Comfort Keepers Home Health Experts in Lake Havasu City, AZ: Senior Citizens and Dealing with Pain

Home health experts in Lake Havasu City, AZ: Learn more about how you can help your senior loved one deal with pain 

Pain is the sensation of physical and/or emotional discomfort. Soreness, stiffness, stinging, throbbing, burning, dull aches, weakness, energy loss, sleep challenges, and appetite loss are all examples of some of the most common symptoms of pain. Our home health experts warn that when an older adult experiences pain, they may have difficulty completing basic tasks, attending social outings, and living a high quality of life. 

Aches or nagging pains may occur in one area of a senior’s body or all over it. While aches usually fade, chronic pain is persistent and lasts for at least 12 weeks. According to home health experts across the country, many seniors experience chronic pain for weeks, months, and years because of conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, central pain syndrome, depression, and cancer. 

The main goal of treating chronic pain is to make an older adult’s life easier and more comfortable. Some of the most common treatments that a doctor may recommend to a senior citizen who is living with pain include:

• Medications: Medications such as over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol or anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil or Bufferin may improve a senior’s pain.
• Medical Procedures: There are a variety of medical procedures that can provide pain relief to older adults. Some of these procedures are acupuncture, electrical stimulation, nerve block, and surgery.
• Lifestyle Remedies: Lifestyle remedies such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy, yoga, tai-chi, meditation, and counseling may also ease chronic pain in older adults.

Since there is no cure for chronic pain, seniors who are coping with it must learn how to manage it by trying a combination of medications, medical procedures, and lifestyle remedies that are recommended to them by their doctor or their home health experts. Additionally, older adults with chronic pain should make it a priority to reduce any stress that their condition has caused. Some effective ways to do so include:

• Caring for Their Body: Seniors with pain should make every effort to exercise regularly, consume a well-balanced, nutritious diet, and get 8 to 9 hours of sleep each evening.
• Continuing to Participate in Daily Activities: Although it may be difficult, older adults who are dealing with pain should continue to participate in activities they enjoy as well as socializing with the people they love. Isolating themselves can increase their sensitivity to pain and make them feel worse about their condition. A home health aide can help your senior loved one stay active.
• Seeking Support: It’s imperative that seniors with pain seek support from others. Whether they reach out to family members and friends, a mental health counselor, or a home health aide, they will receive the helping hand they need when the going gets tough.