Managing Long-Term COVID Symptoms
Homemaker services can provide daily support and encouragement to seniors dealing with long term health issues.
Caring for a loved one dealing with long-term COVID-19 symptoms can be challenging, especially when those symptoms make it hard for them to manage daily tasks. For seniors, lingering effects like fatigue, brain fog, and loss of taste or smell can disrupt their routines and overall quality of life. That’s where homemaker services can make a big difference.
By providing support with household chores, meal preparation, and gentle encouragement, homemaker services can help seniors focus on recovery while maintaining a comfortable and safe home environment. In this blog, we’ll explore the impact of long-term COVID-19 symptoms on older adults and how homemaker services can provide the assistance they need.
Long-Term COVID Symptoms are More Common in Older People
Did your senior have COVID months or even years ago? Perhaps she got it several times and now can’t seem to shake some of the symptoms that the virus produced.
Experts are still studying why some people cannot shake many of the symptoms of COVID-19 long after they no longer test positive for the virus, and having those symptoms develop into what is now called Long COVID may or may not happen to your elderly loved one. Yet, statistics show that in 2024, 20% of adults over the age of 50 who had COVID-19 developed long-term COVID with symptoms lasting for months or longer the person has had COVID.
Long-Term COVID Symptoms
Everyone seems to have different symptoms when they develop COVID-19. With Long COVID, these are the most common symptoms that tend to linger after the individual is no longer diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Extreme fatigue that becomes worse after any type of physical exertion.
- Brain fog – a condition that affects the ability to think clearly and focus.
- Loss of taste or change in how things taste.
- Loss of smell or smelling something that isn’t present (like smoke when there is none).
- Heart palpitations and shortness of breath.
- A prolonged cough.
- Dizziness and/or vertigo.
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
- Gastrointestinal issues.
For seniors, the most common Long-term COVID Symptoms include brain fog, fatigue, cough, and loss of taste or smell.
Homemaker Services Can Help During Long-Term Covid
There is not a cure for long-term COVID symptoms, and for many, there isn’t a timeline of when they will go away. It is a matter of managing them while they are present. If your loved one is struggling with long-term COVID symptoms that are making it difficult for her to manage her home properly, a homemaker services provider can step in and help her keep her home well-kept while she recovers.
Some areas that a homemaker services team can assist with include:
- Weekly chores such as laundry, cleaning floors, or garbage take out. Knowing a homemaker services provider is going to come to the home to help with activities that may exhaust her can help your loved one focus on getting the rest she needs and pacing herself.
- Meals. When feeling especially tired or battling brain fog, trying to prepare a well-made and healthy meal can be tough and seem like too much work. But eating well is one of the best things your loved one can do to recover. Having a homemaker services provider come in and cook meals or prepare a bunch of heat-and-eat meals to get through the week will mean your loved one will eat well despite her low energy or inability to taste it all.
- Encourage gentle activities. Despite some long-term symptoms of fatigue, being active during the day will help her body build up strength and also promote better sleep at night. It can be helpful to have someone who can encourage that daily walk or even join your loved one on her walk.
- Provide a smiling face. Long-term COVID-19 can lead to depression. Having an encourager on her team will help your loved one stay in better spirits as she waits for these symptoms to go away.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Homemaker Services in Buffalo Grove, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 948-0860. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette, and the surrounding areas.
Sources:
- Tips for Preventing Hospital Readmissions in Seniors - January 16, 2025
- How Being Lonely Can Hurt Your Senior Parent - January 10, 2025
- Setting Meaningful Goals with Seniors - January 3, 2025