oxygen tanks you must carry with you.
3. Pneumonia
Various germs can cause pneumonia — a severe infectious lung disease. Adults over 65 and those with other chronic illnesses are at greatest risk. This disease sometimes requires hospitalization and produces symptoms similar to COPD.
Additionally, you may experience stabbing pain in the chest when breathing deeply or coughing, and your mucus may contain blood. Fever and chills are reliable signs that the problem is an infection, not chronic damage.
4. Emphysema
Emphysema damages your alveoli, which are the sacs in your lungs that facilitate oxygen exchange. As a result, less oxygen reaches your bloodstream. The symptoms and treatment are the same as for COPD.
5. Chronic Bronchitis
The suffix “itis” means “inflammation,” and chronic bronchitis refers to swelling of the bronchial tubes—the largest airways in the lungs. The symptoms and treatments are similar to those for emphysema and COPD.
6. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection of your lungs that can spread to other body parts. However, only a small percentage of people who contract it go on to develop symptoms.
A vaccine exists, although it is not regularly given in the United States. You may have to undergo TB testing as part of your employment process for certain professions.
7. Lung Cancer
The Big C scares people for a good reason. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, accounting for roughly one in five cases. Fortunately, rates have decreased in recent years as more people quit smoking.
Smoking cessation is the number one preventive measure you can take. Additionally, smokers and those who quit within the past 15 years should get an annual chest X-ray to increase their chances of early detection and cure.
When to Call Your Doctor
Difficulty breathing always merits a call to the doctor, especially if it’s the first time you’ve experienced this symptom. Those with chronic conditions should call if their symptoms suddenly become more severe or they develop new ones. The earlier your physician pinpoints the underlying cause, the more quickly you can get on the road to recovery.
Preventing Common Respiratory Challenges in Older Adults
Respiratory challenges in older adults can impact your quality of life and spur understandable panic. Knowing your risks and taking proactive steps to decrease them helps, as does seeking rapid treatment if symptoms arise. With the right approach, you can breathe more freely, regardless of age.
Respiratory Issues and Long-Term Care
Chronic conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, and bronchitis are common in older adults and can be debilitating. These conditions affect physical well-being and limit independence and overall quality of life, as symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, and fatigue make it difficult to carry out daily activities.
In long-term care settings, respiratory challenges require specialized management to ensure the safety and comfort of residents. Skilled nursing facilities and assisted living centers typically offer respiratory therapies to help manage chronic respiratory conditions.
These therapies might include oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and nebulizer treatments, which help maintain oxygen levels and ease breathing difficulties. The availability of trained healthcare professionals in long-term care settings is crucial, as they can provide consistent monitoring and adjustments to treatment plans based on changes in the individual’s condition. For those with severe respiratory illnesses, non-invasive ventilator support may also be necessary.
Finding quality caregivers and long-term care facilities is vital to maintaining a good quality of life for your loved one. The LTC News Caregiver Directory has the largest database of caregivers, home health agencies, senior communities, adult day care centers, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes in the United States. A few clicks will show you options available near you.
Additionally, respiratory challenges often put older adults at a higher risk of infections like pneumonia, which is particularly dangerous in aging populations. Preventive measures, such as vaccinations, hygiene protocols, and regular health screenings, are essential to reduce infection risks.
Long-term care facilities often implement these preventive practices to safeguard residents, especially those with compromised respiratory health. Staff members are also trained to recognize early signs of respiratory distress, ensuring that interventions can be made quickly to prevent complications.
Living with respiratory challenges can profoundly impact an older adult’s emotional health. The constant struggle to breathe can lead to anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal, particularly when physical activity is limited.
For long-term care facilities, supporting the mental health of residents with respiratory issues is just as important as managing the physical symptoms. Providing social and recreational activities that accommodate their needs and offering counseling or support groups can improve emotional well-being and reduce the sense of isolation that often accompanies chronic respiratory conditions.
Remember, health insurance and Medicare only pay for short-term skilled care. If you or a loved one has Long-Term Care Insurance, the LTC policy will pay for your choice of quality services. However, a policy should be acquired before someone has substantial health issues. LTC insurance is usually purchased between ages 45 and 67 with the help of a qualified LTC Insurance specialist.
Take a deep breath of relief when you have a plan before a health or age-related crisis happens.