More than 54 million adults have been diagnosed as having arthritis. Just under half of those adults admit that the chronic health condition limits the things they can do. When it’s your mom or dad with arthritis, it’s hard to watch them struggle with things that used to be so easy for them to manage.
Arthritis affects joints in the ankles, knees, hips, elbows, wrists, and fingers. In some, it also impacts the neck and toes. No matter where the arthritis pain and stiffness appears, it can make it hard to complete daily activities of living like standing up from a sitting position, lifting a heavier object, buttoning a shirt or pants, or picking an item up.
Elder Home Care services are designed to help your parents with daily chores. Instead of letting them struggle, they could have help as often as they need it. You won’t have to leave work and rush to their home to help them out. Here are some of the ways Elder Home Care aides can help an arthritic client.
Laundry
Walking around is fine, but the minute your mom lifts her leg to move from one stair to the next, her hip, knee, or ankle aches. She’s stumbled and fallen due to the pain. You worry about her falling when she’s carrying a heavy laundry basket to the laundry room.
Let Elder Home Care aides take over and do the laundry for her. Caregivers will wash her clothing, sheets, and towels for her. They’ll dry it, fold it, and even put it away if she wants.
Meal Preparation
Lifting a heavy pot from the stove to the sink is too hard now that your mom’s fingers and wrists ache. She can’t hold a knife comfortably, so it slips from her hand when she’s trying to chop vegetables. Getting a baking dish out of the oven is also tricky because of hip pain, making it hard to bend over.
Caregivers can help your mom by taking over meal preparation. They can follow her recipes or create new dishes she finds online or in cookbooks. If she needs to go shopping, caregivers help with that, too.
Medication Reminders
Your dad is taking NSAID pain relievers to help manage his arthritis pain. The problem is he loses track of when he had his last dose. He’s gone through an entire bottle of ibuprofen in a short time. You’re worried he’s taking too much and may harm his kidneys. Medication reminders help him keep track of when he can have another pill.
If you’ve noticed your parents having a more challenging time with daily living activities, it’s an excellent time to sit down and talk about Elder Home Care services. Have an Elder Home Care aide spend time at your parents’ house. With a caregiver’s help with dressing, grooming, meal preparation, and ambulation, your parents don’t have to struggle to live independently.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Home Care in Silver Spring, MD please contact the caring staff at Just Divine Home Care Agency today at (301) 219-1585.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html