Weather and Arthritis Pain in Elderly

May is recognized as Arthritis Awareness Month. You may already be familiar with the effects of Arthritis or care for someone who experiences it. What you may not know is the effects weather has on arthritis pain in elderly. Understanding the role certain temperatures play in joint pain can help you prepare for difficult days ahead. Generally, colder weather and increased moisture can negatively influence joint pain.

According to Chester County Hospital, change in the biometric pressure is the main reason behind the correlation of weather and increased arthritis pain. Warmer temperatures result in increased biometric pressure, where as colder temperatures and moisture results in decreased biometric pressure. When the biometric pressure of the air decreases, joints can become stiffer due to fluid in the joints thickening.

VerifyCare’s custom Task tool can help plan for activities or provide special instructions during forecasted colder weather.

If your Care Recipient has a brace to help with joint pain, you can create a custom task instructing to wear the brace starting at a certain time or for a certain duration of time.

Monitor joint pain through VerifyCare is to use the As Needed Pain Task under the As Needed tab to record levels of joint pain as they worsen or improve during weather changes.