What Can Seniors Do When They’re Living with Chronic Pain?

What Can Seniors Do When They’re Living with Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is something that millions of seniors live with every single day. Pain that doesn’t go away makes it difficult to sleep, difficult to get around, and almost impossible to enjoy life most days. When even the basic activities of daily life are tough to complete because of chronic pain, seniors might need help from 24-hour home care. There are also some things they can do besides working with their doctors to ensure they’re doing as much as possible medically to manage pain.

Exercise and Physical Therapy

Exercise can be a tricky answer for chronic pain, simply because moving often hurts so badly. But many seniors find that once they start adding regular movement into their daily life, especially with the help of physical therapy, they experience relief. Exercise helps to improve strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance, all of which help to reduce pain and improve life. Moving more also helps seniors to have better sleep and energy levels and can improve appetite as well.

Meditation and Relaxation Techniques

Engaging in some meditation and relaxation techniques can help seniors to mentally deal with chronic pain. These techniques are often really helpful with reducing stress and dealing with the complexities of daily life. Some of the ideas seniors might want to consider include:

• Guided meditations
• Deep breathing
• Yoga or tai chi
• Progressive muscle relaxation

There are lots of apps available that can help seniors to learn these activities and help them to remember to add them to their daily life. Some people also find that journaling is a strong tool that helps them to deal with the emotions that come up because of chronic pain.

Alternative Therapies

Besides relaxation and meditation strategies, there are other alternative therapies that sometimes help people who are dealing with chronic pain. These activities can range from massage therapy to acupuncture, hot and cold therapy, and even using a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) device. Many of these therapies are simple enough to use from home, especially if seniors have help from home care providers.

Get Extra Help

Extra help can be huge for seniors who are battling chronic pain. Because life in general can be so much more difficult, it’s helpful to have 24-hour home care providers there to handle daily tasks consistently. That includes tasks like preparing healthy meals, helping out with household tasks, and just generally being there in case something happens. Family caregivers often feel better knowing that elder care providers are there with the people they love both day and night, too.

Chronic pain can be incredibly debilitating for the seniors who suffer from it every day. Finding solutions might mean branching out into different ideas and therapies, as well as getting some extra help along the way. 24-hour home care can fill in the gaps that can occur when pain keeps seniors from living their lives to the fullest. They’re safer in their homes and they’re able to focus on expending their time and energy in the best ways possible for them.

Griswold Home Care for Northern Virginia West is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving Woodbridge, Manassas, Montclair, Dumfries, Centreville, Bristow, Fairfax Station, Clifton, Gainesville, Lorton, and the surrounding areas.