How Can Your Senior Manage Arthritis and its Complications?

Senior Care Big Timber, MT: How Can Your Senior Manage Arthritis and its Complications? 

The complications and symptoms of arthritis can affect everything that your senior is able to do. She may no longer engage in activities she loves because of how arthritis impacts her life. Learning the main ways that arthritis can affect her can help you both to find solutions. 

Resolving Mobility Issues and Stiffness 

Very often the joints affected by arthritis are stiff and difficult to move. Depending on where in the body those joints are located, your elderly family member may have difficulty walking or engaging in certain activities. The stiffness may not be painful for her, but it can limit her movement. Some people with arthritis find that they experience stiffness earlier in the day rather than later, while others experience trouble with joint mobility all day long. Exercise and moving those joints can help to ease them into moving a little more freely. Make sure that your senior stays within the recommended exercise ranges she receives from her doctor. 

Coping with Inflammation 

Stiffness is often a side effect of inflammation, but they don’t always occur together. Your senior might notice that her joints are red or warm to the touch. This indicates that there’s a lot more blood and other fluids in that area, which can make moving the joint difficult. Ice or a combination of ice and heat, alternated every few minutes, can help. Her doctor might also recommend anti-inflammatory medications. Some people find that an anti-inflammatory diet can also help. Movement might be something to consider, as that can help to move fluids back out of the joints so that they can be reabsorbed or released by the body. 

Dealing with Pain 

One of the most obvious difficulties involved in dealing with arthritis is pain. Both stiffness and inflammation can contribute to pain, but the joints can ache on their own, too. Strengthening the muscles around the joints that are affected by arthritis can help to support the joints and ligaments, which can help to ease the pain. Your senior might benefit from resting more often when she’s experiencing pain, as overuse can be a factor. Ironically, using the joints can ease the pain, but that can be difficult at first. Your elderly family member’s doctor may recommend therapies or medications that can help to control the pain while waiting for other solutions to help. 

Conservation of energy is going to be a skill your senior needs to master when she’s dealing with arthritis symptoms. There may be times when she’s in too much pain to be able to engage in regular daily activities, but senior care providers can help. They can assist with mobility issues when those are a problem and they can take over tasks that are too difficult on a given day. 

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Senior Care in Big Timber, MT please contact the caring staff at  AdvoCare Home Care Services today at 406-582-5402.