What Can You Do about Shingles?
Shingles is not fun for anyone at all, but it can be torture for your senior. Getting the shingles vaccine can help her to reduce the likelihood of developing shingles, so talk to her doctor. If your elderly family member has never had shingles before, you need to learn as much as you can about it and what you may be able to do to help prevent her from experiencing even the first outbreak.
Elder Care in Westfield IN: Shingles Care
Shingles Defined
Shingles is the common name for a virus that can pop up at any time. It’s related to the family of viruses that causes cold sores and chickenpox, so it’s very similar in appearance. It’s a rash that forms blisters that can pop and become painful. Many people find that shingles is very itchy, but scratching is only going to create bigger problems. Scratching can also spread the rash from one part of your seniors’ body to another. The virus doesn’t have a cure, but there are treatments that can help a little with comfort.
The Symptoms Are Tough to Miss
There’s usually no doubt whether your elderly family member is dealing with shingles or something else. The rash itself is quite distinctive, usually forming on your senior’s torso at first. The rash may simply be itchy at first, although some people experience pain first. The first outbreak may be the worst, including extreme pain and blisters that become painful and often burst. Shingles can be exhausting because the virus spreads through your senior’s entire body. Rest, fluids, and a healthy diet can all help.
Treating and Preventing Shingles
Shingles doesn’t have a cure, but there are ways to treat the situation. Antiviral medications, over-the-counter pain relievers, and topical creams and ointments may be able to help reduce the pain and discomfort your senior is feeling. If your elderly family member has several outbreaks one after another, her doctor may recommend that she takes antiviral medications long-term in an effort to send the virus back into remission. Her doctor can help you to work out a plan that keeps your senior as comfortable as possible and helps her to deal with the effects of shingles.
Shingles can really take your senior off her game for a while. Having help from you and from elderly care providers can make life a lot easier. Your senior will be able to rest and recover from the experience.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care in Westfield, IN, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: (317) 471-0760
As a practicing Registered Nurse, Etelka was keenly aware of a void in quality patient care that could be provided in the home. She embarked upon a journey to develop a home health care agency that would exceed all expectations and become a trusted partner to physicians and patients.
A Distinguished Career From Nurse to Director of Nursing to President of Home Services Unlimited
Etelka’s distinguished career followed a logical progression to her position as President of Home Services Unlimited. She graduated as a nurse practitioner with a Bachelor of Nursing (RN) in 1972 from Meshgorya University in the Ukraine, close to where she lived with her family. She married her husband Phil in 1973 and decided in 1977 that they would relocate to the United States to be closer to family and to come to this land of opportunity. With an eagerness to continue her budding career, Etelka sat for and passed her Boards in the U.S. in 1979.
A Love and Talent for Working with the Elderly
Etelka began her nursing career in the U.S. at Colonial Crest, now part of Golden Living, where she was the In-service Coordinator, the Director of Training and Education and Director of Nursing, a position she occupied for several years.
With a group of partners, she co-founded Adept Corporation, which operated group homes for the mentally challenged. The business was successful and in 1996, Etelka sold her share to return to her roots, caring for the elderly.
In January of 1997, Etelka opened Home Services Unlimited as a fully licensed business to provide home health care. In her quest to learn to do better for her patients, she had already obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) in May of 1990 from the College of St. Francis. As President of Home Services Unlimited, Inc., Etelka guides the trusted, experienced care model Home Services Unlimited uses to continue providing excellent home health care.
Giving Back to the Community of Indianapolis
Volunteering for community services is a high priority for Etelka. Her memberships include the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Executive Women in Health Care and the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.
Etelka has also served on the Board of Directors with Hooverwood Home, a highly regarded geriatric facility, since 1997 and as the President for 2005-2006. Through her community work, she has received several awards and accolades, including the Nora McFarland award in 2002, from the Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care.
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