Could Night Care Help a Senior Dealing with Restless Legs Syndrome?
Restless Legs Syndrome can make a tremendous impact on your parent’s health, function, and quality of life. A condition that impacts the nervous system, RLS leads to sensations that give your parent the urge to move their legs. The symptoms of this condition generally worsen as the evening progresses and becomes most severe at night when your parent is trying to sleep, though it can occur any time that your parent is sitting or lying down for an extended period of time, such as when they are in the car for a road trip or if they are watching a concert or movie. This can mean that your aging parent does not get the sleep that they need. As a family caregiver, giving them the care that they need can help to reduce this impact and keep them safe, healthy, and comfortable. One way that you can ensure this is to consider night care for them.
Unlike other elder care arrangements, such as live-in care, night care involves an elder care provider who is with your parent overnight and is awake and alert at all times. This ensures that your parent has access to the highly personalized care to which they are accustomed during the day throughout the night. For a senior who is suffering from RLS, this can make a tremendous difference.
A senior who is dealing with the symptoms of this disorder might struggle with wanting to move, shake, or walk at night. Depending on their other needs and challenges, this can result in them being at risk for issues such as falling. An awake and alert care provider at night can give your parent assistance, support, and care that can help them to manage their symptoms and prevent issues at night. They can also help your parent to establish and follow through with a routine in the evening that can ease them into relaxation and help them sleep better. This can include taking a warm bath that will help their muscles relax and ease tension.
If your aging parent has recently been diagnosed with a medical condition or health complication such as Restless Legs Syndrome, or they are showing new or worsened symptoms or challenges, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elder care for them. Hiring an elderly home care services provider is a way for you to ensure that your parent is getting everything that they need, filling any care gaps that might exist in the care efforts that you give them and providing a highly personalized set of services tailored to them as an individual. This care provider can help your parent to manage their individual needs, assisting them in fulfilling their activities of daily living, providing safe and reliable transportation when needed, and offering companionship and support that encourages them to stay active, engaged, and independent, and to see as much meaning in this new chapter of life as possible.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Evanston, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
Sources
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/restless-legs-syndrome
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/restless-legs-syndrome/basics/symptoms/con-20031101
https://www.webmd.com/brain/restless-legs-syndrome/restless-legs-syndrome-rls#1
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