Director of Nursing explains why you have a fragile immune system
Did you know...that older people have a fragile immune system. They catch colds easier than the rest of us. Look what happens to an aging immune system - none of it is good. • Macrophages (which ingest bacteria and other foreign cells) destroy bacteria and viruses more slowly. • T-cells respond less quickly to bacteria and viruses. • There are fewer white blood cells capable of responding to new infections. Thus, when older people encounter a new infective organism, the body is less able to remember and defend against it. • Older people have smaller amounts of complement proteins to respond to bacterial infections. • The amount of antibodies produced in response to a bacteria or virus is less, and the antibodies are less able to attach to invading germ. These immune system changes may partly explain why pneumonia, flu, urinary tract infections and tetanus are more common among older people and result in death more often. What does that mean for us? We don’t want our illness that we take to a client’s home to cause them to become ill, go to the hospital, or even die.
- Deborah Parker, Director of Nursing , BrightStar Home Care Salt Lake City
BrightStar Care of Salt Lake City proudly provides Home Care and Support for Seniors, including 24 hour in home care, and support in independent and assisted living communities. We provide all levels of home care from companion services to Skilled Nursing. Medical Staffing, Home care, In-Home Skilled Nursing, In-Home Physical Therapy for pediatric, adult and geriatric patients, Companion and Personal Care for Elders with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. We also provide Home Child Care, Sitter and Nanny services for Children and Support for New Mothers. We Support Veterans as a partner of the VA/Veterans administration provider network and are a Home Care Provider for U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Energy Employees and Occupational Illness Compensation. We Accept most Long Term Care Insurance benefits, provide Hospice care, Live-in care, CNA, Caregiver, RN, LPN, RN Supervision, Compassionate Care, and Compatibility Guarantees. We are an ALS Society partner, Alzheimer Association member, and provide care for developmentally disabled and individuals of all ages with mental health and behavioral health diagnosis. Other services include safe discharge and transportation from the hospital or rehab facility, Post Op care both short and long term, Pre-Operation and preparation help and assistance, client monitoring for out of town family members. Proudly serving Sandy, Draper, Midvale, Salt Lake City, Park City, South Salt Lake, Mill Creek, Holladay, and Murray in UT.
