On Saturday, May 24, 2025, Seniors Today hosted its weekly Health Live Webinar with Dr Sonal Shah, who spoke on and answered questions about What Every Senior Needs to Know About Emergency Care. The session was moderated by Pradyuman Maheshwari, Editor, Seniors Today.
About Dr Sonal Shah:
Dr Sonal Shah is an Emergency Medicine Specialist at the PD Hinduja Hospital, Khar, Mumbai. She has completed her MBBS from DY Patil Medical College, Navi Mumbai and holds a Masters in Emergency Medicine from the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University, USA in affiliation with the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. She has an expertise of over 13 years in the medical field. Her special interests are stroke and trauma management. She is also affiliated to the society of Emergency Medicine in India. She has various publications to her credit.
Covid 2025, currently is not something we should be very worried about. But definitely our masking up game has to be very strong, all age groups included. At this point, we aren’t getting a lot of critical cases, but definitely there are patients presenting with cough, cold, fever, but it is not as deadly as it was earlier. We have to be very vigilant.
Dr Shah advises all to:
– Mask up
– Maintain hand hygiene
– Don’t step out too often
– Stay well hydrated
– Eat well
It is recommended that you buy new masks and wear fresh ones instead of wearing your old masks.
It is also advised that you wear a fresh mask every time you step out and discard the mask after use.
Heart Attack
Heart attack is a very common presentation these days. The patients may present with:
– Chest pain
– Breathlessness/ shortness of breath
– Discomfort
– Radiation of pain to the left arm
– Fatiguability
– Lightheadedness
– Uneasiness
All these are some signs and symptoms that a patient would present or you would feel.
It may make you feel like you are gasy, but that may not be the case. Which is why it is important why you need to go to the hospital. It is very essential for seniors to know that something relayed to can can also be related to your heart.
Not all patients present with chest pain. Some people would complain of fatigue or shortness of breath. This is often seen in patients over the age of 60-65 years.
Do’s and Don’ts
– If you suspect any of these symptoms or if you are a caregiver you should call for an ambulance immediately. Time is heart and time is brain, ie, any delay at this point of time can result in a fatal condition for the patient.
– Always make the patient lie down or sit
– Stay calm I such a situation, if you’re a caregiver
– If you have been advised by a doctor or a physician on the phone to give an aspirin, only then give the patient an aspirin at its loading dose which is 325mg. You can keep it at hand.
– Never drive yourself to the hospital
– Call for help
– Do not ignore these symptoms
Stroke:
Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death.
It is essential to know how to recognise a stroke.
– Face drooping on one side
– Unable to raise their arms
– Drooping of one side of body
– Unable to speak/ speech is slurred
If you or someone you know is presenting with any of these, you should know that the individual could be having a stroke.
You should call the emergency immediately. You should not waste time. Any minute of time lost in the case of an elderly having a stroke could cause future complications for the elderly.
We have a time window of 3- 4. 5 hours of presentation to the emergency/ hospital. If you know when the symptoms presented/ the onset of symptoms, that information can help your doctor give you the best treatment available at the right time.
Some other subtle symptoms can be:
– Confusion
– Numbness in hands and feet, which may be only in one side of the body
– Visual disturbances
– Loss of balance while walking
– May or may not have a headache
These symptoms are also seen in an individual with low blood sugar. Which is why you should act fast. Even if it is low blood sugar instead of a stroke, then too, the best possible thing to do is to take the individual to the hospital immediately, because that will help them be provided with immediate help and attention and diagnose if its a stroke or not.
Do’s and Don’ts:
– Do not give a patient with stroke like symptoms anything to eat/ drink- do not give them anything orally. The patient can choke.
– Call the ambulance immediately
– Note the time
– Check the blood sugar levels, if you have a glucometer available at home. If the blood sugar levels are low, give them some sugar/ honey and rush them to a hospital.
Low Blood Sugar:
Most of the individuals in the elderly population have diabetes, blood pressure, etc.
Low blood sugar levels can present as something as simple as:
– Sweating
– Dizziness
– Irritability
– Feeling hungry
– Weakness
– Difficulty in speech
– Fatigue
But if the sugar levels start to drop more, you will see worsening of the condition. Such as:
– Loss of consciousness
– Fits
– Unresponsive
– Severe weakness
Low blood sugar can be due to multiple reasons, such as:
– Over medication
– Improper review of medicines
– Reduced appetite
– Infection
Do’s and Don’ts
– If you stay alone and find yourself feeling dizzy/ giddy, immediately grab a chocolate bar and grab a bite, a spoonful of sugar, honey, glass of glucose water or a glass of juice
– If you have some help with you, check your blood sugar levels after 15 minutes of consuming the food items and check if your blood sugar levels have risen or not
– Go to your nearest hospital or emergency care centre nevertheless
– If you are a caregiver, do not try to force feed the patient if he is unconscious
Elderly individuals can prevent low blood sugar levels by:
– Regularly monitoring their blood sugar levels
– Monitoring your medication and dosage
– Do not skip meals
– Have consistent regular meals
– Visit your doctor if you have had recurrent episodes of low blood sugar, feeling lethargic, giddy after taking your medication- so your dose and medication can be adjusted and modified accordingly.
– Keep a box with a sachet of glucose/ chocolate at hand
Fits and Seizures:
The risk of fits and seizures increases by 35% after the age of 65 years.
As a caregiver, you should stay very calm.
Note the time when the seizure had started. Time the seizure.
Turn the patient to one side, by doing this you are trying to prevent any vomiting or obstruction to their breathing.
Do not shake them. Do not try to control their seizure.
Do’s and Don’ts
– Note the time when the seizure started
– Call for help
– Turn the person to one side
– Stay with the patient until they wake up completely or you take them to the nearest hospital
– Do not hold them down
– Do not put anything in their mouth
– Do not make them smell onions/ socks- these are all outdated things, these are not recommended
Causes for a seizure in the elderly:
– Low sodium diet
– Age
– Low blood sugars
Seek immediate medical help if you think that the patient has had a seizure lasting for longer than 5 minutes or are not stopping.
Your emergency contact may not be your child/ spouse, if they do not stay close by. It should be someone trustworthy who you know will be there when theres an emergency.
Your emergency contact should know:
– Your medical history
– The medications you are on
– If your allergic to a drug/ substance
– Your blood group
– They should be able to unlock your phone which has the necessary information
Ends
