Finding a Caregiver is easy with Care.com.

Visit Site

Pneumonia in Seniors

Jeff Hoyt Jeff Hoyt Editor in Chief

SeniorLiving.org is compensated when you click on the provider links listed on this page. This compensation does not impact our ratings or reviews. Read our Editorial Guidelines here to learn more about our review process and to learn more about how we are compensated.

  • Pneumonia is a serious condition that leads to an estimated 1 million hospitalizations for older adults each year, and more than a third of those cases leading to death within a year.1
  • There are several ways to reduce your personal risk of acquiring pneumonia, including vaccination, social distancing, and handwashing.
  • Just as pneumonia becomes more serious with age, many aspects of our health change as we get older. Visit our guide to health for seniors to learn more important changes to your health you should be aware of.

Pneumonia can be bacterial, viral, or fungal in origin, and an individual is predisposed to this diagnosis based on several different risk factors. Some of these risk factors include early (0 to 2 years) to advanced (65+) age, lifestyle habits like smoking or alcohol consumption, and certain pre-existing medical conditions (e.g. asthma, COPD, or diabetes).2 In this article, we tackle some of the bigger questions people might have about pneumonia and older adults.

We also focus on community-acquired pneumonia, which is a type of pneumonia contracted during your everyday life in normal community settings.3Alternatively, pneumonias acquired in settings such as the hospital, an assisted living facility, or other health care settings are known as nosocomial infections.4

What Is the Recovery Time for Pneumonia in Older Adults?

Recovery time for pneumonia is conditional to each patient. It can take much longer for a senior to get back to their regular level of independence and function. According to the American Lung Association, recovery can take a week at minimum, and longer than a month with higher-risk groups, such as older adults.5

A study in the Patient Related Outcome Measures Journal shed some light on the vast difference between a short recovery and a long one.

They begin by differentiating between conventionally healthy older adults and older adults with pre-existing health conditions, who are experiencing a diagnosis of pneumonia.. For those that are in good health, expect a recovery time of about three weeks. In that period, shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue are common. If the person has existing health conditions, especially those that involve the respiratory system, such as COPD the recovery period can take as long as 60 or more days and be far more challenging.6

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia in Seniors?

As with many diseases and illnesses, the signs and symptoms vary from one person to the next and may mimic other disorders too. In general terms, the following are common signs and symptoms of pneumonia in the elderly.7

  • A productive cough: This typically includes moist and wet-sounding coughs that produce phlegm. You may also hear audible wheezing as the person inhales and exhales. These symptoms also mimic the common cold and the flu. The general rule of thumb is that a cold with a fever should be evaluated, especially for seniors.
  • Fever: There are various types of pneumonia and some may only produce a low-grade fever in the 99°F to 100°F range, while others may produce fevers above 101°F. Fevers often include sweating and shaking, both of which are the body’s natural response to an infection. A fever that lasts more than 24 hours should be evaluated by a doctor.
  • Chest pain and rib pain: Pneumonia can be painful on several levels. First, there is often rib pain because of the chronic coughing. In older adults, heavy coughing can fracture ribs and potentially cause spinal problems, such as slipped disk and vertebrae alignment issues. In addition, the added fluid in the lungs means that people either have to pant or take deep breaths and breathing deeply can be painful. Rapid breathing or panting is a serious symptom and should be evaluated in a hospital emergency room immediately. It is an urgent indicator that the person is not able to compensate for the impairment of pneumonia on their own and will need medical intervention soon. This often coincides with pale and clammy skin. Panting is a sign of many life-threatening illnesses such as heart attack, congestive heart failure, and shock. These symptoms should always be evaluated immediately by a doctor.
  • Fatigue: Pneumonia is a draining illness that can leave older adults feeling exhausted. That tiredness comes from many aspects of the illness. It takes a lot of energy for a person’s immune system to fight off an illness. The patient’s ability to breathe effectively and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide is limited by pneumonia, adding to their experience of fatigue.
  • Confusion: In older adults, pneumonia can cause confusion or disorientation. They may complain about having a hard time thinking or seem addled when trying to explain or do things that are normally not challenging for them. This type of symptom mimics other diseases such as dementia and can be a result of medications, so it can be difficult to diagnose pneumonia based on this symptom. However, any change in mental status should be reported to a doctor or in a facility, to a medical professional, such as the charge nurse.

As mentioned, the symptoms of pneumonia vary from one person to another and change based on the overall health and vaccination status of the person who is inflicted. Those with chronic disease have the hardest time, but pneumonia can be deadly even in the healthiest of older adults.

What Is the Survival Rate for Seniors That Have Pneumonia?

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) around 150,000 hospitalizations for pneumonia occur yearly in the United States.8 Unfortunately the mortality rate of patients hospitalized for pneumonia is quite high with an average of 40,000 to 50,000 deaths each year.9

A patient’s prognosis depends on many factors. Age is an important factor; the older an individual is, the higher their likelihood of experiencing severe complications or death. Overall health is another important factor, as those with existing health issues face a harder time fighting off pneumonia.

How Is Pneumonia in Seniors Treated?

For most adults, antibiotics are used to treat bacterial pneumonia. For those who are more fragile or who have other health issues, inpatient treatment may be required. This can mean being admitted to the hospital, supplemental oxygen therapy with a nasal cannula, breathing treatments administered by a respiratory therapist, or in more serious cases, a patient may need to be put on a ventilator. It can also mean a combination of these treatment options.

Prevention of Pneumonia

They say that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When it comes to preventing pneumonia, they are right. Vaccines are the most effective method older adults can use to reduce the severity of pneumonia, should they be exposed to it. Another way to best prepare for a pneumonia infection includes eating a well-balanced diet that is rich in foods that support the immune system.

Handwashing is very important, and, when available, the use of hand sanitizer can supplement regular handwashing. Pneumonia is spread by contact and inhalation. Disinfecting publicly-used items and surfaces you regularly come in contact with is important. The CDC reports that coughing or sneezing into a tissue and throwing that tissue away helps reduce the transmission of pneumonia and other germs; and in absence of a tissue, coughing or sneezing into your elbow, not your hands.10

As a last tip, the CDC  has a wonderful fact sheet about handwashing with step-by-step instructions.

Citations
  1. National Library of Medicine. (2020). Older Adults Hospitalized for Pneumonia in the United States: Incidence, Epidemiology, and Outcomes.

  2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, (2022). Pneumonia Causes and Risk Factors.

  3. Cedars Sinai. (2023). Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults.

  4. National Library of Medicine. (2023). Nosocomial Infections.

  5. American Lung Association. (2023). Pneumonia Treatment and Recovery.

  6. National Library of Medicine. (2015). Observational longitudinal study of symptom burden and time for recovery from community-acquired pneumonia reported by older adults surveyed nationwide using the CAP Burden of Illness Questionnaire.

  7. Mayo Clinic. (2020). Pneumonia.

  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Pneumococcal Disease.

  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). About Underlying Cause of Death, 2018-2021, Single Race.

  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Coughing and Sneezing.

Written By:
Jeff Hoyt
Editor in Chief
As Editor-in-Chief of the personal finance site MoneyTips.com, Jeff produced hundreds of articles on the subject of retirement, including preventing identity theft, minimizing taxes, investing successfully, preparing for retirement medical costs, protecting your credit score, and making your money last… Learn More About Jeff Hoyt
Reviewed By:
Matthew Clem
Expert
Matt graduated from Bellarmine University’s School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences in 2011 and began his career in Louisville, Kentucky, as a registered nurse. He quickly realized his passion for the senior population, focusing on the long-term care of chronically… Learn More About Matthew Clem