How to Cure Weakness After Fever?
Fever is a condition in which the body’s temperature exceeds the normal range. While there is nothing to be worried about in case of an occasional fever in young adults, but a fever in seniors might be an indication of a more serious underlying problem like a serious viral or bacterial infection. In some cases, it might be a result of some medication side-effects, heat stress, chronic condition like arthritis, sepsis, and more.
Weakness after the fever is quite common. However, people, despite getting enough rest, feel pretty low in terms of energy. Some of the most common symptoms that accompany weakness in the body after fever include headache, concentration or memory issues, unexplained muscle or joint pain, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and lack of appetite, among others.
Post fever weakness is something that leaves the person exhausted, be it children, young adults, or middle-aged adults. Nevertheless, when it comes to the elderly, they are the ones who are seriously affected.
The blog enlists a few tips to help you understand how to cure weakness after fever in seniors.
Stay Hydrated
Fever in the elderly is more complicated than a young adult. Sweating and bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea are some prominent symptoms of fever that increase the risk of dehydration in the elderly. Therefore, it becomes extremely important to keep the body hydrated. It helps the elderly cope with after-fever weakness during recovery.
Drinking plenty of water at room temperature is the best way to replace lost liquids from the body and also help it fight off the viruses in case of viral fever. Other than the water, some other home remedies for weakness after fever include drinking herbal teas. For instance, drinking Kadha made from Tulsi or basil leaves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, is highly effective in coping with weakness after viral fever. Besides, one can try options like black pepper and ginger tea, honey- ginger tea, rice starch, and coriander tea to speed up the recovery process.
To improve the condition of weakness after fever, two things that need to be strictly avoided are the intake of caffeine and alcohol.
Eat Healthy Foods
Fever in seniors often results in a lack of appetite and disinterest in foods. On the contrary, it may also happen that they crave a bowl of ice cream or a plate of their favourite fast food, but to save them from post fever weakness, it is crucial that they eat only healthy and avoid packaged food as much as possible.
So, other than supplying the body with the required quantity of fluids, eating healthy is equally paramount. Not only will it help them recover fast, but also get rid of weakness after fever.
Rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and potent antioxidants, eating seasonal and fresh fruits are a good place to start with. It will strengthen the immune system and help the body recover from the weakness after viral fever.
In addition to fruits, make sure the elderly also eat sufficient vegetables, as it is effective in taming down the effect of fever in seniors. Choose fruits and vegetables to their likings. Find out some good options for their breakfast that are not stomach-heavy, balanced in terms of nutrition, and easy to chew and digest.
Do Not Skip Medicines
Nothing can work well if the elderly skip on their medicine. Now, this might be a bit of a challenging task for you as an adult child, but you must ensure that your elder takes the prescribed medicines on time regularly. Taking care of the elderly in a situation like this is quite demanding, especially in terms of time which is one of the biggest obstacles that people in general face. They want to dedicate the required time, but often can not.
And this situation gets even more challenging than fever in the elderly when they have any chronic condition that needs to be monitored every day without fail. As an adult child, what best and the least you can do is avail home nursing services so that the elderly get a dedicated caregiver who can give regular care calls and remind them to have medicines on time.
Get Enough Rest
When the body suffers from viral fever, it works really hard to fight off the infections which as a result puts immense pressure on the system. Consequently, weakness in the body after the viral fever is quite a common thing that most people experience. Therefore, getting enough rest is critical to speeding up the recovery process.
If in case the elderly does not want to spend the entire day in bed, make sure they do not engage in any tiring physical activity because this way they might end up raising their body’s temperature. Make sure they get a good sleep of at least eight hours when they have a fever. During the daytime, you can allow them to move around a bit, sit and relax on the recliner chair, but not more than that.
Avoid Smoking
The ill-effects of smoking cannot be stressed enough. We all know how adversely it affects the overall health of individuals. To get rid of weakness in the body after fever, the elderly need to completely avoid smoking, in case they are habituated to it.
Smoking not only further exhausts but also compromises the body’s capability to protect it against infection, which can prolong the recovery process. Although quitting smoking forever is a wise choice if the seniors (or any individual) want to lead a life with fewer medical complications, it must be at least avoided for as long as the fever persists and the recovery period.
Stay Positive
Post fever weakness is quite normal, but the elderly may get irritable or worried about their health, which may hamper their recovery. In this situation, it is important that you spend some extra time with them. Giving them emotional support can help them maintain a positive attitude during their illness phase.
Find out things that make them happy. These things might appear insignificant, but they can make a huge difference. A lot of difference, in fact.
Try these tips to help the elderly recover from weakness after fever. Please note that the above-mentioned tips are not to be seen as a sure-shot course of treatment. The scope of these suggestions may vary from person to person. These are additional measures that one can take to improve the condition. In case of any doubts, make sure to consult the doctor without any delay.
From healthcare and respite care to physiotherapy and community engagement for elders – at Emoha, we do it all because for us, it is always #EldersFirst
