My 82 y/o father suffers greatly with pain from osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. He is deaf and hearing aids work little to help. He stays in bed almost constantly staring at the ceiling. Lights off, no tv, no music, no reading but awake and staring at the ceiling. What do I do?
Second, with both RA and OA, he has a double whammy with pain. If he isn't already, you need to get him to a board certified pain management specialist, preferably one with geriatric experience. Without sufficient pain control, he isn't going to want to move and, yes, that will begin to cause its own unique subset of complications.
I agree that he needs a hospital bed if he doesn't already have one and maybe pneumatic air mattress that is designed for an adjustable bed. it may also help if you get him and electric lift chair that helps him be raised and lowered from the sitting position. Situate this chair in a place where the rest of the family spends time, such as the living room, den or great room, where he can be socially included as part of the family rather than be secluded in his bedroom. Initially you could place the chair in his bedroom so he has an alternative to the bed. To get these chairs through the doorway of bedrooms, you have to make sure you get one of the more expensive models where the back detaches.
If you can get him sitting up, watching television, listening to music, etc. and he begins to feel socially involved in the family, he might take more interest in life. Wirh so many channels available on TV these days, you can surely find a program on farming or gardening may grab his attention.
Can he sit? My father enjoyed nature videos, and you don't need to hear to enjoy them. Would he enjoy a visiting dog or cat?
Ask him what he thinks will happen to him, and how long he thinks he will live. Maybe he thinks he will die right away, but tell him he might live another 5 or 10 years, and should find an interest so he won't go insane. If he can sit at all, teach him to Google, and maybe find a website with old pictures. I just looked up the Chicago 1893 Exposition. What great images!
Can he go for a ride in the country?
I'm so sorry. Old age, and caregiving, are NOT for sissies.
My mom has a very bad knee. She walks straight legged because it is too painful to bend it. The doctor said that due to her dementia he does not recommend her having surgery on it because it could cause her to progress in the disease much more quickly. Currently she is on acetaminophen 4 times a day but it doesn't seem to help with the pain. I also use spray Icy Hot on it. Her knee is basically bone on bone. I'm thinking that eventually my mother will be in your father's situation and it saddens me.
I think the suggestion of trying to get him interested in something in his room might help to motivate him to do something other than lay in bed.
Do you have a hospital bed in his room. That way he can press a button and the bed will move so that maybe he could at least watch TV. It might be too painful for him to even move in bed. Poor man.
I hope you are able to find some solution for his aches and pains.