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Managing Your Parent's Allergies

Spring is a common time for seasonal allergies to raise its ugly head.

Allergies are your body’s inappropriate immune system response to something in the environment, whether that be pollen, dander, or dust mites. And allergies aren’t just for the young, they can affect anyone and can come on at anytime in life, even if a person is in their 60’s or 70’s. If your aging has noticed this spring she is suffering from a runny nose, itchy eyes, and/or sneezing a lot, she might have developed some late-onset spring allergies.

A visit to her doctor is a good place to start to see if it is allergies or something else going on. If after testing for allergies, her doctor determines she is suffering from seasonal allergies, here are some things you can do at her home to help reduce the amount of misery those allergies will bring on.

Stay inside, especially on windy days. On dry, windy days, pollen gets blown all around and can make going outside quite miserable. It’s hard to stay inside when the weather is finally getting nice enough to be outside, but encourage your parent to avoid the pollen-filled air if possible on the worst days. Your elder care provider can help by running any errands your parent may need on those windy days.
Avoid outside chores. On the same note, early spring may not be the best time for your parent to try to work in her yard. Finding others to help with those much needed spring chores like fertilizing, planting, and lawn care will help your parent avoid the worst of the irritants in the air. Your elder care provider might be able to help with some of these chores or you could ask family members to step in until the air is more free of allergens.
Shower after outdoor activities. If your parent still wants or needs to participate in outdoor activities, help her relieve her symptoms when she’s back inside by changing her clothes as soon as she enters the home and even take a shower to wash the pollen off of her hair and skin.
While many people love the smell of laundry dried outside, spring may not be the time to hang linen, towels, and clothes out on the clothing line. They are likely to get covered in pollen that will be brought back into the home. Encourage your parent to keep using her dryer for the time being. Once the pollens reduce, she can go back to hanging her clothes outside.
Wear a mask when outside. Facemasks don’t only protect us from illnesses, they can also protect your parent from breathing in allergens.

Luckily, many TV stations cover the pollen counts each day, as well as phone apps, such as weather apps. Your parent can even set up an alert on her phone to let her know when pollen counts are especially high. By having this knowledge, she’ll be better prepared to take the above steps when needed to help her breathe easier.