Understanding breathing difficulties first aid seniors is important for seniors and their caregivers. most people take breathing for granted. An exception is feeling slightly winded from normal activity, such as exercise.
Causes
There are many different causes for breathing problems. People with certain illnesses may have breathing problems that they deal with on a regular basis.
This article discusses first aid for someone who is having unexpected or sudden breathing problems.
Breathing difficulties can range from:
– Being short of breath
– Being unable to take a deep breath and gasping for air
– Feeling like you are not getting enough air
Considerations
Breathing difficulty is often a medical emergency. They may be:
– Breathing rapidly
– Unable to breathe lying down and need to sit up to breathe
– Very anxious and agitated
– Sleepy orconfused
They might have other symptoms, including:
– Dizzinessor lightheadedness
– Pain
– Fever
– Cough
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Bluish lips, fingers, and fingernails
– Chest moving in an unusual way
– Gurgling,wheezing, or making whistling sounds
– Muffled voice or difficulty speaking
– Coughing up blood
– Rapid orirregular heartbeat
– Sweating
If an allergy is causing the breathing problem, they might have a rash or swelling of the face, tongue, or throat.
If an injury is causing breathing difficulty, they might be bleeding or have a visible wound.
First Aid
If someone is having breathing difficulty, call 911 or your local emergency number right away, then:
– Check the person’s airway, breathing, and pulse. Common causes include some health conditions and sudden medical emergencies.
Some health conditions that may cause breathing problems are:
– Anemia(low red blood cell count)
– Asthma
– Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), that includes the conditions emphysema and chronic bronchitis
– Heart diseaseorheart failure
– Lung cancer, or cancer that has spread to the lungs
– Respiratory infections, includingpneumonia, acute bronchitis,whooping cough,croup, and others
– Conditions which restrict the movement of the chest wall or diaphragm
– Certain neurologic conditions
Some medical emergencies that can cause breathing problems are:
– Blood clot in the lung
– Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
– Heart attack
– High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)
– Injury to the neck, chest wall, or lungs
– Lung inflammation from chemical exposure
– Pericardial effusion (fluid surrounding the heart that can stop it from filling properly with blood)
– Pleural effusion(fluid surrounding the lungs that can compress them)
– Life-threatening allergic reaction
– Near drowning, which causes fluid buildup in the lungs
📖 Symptoms
Symptoms
People having breathing difficulty will often look uncomfortable. – Loosen any tight clothing. If necessary, beginCPR. – Continue to monitor the person’s breathing and pulse until medical help arrives. – Help the person use any prescribed medicine (such as an asthma inhaler, nitroglycerin, or home oxygen). – If there are open wounds in the neck or chest, they must be closed immediately, especially if air bubbles appear in the wound.
Do not assume that the person’s condition is improving if you can no longer hear abnormal breath sounds, such as wheezing. – A sucking chest wound allows air to enter the person’s chest cavity with each breath.
Bandage such wounds at once. Bandage the wound with plastic wrap, a plastic bag, or gauze pads covered with petroleum jelly, sealing it on three sides, leaving one side unsealed. This can cause acollapsed lung.
📖 DO NOT
DO NOT
Do not:
– Give the person food or drink. This creates a valve to prevent air from entering the chest through the wound, while allowing trapped air to escape from the chest through the unsealed side. Protect and stabilize the neck if the person must be moved. – Move the person if there has been a head, neck, chest or airway injury, unless it is absolutely necessary. This can close the airway. – Place a pillow under the person’s head. Get help immediately. – Wait to see if the person’s condition improves before getting medical help. Your provider will teach you how to use the epinephrine pen.
📖 When to Contact a Medical Professional
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call 911 or your local emergency number if you or someone else has any of the symptoms of difficult breathing, in theSymptomssection above.
Also, contact your health care provider right away if you:
– Have acoldor other respiratory infection and are having difficulty breathing
– Have acoughthat does not go away after 2 or 3 weeks
– Are coughing up blood
– Arelosing weightwithout meaning to or having night sweats
– Cannot get to sleep or wake up at night because of breathing difficulty
– Notice it is hard to breathe when doing things that you normally do without breathing difficulty, for example, climbing stairs
Also contact your provider if your child has a cough and is making a barking sound or wheezing.
📖 Prevention
Prevention
Some things you can do to help prevent breathing problems:
– If you have a history of severe allergic reactions, carry an epinephrine pen and wear a medical alert tag. – Do not smoke, and keep away from secondhand smoke. – If you haveasthmaor allergies, eliminate household allergy triggers like dust mites and mold. – If you have asthma, see the article on asthma to learn ways to manage it. Do not allow smoking in your home. – Make sure your tetanus booster, influenza, pneumococcal and COVID-19 vaccines are up to date. – Make sure your child gets the whooping cough (pertussis), influenza, COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccines if appropriate.
Once formed, clots can break off and lodge in your lungs. – When traveling by airplane, get up and walk around every few hours to avoid forming blood clots in your legs. If traveling by car, stop and get out and walk around regularly. While seated, do ankle circles and raise and lower your heels, toes, and knees to increase blood flow in your legs.
You are more likely to feel winded if you are overweight. – If you areoverweight, lose weight.
Wear a medical alert tag if you have a pre-existing breathing condition, such as asthma.
📖 Alternative Names
Alternative Names
Difficulty breathing – first aid; Dyspnea – first aid; Shortness of breath – first aid
📖 Images
– Collapsed lung, pneumothorax
– Breathing
– Breathing
📖 References
Goodloe JM, Soulek J. You are also at greater risk for heart disease and heart attack. In: Walls RM, ed.Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. Foreign bodies. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 51.
Hewett Brumberg EK, Douma MJ, Alibertis K, et al. 10th ed. 2024 American Heart Association and American Red Cross guidelines for first aid.Circulation. American Heart Association and American Red Cross. PMID: 39540278pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39540278/.
Rose E. 2024;150(24):e519-e579. In: Walls RM, ed.Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice.10th ed. Pediatric upper airway obstruction and infections. Dyspnea. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 162.
Schwartzstein RM, Adams L. 7th ed. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, et al, eds.Murray and Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 36.
📖 Review Date 1/8/2025
About the Author: This article was researched and written by the SilverWell Hub editorial team. It was medically reviewed by Dr. Sarah Mitchell, MD, Geriatrics.
Sources: This article is adapted from MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine. Additional review by the SilverWell Hub medical review board.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See our full Medical Disclaimer.
Published: July 08, 2026 | Next review: January 2027
