Ways that Professional Home Care Can Help a Senior Live with Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can be difficult to deal with for the elderly. Here are several ways that an experienced in-home care provider can help seniors cope better with chronic pain.
1. Ensure that seniors gets plenty of rest breaks. Whether they are getting exercise, putting together a puzzle, working on a new form of art, walking, or doing anything else, it’s important to make sure they get plenty of rest. Without proper rest at various intervals, it can cause joints to become inflamed, muscles to become fatigued, and that can cause the pain to become much more severe.
2. Encourage seniors to discuss the pain they experience with their doctor. While their doctor may not prescribe medication to help temper the pain that they are feeling, especially if it is not considered significant, there may be other things the doctor can recommend the elderly client do to manage the pain. They could be told to change their diet, quit smoking, quit drinking, slow down, or even get those proper rest breaks during activities.
3. Connect with other seniors dealing with chronic pain. A senior who doesn’t drive any longer, who feels isolated and alone, he or she may not connect with other seniors in the area. Yet there are numerous support groups for people dealing with chronic pain. The support groups can offer a tremendous emotional boost for the elderly individual and that can have a direct impact on the rest of his or her life. He or she may even learn some new tips and strategies that can help decrease the amount of pain he or she feels on any given day.
4. Boost self-encouragement. An experienced caregiver may be able to help seniors begin talking about their life in more positive terms, rather than as though it’s the end of their life, the pain is all they focus on, and other issues. By boosting self-esteem and self-encouragement, the senior will begin to place less emphasis on the pain itself and more on activities and other opportunities that exist in his or her life.
Getting the right type of care at home is essential for coping with chronic pain for any senior.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in the Denver Metro Area, please call and speak to the caring staff at Talem Home Care. Call today at (720) 797-8548.
