Home Care in Alamo CA Archives - Golden Heart Walnut Creek

Effective Care and Treatment Strategies for Arthritis

Posted on March 6, 2024March 5, 2024 by ltcep2023

Millions of people worldwide suffer from arthritis, a common ailment among the elderly. It can cause discomfort, stiffness, and decreased movement, which can have a major negative influence on their quality of life. However, seniors can effectively manage their arthritis and continue to lead active lives with the correct care and treatment approaches. Here are a few things to know about living comfortably with arthritis, and how home care can help your senior accomplish this.

Understanding Arthritis

Inflammation of the joints is referred to as arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the two most prevalent forms of arthritis among seniors. Osteoarthritis, which results from the gradual deterioration of the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones, causes pain and stiffness. In contrast, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system unintentionally targets the joints, leading to inflammation and destruction.

Strategies for Care and Treatment

Home care can assist seniors in many ways as they struggle with arthritis. The way they assist depends on each senior’s needs. Some of the strategies they may use include the following:

Management of Medication: Ibuprofen and naproxen are examples of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) that can help lessen arthritis pain and inflammation. At the same time, acetaminophen is an analgesic that reduces pain without increasing inflammation. For rheumatoid arthritis, disease-modifying antirheumatic medications (DMARDs) are used to reduce the disease’s progression and maintain joint function. It’s essential for seniors who want to properly manage their arthritis symptoms to collaborate closely with their healthcare providers and choose appropriate medications and dosages.

Exercise and Physical Therapy: Joint strength, range of motion, and flexibility can all be enhanced with physical therapy. Additionally, walking, cycling, and swimming are examples of low-impact exercises that are easy on the joints and can support the maintenance of general fitness. Home care can encourage seniors to get moving, as well as move right along beside them when needed. Even simple stretching can increase joint mobility.

Assistive Technology and Adaptations: Canes, walkers, and braces are examples of assistive technology that can offer stability and support, lessening the burden on arthritic joints. Loved ones may also consider installing grab bars, handrails, and raised toilet seats, among other home environment modifications that can improve accessibility and safety for seniors with arthritis. For added support, home care can evaluate seniors’ living environments and suggest changes to facilitate and ease daily tasks.

Pain Reduction Methods: Beyond medication management, there are other ways to help seniors ease the pain of arthritis. For instance, warm baths or heating pads are examples of heat treatments that can help ease joint discomfort and relax muscles. Also, ice packs or cold compresses as part of cold treatment help numb sore joints and lessen inflammation. Home care may even introduce relaxation techniques, including deep breathing, meditation, and guided imagery.

Seniors with arthritis may face difficulties, but they can still enjoy active, satisfying lives if they receive comprehensive care and treatment. Home care can help them effectively manage their arthritis symptoms and preserve their independence by implementing pain management techniques, assistive equipment, physical therapy, medication management, and more into their daily routines. Additionally, seniors with arthritis must collaborate closely with their medical professionals to create individualized treatment programs that take into account their particular requirements and preferences.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/management.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/in-depth/arthritis/art-20046440
https://canohealth.com/news/blog/5-tips-for-treating-osteoarthritis-in-the-elderly/

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Alamo, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

Five Sleep Management Tools Your Senior Might Consider

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Craig Bass

Home Care in Alamo CA

Sleep is crucial for your senior’s overall well-being, but it might be something that she and you are overlooking. These tools can help them to start to get a better handle on sleep every single night, which can make days better, too.

Adding Exercise to Her Daily Routine

If her doctor clears her to exercise, adding just a little bit of extra movement into her daily routine can be hugely helpful for your aging family member. Muscles and joints need to move and burning off a little bit of energy allows her body to truly rest when she’s ready to go to bed. Starting out with a complex or challenging exercise routine is a bad idea. Start slow and easy. A home care provider can also help your senior incorporate exercise into her daily routine.

Consider How Food and Beverages Might Be Impacting Sleep

What is your elderly family member eating and drinking throughout the day? If she’s getting a lot of sugar and caffeine all throughout the day, she’s likely compounding her sleep problem. Time of day matters, even when she’s eating healthy foods. Start looking more closely at dietary changes.

Create a Plan for Winding Down Before Bed

Having a bedtime routine isn’t just for kids. Adults need to be able to wind down for the night, too. For your senior this might mean reading a book or taking a soak in the tub. She might also enjoy listening to music or trying some meditations before going to bed. Whatever helps her to leave her day behind is helpful.

Talk to Her Doctor about Other Health Issues

It’s also possible that other health issues, and even the medications treating those health issues, is part of her sleep problem. It’s a good idea to bring your senior’s doctor into the equation to get a more thorough understanding of how her health might be impacting her sleep and vice versa.

Keep a Sleep Journal

A sleep journal sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. This is just a small notebook where your senior can keep track of how much sleep she got, how she felt when she woke up, and anything else that she feels pertains to her sleep. This can be a helpful tool in talks with her doctor, too.

Making changes to your senior’s routine can be helpful, and yet leave her feeling a little overwhelmed. Having home care providers available to help as needed and to remind her of her routine can be grounding for your senior.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Alamo, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

Five Ways Home Care Helps a Family After a Stroke

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Craig Bass

Each hour, it’s estimated that around 90 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke. A stroke can be mild or severe. Either way, therapies are needed to restore abilities like speech, mobility, and eating. If your mom or dad had a stroke, you’re going to sit down and talk about home care services. There are five ways home care will help.

Housekeeping

Vacuuming, mopping, dusting, putting away clutter, and wiping down counters are standard household chores. They’re also tedious. If you’re already busy preparing meals, spending time with your dad, running errands, or walking pets, finding time for housework is challenging.

Housekeeping is a popular home care service. Caregivers complete daily housekeeping for you, which leaves you time to take your dad to his therapy sessions.

Showers and Baths

After a severe stroke, your mom may be unable to shower independently. It may be uncomfortable for both of you at first. If you accidentally scrub too hard or turn the water too cold, it’s going to leave unpleasant memories.

Home care aides have the benefit of training and experience. They could handle the tasks that you’re less comfortable completing. That leaves you free to do things that are more enjoyable with your mom.

Toileting

Similar to showering, it can be hard helping a parent who has used a toilet or needs to change into new incontinence pants. You could let caregivers help with toileting instead. While a caregiver does that, you could focus on another task like paying the bills or doing the laundry.

Meals

If your dad cannot hold his arm or hand steady, eating a meal is challenging and can be messy. A caregiver can feed him for you. Caregivers can also pick up groceries, cook meals, and clean up the kitchen when he’s done.

Respite Care

Even families working together will run into obstacles. If someone picks up a cold or stomach bug, they should stay home and recuperate. You might have made a promise to your child that you can’t ignore. There may be too much for one person to do each day.

When you need a break for illness, appointments, or miscellaneous plans, respite care helps. A caregiver takes over for you. Your mom or dad isn’t left with a shortage of carers, and you don’t have to worry about others being overloaded.

Home care services are easy to schedule. It starts with a call to a home care specialist who will discuss your parent’s strengths and weaknesses. From there, you can choose the services that would benefit your parents and schedule caregivers.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm