Fatigue is a serious reality for elderly adults living with arthritis. This fatigue can greatly diminish your senior’s health and quality of life, and further decrease their activity, which can worsen their arthritis symptoms. As a family caregiver, you can make a tremendous difference in your senior’s life by helping them effectively cope with their fatigue as they deal with the effects of their arthritis.
Some ways you can help your senior cope with fatigue while living with arthritis include:
- Spend a few days monitoring their symptoms. Pay attention to when your parent feels the most fatigued and record what they were doing before. See if you can identify patterns or triggers so you can share these with their doctor
- Discuss the fatigue with your senior’s doctor. They might be able to pinpoint medications or other treatments that could be contributing to this fatigue and either give recommendations for how to overcome it, or may be able to replace these medications if the symptoms are too challenging for your loved one to manage
- Consider the possibility of anemia. Especially if your senior has suffered low iron before, talk to their doctor about being tested for this issue so your senior can start supplementation that could help improve their strength and energy
- Make sure your parent is staying well-hydrated. Water is essential for metabolism and without enough fluid, the body will not have the energy it needs
- Encourage your parent to move around as much as possible. Though it seems counterintuitive to encourage activity in a senior struggling with fatigue and pain or lack of range of motion, staying active will produce more energy and encourage stronger, healthier joints
- Help your parent establish and maintain a healthy sleep routine. Good sleep hygiene means getting to bed and waking up at the same time each day, and taking steps to improve the quality of sleep. This may mean reducing intake of fluids before bed, creating a more comfortable and restful sleep environment, and using a routine to relax at night
Help around the house can be invaluable for an elderly adult who is struggling with fatigue, whether it is due to arthritis, another chronic condition, or the temporary effects of an illness or injury. An elderly care provider can be an incredible source of this type of help, enabling your parent to conserve energy, protect their body, and still enjoy a comfortable and healthy living environment. Personalized services from an elderly home care services provider can include household tasks such as doing dishes, taking out the trash, laundry, and tidying, but can also be valuable for your senior’s personal care needs. This care provider can help your parent with tasks such as bathing, grooming, and dressing, offer physical assistance to manage mobility challenges, and provide transportation and support to encourage a more active and enjoyable lifestyle that also aims at managing your parent’s fatigue effectively.
https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/pain-management/fatigue/
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING ELDERLY CARE IN SUMMERLIN, NV, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT GOLDEN HEART SENIOR CARE OF SUMMERLIN. 702-800-4616.