Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory illness that affects joints and other parts of the body. Some people can find that they’re dealing with rheumatoid arthritis throughout their entire body. There are a variety of different possible causes of RA, which can affect how your senior’s medical providers choose to treat her condition. These tips can help her to be more comfortable and to live a happy life, even with RA.
Track Symptoms for Her Medical Team
Symptoms vary with rheumatoid arthritis, so it can help to keep track of them for your senior’s doctors. Having some information about what symptoms she’s dealing with and their severity can help your elderly family member’s doctors to be able to come up with solutions for her as necessary. Senior care at home can help her to keep an ongoing log of what’s going on.
Rethink Some Habits
As with most health issues, there are some habits that just aren’t a great idea if your senior wants to keep herself as healthy as she can. Smoking, drinking a little too much alcohol, and being too sedentary can all factor in and create bigger issues with rheumatoid arthritis. Quitting some of those habits may not be easy, but with the right help your senior can make progress.
Increase Physical Activity Safely
When your elderly family member isn’t very active, that allows her muscles and joints to deteriorate a bit faster than they might have otherwise. If her doctor agrees that exercise would be good for her to start doing, then it’s important to make some time for safe exercise. Home care providers can help your elderly family member to remember to exercise and help her to do so safely.
Look into Dietary Changes
Many people with rheumatoid arthritis find that improving their diet, even slightly, can help with all sorts of health issues, including RA. Adding a few more fruits and vegetables to your senior’s daily dietary intake is never a bad idea. Pairing that with lean meats, fatty fish, and whole grains can help her body to get all the nutrients it needs to help her to stay happy and healthy.
Consider Getting Her Some Help
There are times when your elderly family member simply needs to rest. That may be difficult for her to accept at times, but home care can allow your elderly family member to conserve her energy so that she’s able to do the things she wants to do when she chooses to. Home care providers can also remind your elderly family member to rest when she needs to, which can help her to avoid overexerting herself on a regular basis. By having help when she needs it, your elderly family member can actually stay more independent for a longer period of time.
Following her doctor’s recommendations is absolutely the best advice for your senior as she deals with rheumatoid arthritis. Having some additional assistance from you and from home care providers may make it that much easier for her to take the best possible care of herself.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care in Chevy Chase, MD, please contact the caring staff at Care At Home today. 301-970-9706
- Skilled Nursing Is Keeping More Seniors In Their Homes - April 7, 2023
- Signs Your Senior Parent May Need 24-Hour Home Care - August 26, 2022
- 6 Services That Home Health Care Covers - August 10, 2022
