What are the Signs and Symptoms of Shingles?

Home Care in Radnor, PA: What are the Signs and Symptoms of Shingles?

As a family caregiver, one of the most important tools that you will use to protect your parent and ensure that they are getting the level of care that they need throughout their later years is awareness. Being aware of the potential risks that they are facing enable you to control those risks, reduce them if possible, and prepare yourself to give them the right care and support to manage this condition if it does arise. One particularly serious risk that elderly adults face is shingles. Developing from the varicella zoster virus, the same that causes chickenpox, shingles impacts approximately 1 million people throughout the United States each year. The risk for developing shingles increases with age, with approximately half of people aged 80 and over suffering from it. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of shingles can help you to detect if your senior might have developed it and enable you to get them the medical attention that they need promptly.

Some of the signs and symptoms of shingles include:

• Pain
• Burning
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Red rash that develops a few days after your parent begins to experience pain
• Fluid-filled blisters on the skin that break open and then form a crust
• Itching
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light

It is important to note that most often, shingles only develops on one section of one side of the body. They can, however, spread to a much larger section and may even develop on several sections of the body at once. Though it is most often found on the torso, some people will experience the shingles rash on the face or neck, and it may even develop around one eye, putting them at risk for eye damage and blindness.

If you have noticed that the challenges of caring for your elderly parent have become too extensive for you to handle comfortably and confidently, your schedule has changed and limited your ability to manage your parent’s needs, or your parent’s needs have increased, now may be the ideal time for you to start home care for them. An in-home senior care services provider can be with your elderly parent on a schedule that is right for them and their needs, allowing you to care for them as much as is right for you and your elderly loved one. This enables them to receive a highly personalized set of services that will help them to stay safe, healthy, comfortable, and happy throughout their later years while also supporting their mental and emotional well-being, and as much independence as possible. If your elderly loved one is suffering from a serious health issue such as shingles this care provider can be invaluable. They can help your parent to remain compliant with their medications and other treatments through meaningful reminders, encourage healthy lifestyle choices, and keep you informed of their health and well-being so that you can make the decisions that are right for their ongoing treatment and care.

If you or an loved-one are considering hiring a professional home care provider in Radnor, PA, talk to Unlimited Staffing Solutions. Specializing in Home and Community Based Support Waiver Services Since 2001. Please Call Us for Your Home Care Needs (215) 447-7133

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/basics/definition/con-20019574

https://www.cdc.gov/features/shingles/