With Winter fast approaching, the dreaded flu season comes with it. While many of us may struggle with a sniffle or two, the flu or a cold can affect vulnerable groups, such as seniors, in far worse ways. Here are a few tips to help seniors stay happy and healthy this flu season.
Supplements
Firstly, as we age, our bodies become less efficient at processing and utilising essential vitamins and minerals. This becomes even harder when older age also brings with it a smaller appetite.
To combat this and give your body the tools it needs to fight off illness, supplementing essential vitamins is a must. Supplements for immune support from Metagenics, such as vitamin C, equip your body to fight bacteria without requiring you to consume the recommended daily amount.
Healthy Diet
Speaking of diet, when you eat, be sure to pack your food with the things your body needs. While vitamin C is arguably the most important vitamin for fighting off colds and flu, there are plenty of others that keep your body strong and can lessen the side effects of being sick.
Whether it be iron, protein, magnesium, and everything in between, when you eat the right foods, you may not stop yourself from getting sick, but you can drastically lessen the effects.
Get Your Vaccines
While this should go without saying, be sure to stay up to date with your vaccines. Both the flu and pneumonia vaccines teach your body how to fight off these illnesses, build up your resistance, and in the end, can be the difference between being in bed for a couple of days and needing to go to the hospital.
Avoid Crowded Spaces
Once flu season hits, crowded spaces become a breeding ground for the virus to spread. Not everyone takes the same precautions, and therefore, you are exposing yourself to the risk of getting sick.
While there is no need to lock yourself inside your house until the season passes, instead go out when areas are less crowded. If this isn’t possible, wear a mask and take small steps, such as staying away from people who are coughing a lot and potentially avoiding public transport.
Moderate Exercise
Exercise, even if it is light exercise, can help strengthen your immune system. While exercise can be challenging for some seniors, if you can walk for a small amount of time, say 20-30 minutes, you are already doing more than enough.
Swimming and water aerobics are also great alternatives, especially if you suffer from arthritis, joint pain, etc. Most gyms that have pools will offer senior water aerobics a few times a week.
Avoid Those Who are Sick
As mentioned previously, avoid being around those who are already sick. Not only will this potentially make you sick, but it can also make an existing cold or flu worse. This is especially important if you have grandchildren who are sick.
Many studies have shown that cold and flu germs spread by children carry a larger viral load, and often have varying viral strains. This means they can not only make you sick quicker, but the cold can be much worse.
Practice Good Hygiene
Keep in mind that the cold and flu bacteria travel through the air and can settle on our skin and clothing. Because of this, practising good personal hygiene is a must to ensure the bacteria don’t make their way into your body.
If you go out or you have been around someone who is sick, be sure to have a bath or shower once you are home, and stick the clothes you wore in the laundry. While this won’t 100% stop you from getting sick, it will most certainly lower the chances.
Keep Your Home Clean
Furthermore, keep your home clean as well. Cold and flu bacteria can stay alive on surfaces for up to a week, remaining strong enough to infect for 24-48 hours. Meaning that even if you just get a little bit of it on your clothes and then sit on a chair, that chair now has bacteria on it.
Because of this, you also need to practice good home hygiene as well. There is no need to do a deep clean every day, but use a disinfectant spray on your countertops, furniture, etc, regularly.
Get an Air Purifier
Whether you have allergies, live in an area with a lot of industrial smells, or simply want cleaner air, an air purifier is for you. More importantly, an air purifier can help suck in the air that is filled with bacteria, clean it, and put fresh air back into your home.
Be careful, though, most of the time, only air purifiers that have a tried and tested HEPA filter can clear the cold and flu bacteria out of the air. However, if you can afford one, they are most definitely worth the investment.
Rest
Finally, be sure to rest and get a proper sleep. Your body is more susceptible to getting sick when it is drained, and therefore, it is best to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night, as well as spend some time relaxing during the day.
