CAREGIVER HEALTH

Q. I have arthritis and it’s difficult for me to get out of a chair, though once I’m up I can get around okay. How can I solve this problem?

“Be sure your chair isn’t too low,” says Patience White, MD, chief public health officer for the Arthritis Foundation. “The seat should be higher than your knees so you can lean forward and get enough weight over your knees to get up.” She suggests you might elevate the seat with pillows.

Beyond that, says Dr. White, exercise is vital to joint health. “The majority of people with arthritis don’t like to exercise because it hurts,” she explains. “But it’s a vicious cycle. You hurt, so you don’t exercise and muscles get weaker. You don’t need to get into a gym to gain strength. Much of that can be done in isometric exercises when you’re sitting. And for lower-joint health, walking is very helpful.

The CDC recommends thirty minutes of walking each day, and you can do that in three ten-minute episodes, five days a week.”
If trouble persists, she says, “a lift chair will help. But I recommend one only after you’ve tried to improve the strength and range of motion of your joints.”