Lung/Breathing problems in elderly

[Janlyn]

My 86 year old father has been in a nursing facility for the past 3 years.  He has had several mini strokes and has suffered for the past year with breathing problems.  He coughs up clear, thick sputum and last month had bacterial pnemonia from food/drink asperation.  Is there any treatment that we could try to help his breathing and cough?  Are his lungs just deteriorating?

[jeanal]

My 86 year old husband has been in hospital for 5 weeks with asperation pneumonia
with 2ltrs of 02 his stats are 90 to 94 when he comes off 02 stats drop between 85-89
they will not let him home with oxygen why is this?

[caregiver222]

The problem is with thr crummy staff of the facility. In fairness, patients with swallowing disorders take a long time to feed properly, and in a nursing home there isn't any provision for doing so. Apiration of fluids into the lungs can be avoided by feeding in the upright position and by a number of other tried-and-true protocols. It is likely the stroke have caused the swallowing disorder. Often the patient can swallow thick liquids, but not thin liquids. So water is contraindicated. Foods must be thickened or pureed. The treatment is to get an aide to feed him properly. Bacterial pneumonia secondary to aspiration of food into the trachea is a leading cause of mortality in stroke disabled elderly in nursing homes.