People who are diagnosed with arthritis may have their lifestyle changed quite dramatically.
They may now need to face many challenges and inconveniences in their daily walk of life but they deserve as much support and care as possible from the people around them.
They will not be the only ones who have to face with the new challenges and changes but also those around them.
These people, who are normally the spouses, children or siblings, will now take on new roles as the primary caregivers in arthritis care of the patients The role of a caregiver varies from case to case.
Some individuals with arthritis can cope fairly well and with only some minor adjustments in their daily routine.
On the other hand, the situation for some others may be far more difficult.
First and foremost, as a caregiver, it's very important for you to get as much information as possible about what type of arthritis your loved ones have and what types of treatment that they will be receiving and how that will affect them.
If possible, accompany them when they visit their doctors as this will enable you to be kept updated of their progress and any adjustments that you may need to make in your arthritis care regimes.
Psychologically, it is more of a comfort for the patients to have you there for company and to help remember instructions or details given by the doctors which otherwise may just go in one ear and out the other.
The next important process is to have an open and honest communication with the patients.
This isn't always easy and may require a great deal of tact and patience.
It is not easy to understand everything that the patients are going through but you want them to know that you are trying your best to understand them and will be with them as much as possible.
Studies have shown that people who have this disease improved faster when they are not in any stressful or negative situation.
It is normal and possible for you to sometimes feel discouraged in your care of the arthritis patient but please don't get too discouraged as this is a normal part of the caregiving process.
As you try to adjust your life to help your loved ones, do remember that you will still need to look after yourself as well.
Try not to make yourself overly tired or taxed.
If that happens, you may need to step back a little and get supports from support groups which can empathize with your situation and give you ideas on how to mitigate the stressful times.
Above all, try to maintain an honest approach in your arthritis care of the patient so that all parties involved can move forward in a positive way.
On a practical note, in your care of the arthritis patient, you may need to be the more active in running the errands and taking heavier workloads.
But it is also important for you to keep in mind that your loved ones need to be kept involved and active for their health as well.
As a caregiver, it doesn't mean that you must manually do everything for the patient.
It just means that the situation where the both of you are involved needs a readjustment.
Look for ways to make simple functions around the house a bit easier like installing lifting bars in the bathroom, finding more comfortable furniture, or buying tools that are user friendly to the arthritic persons.
Another fine area of support is to be a good listener.
So much help can be given when a person can talk out their fears and anxieties.
Be as straightforward and practical as you can be even though it is an emotional situation.
This will help to maintain a positive and forward moving attitude that is essential to eventually achieving the best quality of life possible.
In summary, arthritis care is a long learning process whereby the arthritis patients and you, the caregiver, needs to give yourselves the time to adjust to the situation and to eventually move forward in a positive way.
They may now need to face many challenges and inconveniences in their daily walk of life but they deserve as much support and care as possible from the people around them.
They will not be the only ones who have to face with the new challenges and changes but also those around them.
These people, who are normally the spouses, children or siblings, will now take on new roles as the primary caregivers in arthritis care of the patients The role of a caregiver varies from case to case.
Some individuals with arthritis can cope fairly well and with only some minor adjustments in their daily routine.
On the other hand, the situation for some others may be far more difficult.
First and foremost, as a caregiver, it's very important for you to get as much information as possible about what type of arthritis your loved ones have and what types of treatment that they will be receiving and how that will affect them.
If possible, accompany them when they visit their doctors as this will enable you to be kept updated of their progress and any adjustments that you may need to make in your arthritis care regimes.
Psychologically, it is more of a comfort for the patients to have you there for company and to help remember instructions or details given by the doctors which otherwise may just go in one ear and out the other.
The next important process is to have an open and honest communication with the patients.
This isn't always easy and may require a great deal of tact and patience.
It is not easy to understand everything that the patients are going through but you want them to know that you are trying your best to understand them and will be with them as much as possible.
Studies have shown that people who have this disease improved faster when they are not in any stressful or negative situation.
It is normal and possible for you to sometimes feel discouraged in your care of the arthritis patient but please don't get too discouraged as this is a normal part of the caregiving process.
As you try to adjust your life to help your loved ones, do remember that you will still need to look after yourself as well.
Try not to make yourself overly tired or taxed.
If that happens, you may need to step back a little and get supports from support groups which can empathize with your situation and give you ideas on how to mitigate the stressful times.
Above all, try to maintain an honest approach in your arthritis care of the patient so that all parties involved can move forward in a positive way.
On a practical note, in your care of the arthritis patient, you may need to be the more active in running the errands and taking heavier workloads.
But it is also important for you to keep in mind that your loved ones need to be kept involved and active for their health as well.
As a caregiver, it doesn't mean that you must manually do everything for the patient.
It just means that the situation where the both of you are involved needs a readjustment.
Look for ways to make simple functions around the house a bit easier like installing lifting bars in the bathroom, finding more comfortable furniture, or buying tools that are user friendly to the arthritic persons.
Another fine area of support is to be a good listener.
So much help can be given when a person can talk out their fears and anxieties.
Be as straightforward and practical as you can be even though it is an emotional situation.
This will help to maintain a positive and forward moving attitude that is essential to eventually achieving the best quality of life possible.
In summary, arthritis care is a long learning process whereby the arthritis patients and you, the caregiver, needs to give yourselves the time to adjust to the situation and to eventually move forward in a positive way.
Source...