How to Help Clients Reduce Joint Pain

Caregiving can introduce you to many different types of ailments that prevent individuals from living independently. Some reasons why loved ones may require senior homecare is due to arthritis, injury, or chronic join pain.

There are many effective ways you can help reduce chronic joint pain and help your homecare clients find relief. Remember to always consult with a medical professional before trying any new exercise with a homecare client.

Here are Some Simple Tips on Reducing Joint Pain

1.) Get Moving! Encourage your client to try some gentle stretches first thing in the morning. The morning is usually when your muscles and joints are feeling stiffest, so incorporating gentle stretches is an easy, beneficial form of join pain treatment.

• Discover some fun stretches you can try at home at WebMD.
• Try taking your client for a short walk every afternoon or attending a water aerobics class together. Any gentle, low-impact type of exercise helps build muscle around the joints and encourages a fuller range of motion.

2.) Assess Diet! Being overweight can cause arthritis to become more challenging. Making some healthy dietary changes and monitoring your client's weight could make a big difference in easing pain.

• It’s also important to make sure your client is eating their Omega-3 fatty acids. Many get these acids from a fish oil supplement, hemp seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds.
• Certain herbs and spices, such as turmeric, actually contain anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce pain. Talk with your loved one’s doctor about incorporating natural herbs into their meal plan.

3.) Quit Smoking! As if you needed another reason to break the habit, smoking puts excess stress on connective tissues and increases arthritis pain and inflammation.Use Hot and Cold Compresses! For temporary pain relief, have your client use a heating pad for 20 minutes. Then after exercise, try using an ice pack on joints that are most prone to experiencing pain.

4.) Avoid Stress Triggers! Easier said than done right? But finding some simple relaxation techniques—such as meditation—can actually help with joint pain relief. When stress is lowered, inflammation, swelling, and pain will decrease with it.

To find out more about senior homecare services, contact Best Home Care. Don’t forget to check out our weekly blog posts for more tips on providing quality home care!