What Are the Effects of Arthritis on Seniors?

Millions of seniors around the world deal with the effects of arthritis every day. What can be surprising for a lot of family caregivers is the breadth of these impacts on every area of life for aging adults. Understanding some of these impacts can help family members to find the right answers, like lining up home care services to offer a helping hand to aging adults with arthritis.

Pain and Joint Stiffness

The most obvious impact of arthritis is joint stiffness and pain. Few people with arthritis don’t at least occasionally experience serious pain that affects their quality of life and their ability to engage in normal daily life. Seniors may suddenly have a lot more trouble with activities that were never a problem before, which can lead to other impacts.

Mental Health Challenges

Arthritis takes a huge toll on mental health for seniors battling the condition. There’s a lot of frustration, anxiety, and even depression when life changes because of arthritis and the pain that it brings. Seniors may find themselves grieving over the areas of their lives that are different because of the challenges of arthritis. They may also be withdrawing more from the people they love, creating a situation where they’re way more isolated than they ever used to be.

Sleep Issues

Lots of people don’t realize that arthritis can cause sleep disruptions. Pain, insomnia, and restlessness all interrupt sleep and contribute to sleep deprivation, daytime sleepiness, and other sleep problems. This then exacerbates pain and the emotional challenges related to arthritis. As those other issues increase, it can become even more difficult to get the necessary sleep seniors need in order to improve their health.

Impact on Daily Activities

Arthritis erodes a senior’s ability to feel independent because daily activities become more difficult or, in some cases, impossible. Elder care providers can be there for aging adults to ensure that they have the help that they need to manage hygiene needs, nutritional needs, and household tasks. On good days, seniors may only need a little bit of help.

Balance and Mobility Problems

Depending on where the arthritis occurs, it can affect balance and mobility in some significant ways. Anything that affects the body in those ways can contribute to increasing fall risk and other possibilities for injury. Safety is always the biggest concern for aging adults, so learning to accommodate those challenges is vital.

Home Care Can Make a Difference

Ultimately, seniors need a solution that helps them to overcome these impacts. Home care assistance allows seniors to rely on consistent help, while also getting the support they need to maintain as much independence as they can. Caregivers also offer companionship and emotional support that seniors need in order to improve their mental health.

Arthritis is way more than just a physical condition. When seniors are able to address all of the various ways that arthritis affects their daily lives, they’re better able to cope overall. Home care providers make it easier to get the personalized assistance they need to improve their quality of life, no matter what health issues they’re battling.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care in Mamaroneck, NY, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts at Home – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Queens, Rockland today. 646-480-6266