How to Care for Someone With Arthritis

By eHow Health Editor

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Moderate to severe arthritis has the potential to cause a wide range of physical disabilities. Plus, due to the pain and swelling of arthritis, many people will require assistance with everyday tasks once in a while. If someone you love has arthritis, you need to learn how to care for her properly.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Offer emotional support. Someone with newly diagnosed arthritis will likely be frustrated and upset at his limitations while he works to bring the disease under control. Even those who have had arthritis for a long time will occasionally have difficult days.

Step2

Find out what the patient wants you to do. It may be tempting to just have the patient sit back while you wait on her hand and foot, especially if it is someone you really care about. However, arthritis patients tend to want to be as independent as possible; letting them tell you what they need will be seen as both helpful and respectful.

Step3

Look out for articles about managing arthritis and advances in treatments. Whenever you see articles like this in magazines and newspapers, clip them out for your patient to read. These kinds of articles can offer inspiration and hope for someone with arthritis.

Step4

Go with the patient to medical appointments when asked. A trip to the doctor for an arthritis patient often means being on the receiving end of procedures and medications that make driving difficult or inadvisable for a few hours. Having someone available to drive home will be a big help.

Step5

Resist the urge to push the patient. You may feel like you are helping by urging the person you care for to stretch his limits and attempt old activities. However, doing so could end up causing the patient more frustration and may even hinder his progress.

Tips & Warnings

Be sure to get enough rest. If you care for someone with arthritis on a full time basis, it can be easy to get worn out. You need to make downtime a priority in order to function at your best and avoid accidents.
Never endanger your own well being in an attempt to help. If your arthritis patient needs you to lift something (including the patient) that is too heavy for you on your own, enlist the assistance of another friend or relative.