Daily symptom management practices for arthritis used by older adults

This article describes the daily self-management practices of older adults with arthritis and examines the association of symptom experience with the use of self-management behaviors.

197 African American and White participants completed a baseline interview and six sets of three follow-up daily-diary interviews at monthly intervals.

Arthritis was reported by 63.5%. Arthritis self-management reported included complementary therapies, over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications, foods or beverages, and home remedies. Odds of implementing these self-care practices were greater on days with joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Although, 78.0% and 72.4% of all participants reported staying in bed or cutting back on activities in response to joint symptoms, these self-management activities were not associated with having arthritis.

Focusing on daily responses to symptoms demonstrates that older adults actively manage arthritis symptoms using a wide variety of measures, including complementary therapies.