Chronic pain can drain a person’s energy, social life, and much more. If your elderly loved one is dealing with chronic pain, they may have already tried so much to manage it. However, sometimes it takes a person years to find the right solutions for managing chronic pain. If your elderly loved one is still working on finding the right treatments for them, here are some tips to help them with this.
Don’t Self-Medicate
Unfortunately, there are many people who try to manage their chronic pain on their own. They may take over-the-counter inflammatory and pain relief medications. They may go see a chiropractor without the recommendation from a pain relief specialist. If your elderly loved one has chronic pain, it is important to get them in to see a doctor. Continuing to self-medicate can be difficult and dangerous in some circumstances. For instance, there may be a serious condition causing your elderly loved one’s pain. Without seeing a doctor, they may never figure this out.
Stop Letting Pain Control Their Life
Your elderly loved one may be like millions of others when it comes to chronic pain. They may be letting the pain control their life. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult not to do this, especially if the pain is moderate to severe most of the time. The good news is that with meditation, exercise, and other pain management tips, your elderly loved one can regain control over their life. They might need you and elderly care providers to help with this, but it can be done.
Rediscovering Their Life
Many people who suffer from chronic pain lose interest in hobbies. They may find that hobbies they used to do cause too much pain. However, now is the time for you and the elderly care aides to help your elderly loved one rediscover their life. You can sit with your elderly loved one and make a list of things they would enjoy that won’t aggravate their pain. If your elderly loved one starts doing more things they enjoy, they can focus less on their pain.
If your elderly loved one is suffering from chronic pain, you can help. If you use these tips, you and their elderly care providers can help them to focus less on their pain and more on enjoying their life again. The first step would be to get your elderly loved one in to see a pain specialist. These doctors can help to find the source of your elderly loved one’s pain. From there, they can create a better pain management plan for your elderly loved one.
Sources: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chronic-pain-in-depth