Corona virus vaccine – the types of vaccines developed
In Israel began the operation “Returning to Life”, which the population is vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the Corona virus. The Corona virus vaccine have been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. The purpose of corona virus vaccine is to introduce the body to only the spike protein found on the surface of the virus, without exposing the vaccinated person to the whole virus. This means that the body will produce antibodies against this specific protein.
The effectiveness of the corona vaccine
The vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna have been tested in several countries and in several stages of development, as is customary in any process of vaccine development. In the first stage, the corona virus was vaccinated, tested on animals and found to be effective. Next, the vaccines on humans were also tested and were also found to be effective in the development of antibodies to the corona virus.
The protection of the corona vaccine
The Corona vairus vaccinae of Pfizer and Moderna have been tested in several countries and in several stages of development, as is customary in any process of vaccine development. In the first stage, the corona virus was vaccinated, tested on animals and found to be effective. Next, the vaccines on humans were also tested and were also found to be effective in the development of antibodies to the corona virus.
Side effects that require consultation with a doctor
If within 4 hours of receiving the first dose patients suffer from one or more of the following symptoms, the attending to the doctor should be consulted regarding receiving the second dose: – Skin system irritation (rash, scabies, itching, redness on the face). – Difficulties in the respiratory system (shortness of breath, troublesome cough, wheezing). – Cardiovascular symptoms (rapid pulse or decreased blood pressure). – Gastrointestinal disorders (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).
Should a mask be worn after receiving the vaccine?
It is still recommended even for those who have been vaccinated to take all known precautions: masks, social alienation and maintaining hygiene, in order to maintain personal and public safety. This is also the recommendation for those who have recovered from Corona disease. Once the State of Israel has a large mass of vaccinated, we can probably give up these precautions.
Our body needs the energy to survive. Where does that energy come from? Food, of course! Food is broken down into tiny molecules of sugar called glucose; from glucose, we get energy. Diabetes disease is, actually, a group of diseases that arise due to abnormal levels of glucose in the bloodstream.
Glucose levels in the blood are controlled by the hormone insulin, which is produced in small amounts by the pancreas. People with diabetes either do not produce the sugar-regulating hormone, or the cells in their body have, unfortunately, become immune to it. This results in the fundamental problem behind the condition: too much sugar in a person’s blood.
Diabetes is a life-long disease with approximately 415 million people being afflicted with it all over the world – that’s 1 in 11 people! There are two main types of diabetes, simply referred to as Type 1 and Type 2. We’ve explained what they are and the difference between them below.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes disease
In Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreatic cells in the body are unable to produce insulin (because they’re destroyed by the immune system). Afflicted people are dependent on external insulin injections to stay healthy.
Type 1 is commonly diagnosed during childhood and adolescence and usually develops in people who have diabetes disease in their family. For example, having diabetic parents increases the chance of diagnosis.
In lesson common cases, Type 1 diabetes also occurs due to coming into contact with something in the environment. The immune system becomes activated and attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, thus resulting in diabetes.
Approximately 10% of all diabetes disease cases account for Type 1 diabetes in children. It’s spread evenly among boys and girls and is mainly characterized by a deficiency in blood sugar.
Type 2 Diabetes: Not Dependent on Insulin
Unlike people with Type 1, people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes disease are able to (some extent) produce insulin. The problem, however, lies in the fact that the amount of insulin produced is either not enough, or else the person’s body has become resistant to insulin.
When there is not enough insulin in the bloodstream or the body doesn’t absorb it as it should, the levels of glucose in the blood increase (since there’s no one to stop them) which results in the disease.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, with approximately 18 million Americans being affected. It usually occurs in people over the age of 40 and with existing health conditions like obesity.
In many cases, doctors are able to predict the onset of Type 2 diabetes and detect it during early stages (pre-diabetes) when blood sugar levels in the body are slightly higher than normal. This type can be prevented by doing regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and controlling your weight.
Unfortunately, even though Type 2 diabetes occurs most commonly in adults, nowadays it is also being diagnosed in children. It is extremely important to promote healthy eating and fitness in schools, to prevent obesity in younger people so that they become less prone to being afflicted with diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: Gestational diabetes disease
Aside from the conditions above, there is a third type of diabetes which sometimes happens in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is triggered due to the changing hormones in the body during pregnancy. The chances of developing it increase in women who are over 25 years old, have a family history of diabetes or were overweight before their pregnancy.
Blood sugars usually return to normal approximately 6 weeks after childbirth; It does, however, result in an increased chance of the mother developing Type 2 diabetes afterward. Approximately 4% of women are affected by Gestational Diabetes Worldwide.
Admitting a loved one into a long-term nursing home is probably one of the hardest decisions a person has to take. In many cases the debate about nursing homes is fierce.
Families do it for a multitude of reasons. The biggest of which is that the aging senior can no longer live by themselves. They need constant supervision from a skilled medical and para-medical stuff due to health issues. We’re all aware of the general opinion regarding nursing facilities, and an elder’s aversion towards them. However, what do the seniors really think about nursing homes?
We at Happy Seniors have provided a perspective of some seniors to the debate about nursing homes. Read on to find out two true stories of Carol Hathaway and Emily Gardener. As they talk about their lives after being admitted to a full time nursing home.
The Story of Carol
Carol, 85 years old, was admitted to Rosenfield Senior Home ten years ago. After a devastating fall left her body paralyzed from the waist down, her family made the decision of full time care. Leaving behind her home was in no way easy. But she made her peace with the decision after seeing the everyday struggles her family underwent to take care of her.
After arriving though, Carol was quite pleasantly surprised. First of all, there was no indication of the “smell” that apparently existed in nursing homes; Rosenfield was as clean as their house. She had been scared of going into an entirely new environment and having to live there for who knew how long.
It turned out that the seniors didn’t just sit around all day staring out windows as she had feared; the inhabitants of Rosenfield were all kept busy with their very own tasks. Gardening, sewing, painting, and even cooking: they each had something to keep busy and throughout the day. Even though she still missed home, her family was never very far. Carol began to find her place in the community. She felt especially happy at no longer having to trouble her loved ones.
The Story of Emily
In some ways, 75 year old Emily’s story was not much different. Inflicted with dementia two years ago, she had been cared for her by her eldest daughter for one year before coming to Rosenfield. Emily wasn’t very good at remembering short-term memories; but, her memories of her days as a carefree youth were still clear in her mind. She liked talking about them and was happy to share her story with us.
Emily worked as the chef in a restaurant for 40 solid years before age forced her into retirement; she was already living with her beautiful daughter when the diagnosis came. When Clare had to quit her job to take care of her mother, Emily first began to look through the brochures of Rosenfield. She would never be willing to burden herself on her daughter who still had a long life ahead of her worth living.
Emily was still upset though on moving day; leaving was never easy. Clare came to visit every week, and still did so even a year later. Emily needs a nurse’s full time support now for her meds and supervision. The funny thing was… in the past year, the change that had at first made her unhappy, had turned into her greatest source of joy. Most of the nurses felt like a daughter to her. And there were others she could talk to if she wanted; no one forced her to do anything she didn’t want to do. The other residents were all like family now and she loved staying with them.
Being a caregiver is among the most rewarding, and at the same time, stressful occupations in the world. These people put their heart and soul into ensuring the well-being of a senior. They do anything and everything they can to put their beloved elder’s comfort and happiness above their own. Caregivers’ stress and burnout is the unfortunately common side-effect of this job.
If you are one of those kind and loving people who are suffering from caregivers stress and burnout, then today’s article is for you. Read on to find out how to prevent the ailment and bring happiness back into your lives.
1. Give time to yourself.
A huge part of a caregiver’s job is devoting a lot of their resources ensuring the wellbeing of others.
From the daily necessities of meals and bath time to the smaller and even more important things of making conversation with the senior, or a kind gesture like making chocolate chip cookies with them to just bring some fun and light into their day.
Caregivers become so involved in someone else’s life that they forget to live their own. Not giving time to yourself is what leads to swift burnout.
Therefore the first thing you need to do is simply take a day off. Assign your duties for the day to an equally competent caregiver. Spend time by going on a trip with friends. Meet with family, or just simply read a book in the comfort of your own home. Everyone needs some me-time; you deserve it too!
2. Research the disease.
The transformation from being cared for to giving care among parents and children can be a challenging one, to say the least.
Sons and daughters suddenly find themselves in the role of a caregiver nursing a parent with dementia. They feel anxiety about their parent’s future and frustration at the simple tasks the elder can no longer do.
This is a key symptom of experiencing caregiver burnout. The caregiver needs to take a step back and at first research their elder’s disease to understand what’s happening.
It will reduce unwarranted anger and frustration at the patient. As the disease gets worse, they will need to find ways to cope with the changes. Talking to other caregivers and discussing the problems with them can help immensely too.
3. Meditation – a great way to prevent caregivers’ stress and burnout.
Experiencing stress and anxiety are bound to the job of a caregiver. They are always anxious about their patient’s health, stressful about finances, worried about the future, exhausted from the labor…
There is no way to completely remove this negativity, but there are effective ways to reduce it.
Sit down in a quiet place and take some deep breaths. Put on some soothing music if you want. Relax your body and forget your mundane activities. Focus and imagine a place you wish to be in for just fifteen minutes a day and meditate.
These fifteen minutes are enough to rejuvenate your mind and give it the much-needed break it needs from reality. Doing this exercise with the elder is also a nice thought; the elder may also constantly be in a state of anxiety.
Having to admit a loved one to a nursing home can be one of the toughest decisions family members make. But it’s often worth it when you know they can get all the care that they need. Unfortunately, at a time like with a global pandemic called Covid19 changing everything, that tough but right decision may seem regrettable.
Covid19 has caused leaders and government to make drastic moves to save lives. The lockdown and restrictions on places of business, movement, and so on are preventive measures that present almost more harm than good. They are like a necessary evil. Yet, at the end of all of this are the seniors and elderly who have likely been hit worst of all by the effects of the pandemic.
In this two-part article, we will discuss the toll of COVID19 on seniors stranded in nursing homes and care facilities. While the rest of the world is making room for everyone else’s suffering, it’s vital to remember what this pandemic has cost the elderly population and how we can help.
Example- The impact of Covid19 on the elderly in nursing homes.
James’ wife Margaret was admitted into a nursing home following her diagnosis and decline with Alzheimer’s disease. James is 70 years old while his wife Margaret is 67. Almost every day since she moved to a nursing home, James came to be with his wife. His presence made Margaret calmer and happier. James worried that he had so little time with her because as the decline progressed he knew she won’t remember exactly who he was soon enough.
Determined to make each moment count with Margaret he stuck by her side, and just when he thought things were looking better, the pandemic hit and lockdown protocols were initiated in nursing homes and elderly care facilities across countries. Now James had to settle for speaking to his wife through an IPad or hanging around outside her window. The first few months went well but Margaret’s health suddenly took a turn for the worst and James now sees how she’s losing weight and takes some time to remember who he is. He struggles to hold back tears with every visit or call. Margaret may be slipping away, and there looks to be no relief from the pandemic in sight as far as the older population in care facilities is concerned.
What studies say about the impact of covid19 on the elderly…?
At the peak of the coronavirus research made it clear that those at the highest risk for infection and death from the virus were the elderly over 60 years and people with health conditions. During this time some countries tried to protect the old and vulnerable in long-term care facilities by offering assistance and transferring some patients. Still, several deaths and infections from the disease were recorded, and even now the assistance to care facilities is almost completely absent.
What the impact of covid19
means for the elderly in long-term care facilities
Isolation and Loneliness–
Loneliness is one issue more than half of the population of seniors has had to deal with in their last years. As they grow older, many seniors hardly have any visitors or loved ones around to show care and concern. However, with the effects of the pandemic, both these seniors and others who still keep a connection to their loved ones have had to face heightened states of loneliness and isolation. Many facilities only allow loved ones to reach out via voice and video calls while others allow socially distanced visits such as standing outside the door or window of the facility to see your loved one. Despite these attempts to help seniors feel less alone, the lack of physical touch and close communication constantly reminds seniors that they are stranded and alone at their long-term care facilities.
Even within the facilities, seniors are losing their friends. Having to give up shared meals, fun activities, and stay at least six feet apart from each other aggravates the feelings of isolation more.
The situation gets worse for people like Margaret, who are already suffering from a health condition. In the same way, James saw the terrible decline in his wife’s health, so many families have experienced the same heart-wrenching situation too.
Fear–
Isolation and loneliness are only a part of the effects of COVID19 on the elderly in nursing homes. These together with other issues like fear contribute to undermining the physical and mental health of the elderly. These vulnerable adults experience fears of contracting the virus, never seeing their loved ones again, getting worse with their health conditions, or being forgotten. Some fear dying alone and don’t know what to do about their fears.
Lack of structure and sufficient help–
Some months into the pandemic, various nursing homes closed their doors and left patients stranded. Many families had to desperately search for other care facilities willing to take their loved ones in. But just as some facilities closed, so did others refuse to take in anyone new for fear of the virus. This led to a lack of structure for many elderly.
Insufficient help in the form of equipment, testing, and staffing has also made it difficult for nursing homes to offer the best support and care needed by their patients. With other facilities across the world reopening, long-term care facilities are yet to be considered, and families worry that this lack of urgency might cause too much loss in the end.
