Seniors and Arthritis
Arthritis is more than just painful fingers. There are actually seven different types of arthritis with some more severe than others. Many of these are chronic with the symptoms lasting for many years.
Some types of arthritis can cause changes in your senior's body such as swelling, pain, redness, and warmth. Some of the kinds have symptoms which are less severe but slowly damage the joints in your senior.
Types of arthritis
There are several different types of arthritis which can strike your loved one. The most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA): This type of arthritis is the one that is the most common is seniors. OA begins when the cartilage starts to become ragged and begins to wear away. What pads the joints is the tissue called cartilage, and this is what is affected. The cartilage wears away and then the bones in the joint rub together. The joints which are affected can be in your senior’s hands, lower back, neck or knees and hips.
The symptoms of OA can go from mild pain and stiffness when bending, walking, or stooping. Severe joint pain can continue even after sleeping or resting. The stiffness can dissipate when the joint is moved. Also, over time there can be some difficulty when moving joints. If OA is really severe it can cause problems with the mobility of your senior's knees, hips or back is affected.
Rheumatoid arthritis or (RA): This type of arthritis is an autoimmune disease. It attacks the lining of a joint in your senior’s body as if the lining were an injury or disease. Pain, swelling, and stiffness from this inflammation can last for a prolonged period and can be felt in many joints at the same time.
This disease can attack almost any joint in your senior’s body. These joints can include shoulders, wrists, elbows, knees, hips, ankles, neck and feet. The RA usually attacks the same joint on both sides of the person’s body. RA can affect organs also such as muscles, blood vessels, heart, nervous system, and eyes.
Gout: This is one of the most painful types of arthritis. Crystals of uric acid form in the joint and connective tissues. These crystals deposits can cause redness, swelling, pain, heat, and stiffness in your senior's joints. Sometimes gout attach will occur after a person eats liver, dried beans, peas, shellfish, gravy or anchovies. Plus, if your senior is overweight, taking certain medications, drinks alcohol or is overweight, gout can become worse.
Gout occurs most often in the big toe but can affect some other joints too. This can include your senior’s elbow, knee, wrist, ankle, hand or toes. When the swelling occurs, it can cause the skin to pull your senior's skin around their joint tightly. It can make the area purple or red and tender to the touch. Your loved one's physician might suggest having blood work and x-rays done. Fluid samples may be taken from the joint which is under attack as well.
Other types of arthritis: The different types of arthritis are psoriatic arthritis which occurs in people who have psoriasis. Ankylosing spondylitis is arthritis that affects your loved one's spine. Reactive arthritis happens as a reaction to some other illness in your senior's body. Temporomandibular joint arthritis occurs where the jaw joins onto the skull.
Treatment for arthritis
Every type of arthritis is treated differently, but they all have treatment choices in common. Your senior should get rest, exercise, and eat a well-balanced diet. They should also learn how to protect their joints and learn the correct way to use them. Wearing the correct shoes and using a cane when walking can help relieve pain.
There are also different types of medications which can help your senior with pain and swelling. Ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen all can be bought without prescription but some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory need to be prescribed by your loved one’s doctor. Arthritis can be painful and doing everyday chores can be difficult. Here at Right at Home Nassau Suffolk, our in-home caregivers can assist with daily chores and housekeeping. Give us a call or contact us online to help to care for your senior.