Pain is something we are often taught to endure as early as childhood. However, as you age and your health gradually becomes worse, you have to pay more attention to pain management. Doing so enables you to assess if pre-existing conditions are contributing to discomfort and decreased quality of life. That’s why seniors need you to assist them through this. Thus, consider this article as your guide to ensure you are properly oriented.
What Are the Different Types of Pain I Can Expect from Seniors?
Seniors experience either acute or chronic pain, depending on their lifestyle and health. You can often expect acute pain when it is soreness that affects them for a while (either for a few minutes or days), then will eventually leave after further home health assistance and medical attention from geriatric specialists. What you do have to watch out for is these acute sensations may also be chronic pain, indicating more profound medical complications.
For instance, your senior may experience some foot inflammation, and you may dismiss it simply as pain due to walking and moving around the house. As months go by, you may notice that it comes and goes without any real explanation. This condition may already be chronic pain which indicates arthritis. As such, you should always be keen about observing the elderly under your care and coordinating with any home health professionals for further recommendations.
How Exactly Does Pain Affect My Seniors’ Daily Life?
Getting to know how pain affects your seniors is the first step to better management, mainly to keep on track with any treatments if they have any diseases connected with these difficulties. Therefore, consider the following effects and find ways to ease them:
- Affects daily exercise: Since you are working with certain seniors, you may already know that the secret to their well-being is having time for exercise, such as simply sitting and walking at different places. Unfortunately, feeling pain in any area can hinder their mobility, forcing them to move slower or quit exercising altogether. Thus, you have to solve these problems, or they may become bedridden, making it impossible to be physically active.
- Can lead to mental health issues: Your senior’s mental well-being can be severely affected, leading to depression and anxiety because of the drastic changes that come with feeling intense pain. They may even say they feel some discomfort, but it could also be nothing. Their minds are already accustomed to these negative thoughts, further affecting their sleep patterns, diet, and more.
How Can I Provide Effective Pain Management for My Seniors?
Refer to the following tips to ensure you can be there for your seniors through their pain and related health concerns:
- Have seniors describe the pain for reference: Besides showing empathy for seniors, you also need to know where the pain is coming from and what may have caused it. These details are crucial ones for the attending physician to determine what they must do for better treatment. The same goes for elderly care clinical support to provide proper home health care. However, if the sensation is too much for your seniors, seek immediate medical attention to prevent prolonging the agony.
- Consider giving doctor-prescribed pain medications: While it may be more convenient for you to opt for over-the-counter medicines, such as Acetaminophen, doing so may put your seniors in danger because of their medical side effects. Therefore, you should only trust physicians and other medical professionals for pain medicines.
Conclusion
Pain may be a natural course of life, but seniors may need additional help to manage this major inconvenience. Fortunately, you now have a better understanding of what to expect and how you can best address any issues. Meanwhile, if you feel you are still under-equipped to be at your seniors’ side, you can always opt for home care services, like through our team.
Are you looking for professional home health specialists in California to tend to your seniors? We at Bridge Home Health & Hospice can provide you with that. Our team is trained in clinical support and home-based patient care, allowing you to take full advantage of your insurance privileges. Connect with us today for effective pain management and other related needs.
