When a loved one in your family has arthritis, it can make life a little more challenging. Caring for someone who is going through the changes of arthritis can confuse and frustrate an adult child. If you know more about what it’s like for your mother or father who has the arthritis, then you’ll be better able to care for them and help meet their needs.
The first step in this is figuring out how your parent really feels. Talk to them about daily activities that have become more difficult and together you can figure out coping skills. Even though this might be a sad time in your elderly parent’s life, it can also be a time of family bonding and learning. Don’t hesitate to contact your parent’s doctor for specific questions.
Caring for Someone with Arthritis
Relieving stress is very important for a senior who’s getting distressed at their condition. Focus on the positive things and remind your mother or father of the activities they can still do, and things they can enjoy that don’t involve their sore joints. Knowing what to expect and how your parent feels about it will make you a better team at caregiving. You can also consult elderly home care services and see what they can do for your parent in terms of helping them with daily tasks. A lot of trained caregivers specialize in patients who have arthritis, and have many good ideas on ways to help them. Here are some ideas to help ease symptoms of arthritis; to reduce the pain your mother or father feels, and put less pressure on their joints.
- Having good posture: a senior person’s body is most efficient when sitting or standing properly. Poor posture can add to their pain.
- When lying on their back, an elderly person should sleep with a cervical pillow or a roll in their pillowcase to support neck muscles. Discourage them from having a pillow under their knees at night.
- For lying on their side, seniors should be using several different pillows to support their arms and legs.
- When standing, tell your elderly loved one to imagine a string at the top of their head pulling them upright. Their knees should be slightly bended, not locked, and feet spread apart enough to keep their balance.
- For times when your senior relative will be sitting down, have them put a pillow behind their lower back. Hips and knees should be at a 90 degree angle, shoulders back and arms relaxed at their sides.
- Change positions and move often. People with arthritis can feel more pain when they don’t move for long periods of time. Sometimes just shuffling to another seat or getting up to walk around for a minute will help.
If you have a loved one who could benefit from the help of elder care in The Heights, TX contact the caregivers at At Your Side Home Care. We help seniors and their families with many levels of home care service. Call (832) 271-1600 for more information.
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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