Any type of chronic pain is not only physically debilitating but often hurts the person mentally and psychologically as well. It is hard to find joy and hope in the future when chronic back pain seems to be an intrusive part of every waking moment (and sometimes even interfering with sleep). Because of that, finding pain relief solutions is important for your elderly loved one so she can not only find pain relief but also find herself back in better spirits.
How Chronic Pain Affects a Person’s Mental Health
Chronic pain can affect a person’s ability to sleep, increase stress levels, and remove them from doing some of their favorite activities. All of these can then lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and mental health issues. For many elderly people, it can be difficult to discuss their mental health and they don’t receive needed help to assist them in coping with physical pain not only physically, but mentally as well.
Five Daily Tips for Managing Chronic Lower Back Pain
- Your loved one should focus on good posture throughout her day. Slouching over a screen on her phone or sitting improperly can cause lower back pain to increase and put pressure on areas of her back. While most people consider posture while standing, it’s during sitting that it’s often forgotten about causing pain. One tip for sitting is to keep feet elevated when possible to help the spine stay aligned. A recliner chair is perfect for this.
- Use assistance devices. Purchase items to help your loved one pick up items off the floor, put on her shoes, and reduce strain on her back.
- Stay regularly active during the day. The more your loved one can keep moving the more strength and resilience she’ll build up in addition to providing her spine with needed blood flow to reduce pain outbursts.
- When pain does occur, treat it effectively. Ice often helps reduce immediate swelling whereas heat helps improve blood flow and relaxes muscles. Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen can help reduce inflammation and provide relief as well.
- Practice daily meditation. Twenty-thirty minutes of relaxation, or meditation, can be an effective method of treating back pain. Meditation focuses on the body and mind as a whole and brings awareness to relaxing muscles while practicing controlled breathing. It can often help during a bad flare-up of pain.
Home Care Assistance Can Step in And Help
If your loved one has discovered that there are activities that continually cause lower back pain, it can be helpful to find home care assistance for those activities and chores. Some chores are more prone to cause lower back pain such as lifting heavy objects (like a laundry basket or a large bag of kitty litter), vacuuming, shoveling, or raking leaves, and gardening.
For some of these activities, you can ask family or neighbors to help (such as shoveling after the occasional snowfall), but for others, it might be better to have a home care assistance provider come to your loved one’s home to support her. Her home care assistance provider can work directly with her to help with areas that she struggles with so that she can reduce her pain levels and continue to enjoy other aspects of her day.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Assistance in Ashburn, VA, please contact the caring staff at Access Home Care Inc today! Call (703) 765-9350
Access Home Care provider in Arlington, Alexandria, Leesburg, Reston, Herndon, Manassas, Ashburn, Falls Church, McLean, Lorton, Springfield, Woodbridge, Fairfax, Virginia and the surrounding communities.
“My desire to enter into nursing started when one of my older sisters died of kidney disease due to lack of care. At age 15, I decided to enter into nursing so that I could provide quality care to patients.Upon arrival in United States at 21 years of age, I enrolled in T.C Willliams School of Practical Nursing while working as a nursing assistant at a nursing home. I also worked as a part-time home health aide to take of the elderly. After completion of my practical nurse education, I worked in geriatric psychiatry unit at Dominion Hospital and Arlington Correctional facility mental health unit.
I completed Marymount University in 2001 and entered into Home Care as a field case manager.
I held that position for 2 years and as an Administrator, and for another 2 years until Access Home Care was found in 2004."
Today, Access Home Care has over 300 employees and 286 clients.
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