Comfort Keepers Senior Care Services & Senior Citizens and Dealing with Pain in Waukesha, WI and surrounding areas

Senior Care Services Experts - Comfort Keepers of Waukesha, WI let you know how you can help your senior loved one deal with the pain

Senior care services experts know that pain is common in all age groups, but even more common in seniors. The reason behind this is because oftentimes, seniors’ concerns about pain are dismissed as they are just complaining, old, or the pain cannot be that bad. This causes many seniors to feel embarrassed or to avoid talking to their physicians at all about their needs.

Pain can disrupt a senior’s entire life and cause them to miss out on social events and they may find themselves bedridden because of the pain. If this happens, it can lead to social isolation and feelings of loneliness or depression.

How to Identify Aches vs. Chronic Pain

It is important to identify the difference between what an ache is and what chronic pain is - our senior care services experts offer the following advice. Often times, people will use the terms interchangeably, but they are different. Acute pain or aches occur when a condition occurs and it is a result of them. For example, think about surgery or falling down and breaking a bone. The area may ache as healing occurs, but once the area is healed, the pain subsides.

Chronic pain is any type of pain that lasts for six months or more and often disrupts your daily life. When you think about chronic pain, think about persistent migraines, back or joint pain, and other similar conditions that do not just go away. You may experience chronic pain as a result of an injury or even a surgical procedure that you needed to have done.

Typical Types of Pain Elderly People Suffer From

Senior care services experts assure you that there are common types of pain that seniors experience and some of these conditions are more prevalent amongst seniors than they are other age groups. Some of the most common types of pain experienced by the elderly include:

Arthritis
Joint pain
Osteoporosis
Lower back pain
Bone spurs
Degenerative disc disease

Medical Treatments and Non-Medical Treatments to Help Relieve Pain for a Senior

There are both medical and non-medical treatments to help relieve pain that presents itself in a senior. The type of treatment that is best for your loved one will depend on doctor recommendations and what works best.

Some of the most common medical conditions include prescription medications, physical therapy, surgery, or injections of nerve blockers or anesthetics.

Some of the most common non-medical treatments include changes in habit, acupressure, lifestyle changes, and relaxation techniques.

If you would like to learn more about how our caregivers can help your loved one manage their pain effectively, call Comfort Keepers senior care services today.

Sources:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/acute-vs-chronic-pain

https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/most-common-health-concerns-seniors/

https://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2093506

https://www.aarp.org/health/alternative-medicine/info-11-2008/drug_free_remedies_chronic_pain.html

https://www.healthxchange.sg/seniors/ageing-concerns/common-aches-pains-elderly