How to Help Manage Your Elderly Parents’ Pain

Did you know that up to 50% of older adults are living with some kind of chronic pain? Regardless of how they developed it, it can be heartbreaking to see your elderly parent go through pain. Luckily, there are ways of helping them manage the pain and lead a more enjoyable life.

Encourage them to increase their physical activity

One of the reasons our elderly parents experience pain is leading a sedentary lifestyle. Being inactive generally leads to muscle and joint stiffness as well as poor blood circulation. You should help your seniors explore different options of moderate exercise depending on their medical condition.

A simple exercise involving stretching in the evening and morning would go a long way towards loosening and relaxing their body tissues. Other moderate exercises you should consider include swimming and cycling. These particularly helpful in strengthening the muscles and boosting cardiovascular function. Exercising also helps the body secrete the chemicals that help the body find relief from pain, known as endorphins.

Serve them healthy foods

Since many seniors’ pain is usually a consequence of inflammation, there’s a chance your elderly parent’s pain and discomfort can be relieved by reducing inflammation through healthier food options. According to the National Institutes of Health, processed or refined foods usually promote inflammation; therefore, the first thing you want to do to assist your elderly parent to manage pain is eliminated such foods from their diet systematically.

Secondly, you have to incorporate foods that essentially counteract inflammation. These foods have to contain copious amounts of antioxidants to offset the process that causes inflammation, known as oxidative stress. Some of the top foods you should consider in this case include cherries, ginger, and turmeric.

Have them take at least ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger. This would help with stomach upsets and nausea, along with arthritis, migraines, and muscle discomfort.

To get more relief from muscle pain, have them consume at least 12 ounces of cherry juice or one cup of cherries twice a day.

Turmeric is one of the best foods for inflammation and pain. Unlike other spices, it has a potent compound known as curcumin that protects and improves nerve function. As you add this spice to their foods, ensure you also add black pepper, as it releases and activates curcumin.

Take them through TENS

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a great treatment that eases pain by obstructing the pain signals being relayed to the brain. A tiny electronic device is used to carry out the treatment; it is attached to the affected area, and it delivers controlled electric currents into the muscles. If this treatment is done properly, your older parent’s pain can be eased quite effectively. The best part is that it is a relatively inexpensive method for pain relief. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation is also one of the safest pain management methods for older adults.

Encourage them to use CBD oil

Cannabidiol or CBD is a compound that occurs naturally in the cannabis plant. One of the reasons CBD has been growing in popularity recently is its amazing pain management benefits. According to research, this compound is very effective at relieving pain in the body because it is associated with our endocannabinoid system (ECS). ECS signals body cells to keep our bodies stable and optimal and regulate many critical body processes, including sleep, memory, sleep, and pain. This means that consuming CBD oil would help your older parent manage the root causes of pain (such as inflammation) and the pain itself.

To gain the full benefits of CBD oil, you have to optimize the speed and intensity of its effect on the body. Vaping is the best way to ensure the pain management benefits of CBD come on effectively. Since there are many vaporizers out there, my advice would be to go for the authentic CCELL cartridges. Among other benefits, this vaporizer enables you to use thick CBD oils while enjoying their full flavor.

There are many ways to help your senior manage chronic pain. If you want them to find long-lasting relief, you should help them boost their physical activity, ensure they stick to an anti-inflammatory diet, consider taking them through TENS, and encourage them to use CBD oil.