Senior Care Tips: If your elderly loved one is in chronic pain, they might have arthritis.
This is a common physical condition that many senior citizens have. Unfortunately, there are many lifestyle habits that can cause arthritis. These same habits can cause increased pain and discomfort with arthritis patients, as well. If your elderly loved one already has arthritis or they are trying to prevent it, you and in-home care providers can help them to change certain habits. Use the senior care tips below to help your elderly loved-one.
Being Overweight or Obese
What is your elderly loved one’s weight? What about their BMI? If they are overweight or obese, they have a much higher chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis. The increased weight puts pressure on the joints. When this happens long-term, the joints start deteriorating. This is what leads to arthritis.
If your elderly loved one already has arthritis or if they are trying to prevent it, losing weight can reduce their pain. Some of the best ways for them to lose weight are to stop eating certain foods such as:
- Refined carbs
- Sugar
- Processed foods
- Fried foods
- Preserved foods
- Salt
If you and in-home care providers can help your elderly loved one to stop eating these foods or at the very least eat them minimally, it can help them to lose weight.
Stop Drinking Alcohol
Research also shows that alcohol can affect liver enzymes. Alcohol changes how the liver processes arthritis medications. If your elderly loved one drinks regularly or a lot when they do drink, the medications they are taking to reduce inflammation or pain may not work as well as they should. It is best for arthritis prevention and management for your elderly loved one to quit drinking altogether.
Getting Better Sleep
If your elderly loved one doesn’t sleep well, this can increase the arthritis symptoms they have. Research shows that the body needs to be in REM sleep for the body to recuperate. The less time the body has to recuperate, the more health issues that will be present, including increased inflammation. The more inflammation there is in the body, the worse the arthritis symptoms will be. If needed, you may have to hire senior care providers to help make your elderly loved one’s home darker and more relaxed in the evening so they can sleep better.
Senior Care Tips: Conclusion
If your elderly loved one needs to prevent or manage arthritis, there are many tips that can help with that. The senior care tips noted above are great for helping with this issue. Now that you know about these tips, hopefully, your elderly loved one can use them to lower their risk of arthritis or manage the symptoms they already have.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Senior Care in Milpitas, CA, please contact the caring staff at Reachpoint Home Care & Resources Inc. today. (408) 692-4110
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