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Elderly Care Tips: Home Remedies for Common Ailments and Injuries

Elderly Care in Buford GA

When you were younger did you ever dab a bit of toothpaste on a pimple in hopes that it would dry up, or see a young baseball player rub dirt into the spot where a ball hit him, convinced that it would stop the pain? Most people go about their lives following superstitions and strange colloquial recommendations without even realizing that they are doing them, much less putting much thought into whether these home remedies actually work the way they are supposed to. As a family caregiver, it is likely that you have encountered even more of these throughout the course of your elderly care journey with your seniors.

Most mothers cannot help but share a bit of advice when they see that someone around them is dealing with an issue that they have some sort of resolution for, whether that resolution is grounded in actual results or is just something that she herself heard from her mother. There is a reason that many of these remedies have stood the test of time, however. Despite being unorthodox, many of them actually do work. This means that you are likely to occasionally hear your mother recommend something to help you get over a minor illness, irritation, or injury that sounds off the wall at first, but might just be the relief you have been seeking. Of course, many of them are also just good for a laugh while you look for something that will actually help you or your aging parents get over the problem so you can get back to your usual elderly care routine.

Consider some of these home remedies for common ailments and injuries and decide for yourself whether you think that they might work the next time you or your parents fall victim to one of these issues:

  • Relieve a stuffy nose. Clogged sinuses can make you absolutely miserable, especially when they make it so that you cannot sleep. If you are dealing with a nose that just will not let you take a breath in, pop a few strong peppermints in your mouth and try to draw in air through your nose as you at them. This also works with a dollop of hot sauce or wasabi.
  • Soothe a sore throat. A sore throat can be one of those symptoms that just lingers and makes it difficult for you to go about your day. Soothe it by taking a mixture of vinegar and honey. The vinegar has natural antibacterial properties and is highly acidic which will burn away the mucus and damaged tissues inside the throat, while the honey sweetens it up and provides a soothing coating.
  • Ease a UTI. If despite all of the cranberry juice you have been drinking you still get a urinary tract infection, dissolve two indigestion tablets in water and drink it down to neutralize the conditions within the urinary tract so that the bacteria cannot thrive.
  • Remove a splinter. Splinters can be very painful, and if left unattended can lead to infection. Rather than trying to dig one out with a needle or taking the wait-and-see approach, cover the splinter with some white school glue and let it dry. Once the glue turns clear, peel it off in the opposite direction of the splinter to ease it right out of the skin.

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