Air pollution had become a concern in Malaysia, especially if haze happen. Do you know that air pollution affects more for the elderly? A mild discomfort on younger and healthier person may turn into serious, even fatal infection for elderly.
In fact, the elderly has breathed in more pollution along the time. Of course, it cant conclude that all of them are the same, as the working place and living place are different. But in general, elderly has dirtier lungs, which more likely to develop breathing problem. Also, elderly have weaker immune system. When the elderly inhaled unhealthy air, the body takes longer to heal. They are advised to stay indoor if the pollution index is high. If one have weak body, they will have difficulty to filter out and dispose the pollutants which affecting the heart and lungs.
What can we do to help the elderly?
We need to educate them about the air pollutions awareness. Diseases such as hay fever, emphysema and COPD can be very serious, which caused by air pollution. It is advisable for them to stay at home when the pollution indexes goes up.
Thanks to the technology, we can have clean air staying inside the house by getting air purifier in the house. Choose one with HEPA filter, which is good at filtering particle from the air. HEPA filters capture pollen, dirt, dust, moisture, bacteria (0.2-2.0 μm), virus (0.02-0.3 μm), and submicron liquid aerosol (0.02-0.5 μm). Carbon activated filters are good on filtering bad odours and gaseous chemical.
If they really need to get outdoor, remember to wear a mask. A good mask can help on filter harmful particles in the air and inhale clean air. A well fitted mask can also avoid harmful particles go in from the side of the mask.
