Chronic pain can greatly impact the quality of life of those who suffer from it. From not being able to sleep well to hurting every time one does their daily tasks, chronic pain is indeed a burden to anyone who experiences it.
If you are living with someone who is suffering from chronic pain, especially if it’s someone who is elderly, you need to know what to do to help them with their pain management. Here are some tips from Gateway Home Health, your trusted home care service provider:
Help Them Maintain Their Diet
What a person eats has an effect on their chronic pain management. Encourage them to eat anti-inflammatory food like collards, kale, spinach, as well as nuts like almonds and walnuts. These anti-inflammatory foods can help people with joint pain.
By helping them maintain a well-balanced diet, you can help them improve their digestive system, reduce their risk of developing heart disease, keep their weight and their blood sugar under control, and more. You might want to consider consulting with their physician or nutritionist to know what their recommendations are.
Get Them Physically Active
Depending on the kind of pain your loved one is experiencing, they can do some low-impact physical exercises. This can be yoga, swimming, and light stretching. By regularly exercising, a person’s joints and muscles can be kept strong and their flexibility and mobility will be maintained. If it’s not a risk for them, you can go on short walks as well.
Whatever physical activity you might choose, make sure that your loved one is supervised, especially if they are elderly. This way, you can prevent any accidents that could cause injuries.
Help Them Manage Stress
Did you know that chronic pain is associated with stress? When someone is under constant stress, their brain and the entire nervous system go into overdrive mode, leading muscles to get tensed. You can help your loved one address this problem by doing yoga, and some breathing exercises or meditation at home, too.
Other techniques include listening to calming music or taking up a hobby like painting or reading. They might also be open to the idea of guided meditation that will allow them to mentally escape to a relaxing state of mind.
Help Them Fight Bad Habits
If someone you live with is suffering from constant pain and still continuing with their bad habits like drinking and smoking, you should do what you can to help them kick those. Alcohol and cigarettes can make sleeping problems worse than they already are. Additionally, these bad habits can also cause a plethora of health problems that are even worse than chronic pain, including cancer, respiratory problems, and heart disease.
Get Them Regular Massages
Massages can be effective in relieving tension in the muscles and reducing stress. When done by a trained professional, massages can help provide relief for back, neck, and leg pain, among others.
Conclusion
Chronic pain may be difficult to deal with but with a proper plan, it can be managed. If your loved one is receiving home care services, their care provider and therapists will surely have a program that will help the patient. That said, it’s still best to continue with your efforts to help the patient manage the pain they are experiencing.
Gateway Home Health & Hospice offers expert services for home health care in Denver. Our experts ensure that your loved one gets the care that they need and deserve. Contact our team to know more about our services!