If your elderly family member is facing osteoarthritis, it’s important to know more about the condition and more about what might help her.
Osteoarthritis Is More Common in Older Adults
Osteoarthritis can happen in someone of any age, but it’s most common in aging adults. This is because of the mechanics of the disease itself. Osteoarthritis occurs because tissues within the joint break down, sometimes due to overuse sometimes due to old injuries. This happens over a period of years, so older adults are more likely to deal with this issue.
Osteoarthritis Affects Everyone Differently
This type of arthritis can affect any joint in your senior’s body from her hands and fingers to any joint in her feet and in between the two extremities. Osteoarthritis varies greatly in severity, meaning it presents differently in every single affected person. Some people find it disabling on a daily basis, while other people find that it’s only mildly uncomfortable at specific times.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis Can Be Debilitating
Your senior might experience pain in her affected joints, stiffness, and even swelling. Some people with osteoarthritis find that the areas around affected joints become red and are hot to the touch. In serious cases, your senior may find that her joints no longer work the way that they’re supposed to work, which can be debilitating for her.
Your Senior’s Doctor May Recommend a Variety of Treatments
There are a variety of options that your senior’s doctor might choose for treatment of osteoarthritis, depending on how it affects your senior. Medications may be prescribed, including medications for inflammation and for pain. Your senior’s doctor may also recommend that she tries exercise, which can strengthen muscles around the joints and help to reduce pain. Physical or occupational therapy may also be options, depending on how your senior’s daily life is affected.
Home Remedies Can Help, Too
Finding some home remedies that work for your senior can bring her some relief. Alternating cold and hot therapies can be helpful. Cutting back on repetitive movements and finding new ways to do activities is also a good idea, and occupational therapy might help. Find practical solutions that work with your senior’s needs.
Having help from senior care as your elderly family member manages her osteoarthritis can be important. On days that are more difficult for her, senior care providers are there to take up the slack. On better days, she has companionship and someone who understands her needs.
