As a young adult with a pretty bad pine allergy, I am plagued for a at least a week each year with pneumonia. This usually happens right around Christmas for the obvious reasons. Once I have the right inhaler and combine that with a few medicines I bounce back fairly quickly with only a few lingering symptoms. Older adults don't seem to have the same experience. Pneumonia is often deadly for the frail. I have found that the elderly aren't as likely to report the symptoms that come along with the respiratory infection until it's too late. The symptoms include a severe cough (usually accompanied by coughing up mucus), a fever, chills, shortness of breath, cloudy thoughts, along with several others.Younger patients are more likely to report a change in health faster because they usually feel well. A frailer adult is likely to have a few of these symptoms on a regular basis. If you notice similar symptoms in an older adult that you are providing care for, remember to take action sooner rather than later!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001200/
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