Arthritis is such a common condition, but there are a lot of misconceptions and myths around it. If your elderly family member has been diagnosed with arthritis, there are some things you should know that can help both of you to make this a better experience. Following just a few of these tips may make a big difference for your senior, and in-home care can be there to help.
Your Senior Can Exercise if She Has Arthritis
Often arthritis is painful and your elderly family member may feel as if she can’t move or exercise because of that pain. Exercise can help quite a bit with the pain and stiffness of arthritis, though. Talk with your senior’s doctor before she tries any sort of exercise plan to make sure it’s alright for her to do so. Once she’s cleared to move more, start out gradually and see what movements help her to feel better and which are less helpful.
She Might Have More than One Type of Arthritis
Many people don’t realize that there are a lot of different types of arthritis. Your elderly family member may even have more than one type of arthritis throughout her body. Talk with her doctor about what types of arthritis she has and how those affect her care plan going forward. The more information you both have, the better.
Nutrition Can Make a Difference
Because arthritis is an illness in the joints, many people think that there’s not much that nutrition can do to make anything better. In reality, though, good nutrition helps your senior’s overall health, and can help her to feel better. Good nutrition supports her muscles, which help to protect her joints, and can also help to ensure that every part of her body is in the best possible condition.
She May Have Good Days and Bad Days
Not every day is going to be the worst day and unfortunately every day won’t be the best, either. Your elderly family member can’t always predict when she’s going to have a bad day, but she may start to notice clues. Overdoing it one day is one easy way to start to predict when your senior is going to experience a bad day. But there are also other factors, such as weather, which really can make joint pain worse.
Having Help Makes Everything Easier
Because arthritis can take such a toll on your senior’s daily life, it’s a good idea to consider in-home care sooner rather than later. Elder care providers are able to pick up the slack for your senior when she’s having an off day and be there for moral support on good days. In-home care can also help your elderly family member to take it easy and pace herself so that she hopefully has fewer of those bad days.
Coping with arthritis on a daily basis can be a big challenge. With the right assistance from you and from in-home care, however, your elderly family member may find that it’s a lot easier than it is on her own.
If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Parker, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Parker. 303-953-9924
