As your loved one continues to age in place, you may notice they are suffering from more aches and pains. However, it is important for you and home care to understand the difference between chronic pain and acute pain. This may be something you have never heard of, and that’s okay, but you still need to be aware of what it is. Being in pain as a senior is never fun, and it usually means something has happened to their bodies that is not normal or something is wrong. Acute pains happen fast and go away when they are healed; they’re not usually something to worry about, although you should help your senior with temporary relief. You should never leave them in pain, even if it is short lasting. Chronic pain is when you should start getting worried. This is pain that lasts longer than six months and can continue even after a senior has been treated. But how do you tell the difference? Here are a few ways to identify if a senior is in acute or chronic pain, and they are things both you and home care can watch for.
How Long Does The Pain Last?
One of the best and most common ways to identify the difference in pain is by understanding how long the pain has lasted. If you are away from home regularly or not caring for your loved one full-time, this can be a hard thing to identify. Building a good rapport with home care will help you understand what your senior mom or dad is going through. These caregivers can help understand how long something has been bothering them, if seniors are getting treatments, and they may even know what caused the issues. Paying attention to how long a specific pain has gone on will be crucial for managing the pain.
Are There Other Symptoms?
Acute pain typically does not have other symptoms. On the other hand, chronic pain is usually followed by other symptoms or other things that are bothersome for the seniors to deal with. Chronic pain can follow even after something has been cured, or it can be accompanied by another health condition a senior is battling. The best thing you can do for chronic pain is go to the doctor and get treatment that may help with comfort. No elderly person should be in pain, but they will have to work with a doctor to get the right treatment.
Do You Know the Cause?
Understanding the cause can help you determine whether or not your mom or dad is in acute or chronic pain. If they stubbed their toes, it may be just a few days and nothing to worry about. However, if they are suffering from arthritis, it could be chronic pain that needs to be managed by a doctor. When you know the exact cause, supporting your loved one is easier. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work that way.
Have You Paid Attention to the Onset?
Acute pain typically happens right away. For example, immediate pain after stubbing a toe. On the other hand, chronic pain usually comes on slowly. It may be just a few aches to begin with and then extreme pain after years of dealing with it. That is why pain is something home care should always pay attention to. If it builds, it’s time to go to a doctor for more help.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Highland Village, TX, please contact the caring staff at Clear Path Home Care today. Call 817-928-5788.
Clear Path Home Care provides compassionate, high quality home care in Denton County, Montague County, Cooke County, Grayson County, Fannin County, Lamar County, Wise County, Collin County, Hunt County, Delta County, and Hopkins County in Texas.
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