Skip to Main Content
chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Instagram Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Phone Icon
Services
Home Care
Senior Care
Home Nursing Services
At Home Therapies
Respite Care
Home Care FAQ
Hospice
Bereavement & Grief
Hospice & Alzheimers
Hospice Costs
Hospice Pet Therapy
Special Care Programs
Your Care Team
Specialized Home Care
Patient-Centered Dementia Care
Arthritis
Congestive Heart Failure
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension / Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
COPD
Joint Replacement
Mental Health and Depression
Home Care Support for Multiple Sclerosis
Palliative Care
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Parkinson's Disease
Pediatric Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ventilator Care
Wound Care
Veterans Care
Staffing
Staffing FAQ
COVID-19 Vaccination Staffing
Careers
About Us
COVID-19 Update
Our Standard of Care
Our History
Franchise Leader
Executive Team
Caring Brands International
Press Releases
Honoring Veterans
Historic Milestones
Contact Us
Education Center
Aging in Place
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Health Aide
8 Dietary Tips for Improving Senior Heart Health
Talking About Substance Abuse as a Caregiver
How to Take Care of Aging Hair
4 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality for Seniors
Designing Outdoor Living Areas for Seniors
Getting A Grip: How and Where to Install Bathroom Grab Bars
Keeping Active: Tips for Senior Gardening
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Calculating the Cost
Certified Senior Advisors
Consumer Health Care Education
Advisor Care Giving Guide
Care in a Residential Facility
Check Your Home Care IQ
Elder Care Communities
Consumer Alert
Medicare and Home Care
Senior Care Resources
Senior Care Scams
Consumer Rights
Signs That Care At Home is Needed
Long Term Care
Fall Prevention
Mobility in Seniors
Falls FAQ's
Home Safety Checklist
Home Safety Tips
Hidden Hazards
Medications and Fall Risk
Reduce the Risk of Falling
Risk of Falling
Visiting the Doctor and Discussing Falls
What to Do If Someone Falls
Family Caregiving
Elder Care Videos
Hiring Your Own Caregivers
Family Care Giving Facts
Information for Seniors
Long Distance Caregiving
Starting the Conversation
The Stress of Family Caregiving
Taking Care Of Yourself as a Family Caregiver
Home Care Technology
Hospice Fact or Myth
In-Home Caregivers
Senior Health
Exercise and Older Adults
Senior Nutrition
Taking Medications
Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure
Seniors and Zika Virus
Savvy Senior
Stories From Home
Transitioning from a Facility
Independent Living Assessment
Blog
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Home
>
Blog
>
September 2015
>
Tips for Supporting Senior Joint Health
Tips for Supporting Senior Joint Health
Posted: 10/1/2015 10:30 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Your elderly loved ones' joints have been through a lot in their lives. They have spent decades supporting their muscles and going through the movements of life, taking on a tremendous amount of force and possibly sustaining injuries. It's important to keep their joints healthy and strong so they can experience less pain and stiffness, increase their mobility, and enjoy a more active, engaging quality of life.
Improper joint support can lead to a variety of health concerns and issues, including:
• Stiffness
• Pain
• Arthritis
• Loss of mobility
• Lack of range of motion
• Decreased flexibility
• Increased fall risk
• Greater susceptibility to injury after a fall
• Dislocations
• Sprains
• Strains
Fortunately there are many ways that you can support better joint health for your elderly loved ones so that they can reduce their risk of these problems and improve their overall health, wellbeing, and quality of life.
Use these tips to help your parents build and maintain better joint health throughout their later years:
•
Focus on low-impact.
High-impact exercises such as jogging can be highly effective at keeping off the pounds and strengthening the cardiovascular system, but they can also be extremely hard on your parents' joints. The impact causes repeated moments of intense force in the joints, breaking down the tissues and possibly leading to injury. Focus on low-impact exercises such as walking, stretching, yoga, Pilates, and using low-impact exercise machines such as elliptical machines or stationary bikes to keep the muscles and joints strong and burn calories without the force.
•
Control weight.
The actual amount of force that your joints experience is several times your body weight, meaning that every pound you take off of your body removes a few pounds of force from your joints. This reduction in stress can add up to a considerable difference in the comfort and health of your parents' joints. Visit with their doctor to find out what their ideal weight is and to get recommendations for healthy strategies to lose excess pounds and keep them off.
•
Use healthy strategies.
Encourage your parents to keep their joints in mind when they are doing normal activities throughout their day. Something as simple as bending their knees to pick something up rather than attempting to bend over and lift, or walking with a proper stride and roll-through of the foot can be extremely helpful in keeping their joints comfortable and healthy.
•
Eat well.
While it is not as effective as exercise and proper body movements, eating certain foods has been linked to ongoing joint health. Foods that contain healthy fats and omega 3 fatty acids are known to support the joints and keep them properly lubricated. Ask your parents' doctor about foods such as gelatin that may also help to nurture better joint health in conjunction with other care options.
Get in touch with the
elder care
agency in your area to find out about hiring caregiver who can help your parents take care of their joints throughout their senior years.
If you have an aging loved one in need of senior care contact Interim HealthCare today.