Many researchers believe that anxiety and depression go hand in hand with chronic pain. This makes a lot of sense; depression is much more than a mental illness. It carries over into other aspects of life, and it can become physical pain with ease. That’s why many of these researchers have turned to the methods that have worked in the world of helping depression and anxiety when dealing with chronic pain.
As you might know, there is a growing epidemic in the United States when it comes to the use of opioids. While these can be quite effective in some cases when it comes to pain management, in others they create more problems than they actually solve. Dependence upon the drug is one such problem. An increased rate of early mortality is another. Medication alone has shown that it isn’t enough to help manage pain symptoms. However, a method that has been shown to be useful in helping with depression called cognitive behavior therapy is catching on as a viable way to help treat pain in the elderly.
Doctors from the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology were recently presented with data that indicated that cognitive behavior therapy had a large impact on reducing pain within individuals that suffered from chronic pain. Using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, researchers gathered data from people at their first appointment, at their last day of treatment, and then again six months after treatment had come to an end. What they found was that there was statistically significant improvement in those populations that indicated the greatest degree of chronic pain.
Specifically, there has been evidence discovered that a type of cognitive therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been shown to be the most helpful. This focuses primarily on helping individuals–and not just senior citizens–form more psychological flexibility and change behaviors.
Pain has a huge impact on our loved ones’ quality of life. Being in pain all the time is not pleasant, and it makes it very hard for those going through this to enjoy even the most simple things in life. By helping an older loved one to reduce their pain levels, and doing this in a healthy manner, we can help them to live better lives. Therapy can be a valuable part of this process.
It’s important to keep in mind that therapy is not the only way that we can help our older loved ones have better lives. In fact, things like exercise, eating right, stopping smoking, and having a professional caregiver in the house can all be good ways that we can help our parents improve the quality of their life. Some of these things are more applicable to your family than others.
If you are searching for an in-home care specialist to help you make a parent’s life a little bit easier, feel free to get in touch with Paradise In-Home Care today. We can help set up a free consultation with you and your family to see if our services will be right for your unique situation.
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