Edema is the technical term for swelling that occurs when too much fluid gets trapped inside the body’s tissues. While it can appear anywhere on the body, it is most common in the legs and feet because the veins are struggling to bring enough blood all the way down to the feet and back up to the heart.
What Causes Edema
There are many reasons why someone might get edema. Some of them are temporary, like eating something extremely salty and noticing the fingers swelling until the excess salt flushes from the system. Other reasons are linked to health concerns or issues.
Mild Edema causes can include:
- Sitting in one place too long, such as on a long flight
- Eating too much salty food
Some medications also may cause edema as a side effect:
- Diabetes medicines called thiazolidinediones
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines
- Medicine for high blood pressure
- Medicines used for treating nerve pain
- Steroids
Chronic illnesses that may cause edema in your elderly loved one:
- Cirrhosis of the liver can cause edema in the stomach and legs
- Congestive heart failure can lead to blood backing up in the legs, ankles, and feet
- Kidney disease might allow fluids and salt to build up in the blood, leading to swelling in the legs and around the eyes
- Damaged leg veins that reduce the ability to keep blood flowing, so it pools in the legs
- A damaged lymphatic system, which reduces the needed drainage.
Edema Symptoms
If your loved one has edema that doesn’t go away, it’s important to bring her in for a physical examination to determine the cause of her edema. Some symptoms to look for to know if your loved one has edema are:
- Puffiness or swelling of the tissue in one part of the body, making it look larger than it usually looks.
- Shiny skin that looks (and might even feel) like it’s stretched too tightly over the affected area
- Skin that doesn’t pop back up when pressed. The indent remains for a while until it returns to its original shape.
- The affected area feels heavy or difficult to move.
When Edema Interferes with Daily Living, 24-Hour Home Care Can Help
If your loved one has chronic edema due to an illness or a medication side effect, the swelling from it can make it difficult for her to do things on her own and thus live independently. Edema can make it difficult to walk around the home and perform regular care of her home. It can even interfere with her own healthcare, creating difficulties in treating it as well as reducing its occurrence.
If your elderly loved one needs assistance around the home, a 24-hour home care team can help. 24-hour home care teams are there with your loved one around the clock, taking shifts so that each provider is awake and alert while on the premises, ready to assist your loved one as needed. So, even if your loved one needs help getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she’ll have someone there to make sure she gets there and back safely without falling or injuring herself.
24-hour home care can help your loved one stay in her favorite place on Earth – her home – by being there when she needs it.
If you or an aging loved one is considering 24-Hour Home Care in Smithtown, NY, please contact the caring staff at Help at Home today at (631) 859-3435
Help at Home is a top provider of home care services in Islip, Babylon, Huntington, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Hempstead & Oyster Bay, and surrounding areas on Long Island & NYC. We serve Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties.
Whether you or a loved one is recuperating from an illness or a senior requiring care, we can help. Help at Home is committed to providing quality home care at affordable rates. Helping a patient remain in the comfort and security of their home is our goal. We are the best alternative to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Help at Home caregivers
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