Chronic Pain & Aging in Place: Why You Don’t Have to “Just Live With It”

By C², Connie Colleen Wyatt, Occupational Therapist, PNW Home for Life PLLC, and Holly Berard

If you’ve ever heard someone say, “Well… pain is just part of getting older,” feel free to set the record straight. Pain may be common, but it’s not a life sentence.

Chronic pain isn’t just an ache in a joint or a stiff back in the morning; it affects how you move, how you sleep, how you connect with people, and even how long you can stand at the counter to chop vegetables before saying, “Forget it, we’re having toast.”

But here’s the good news: Occupational Therapy (OT) has an entire toolkit designed to help older adults stay active, engaged, and doing the things that make life meaningful — even with chronic pain. And nope, that doesn’t mean giving you a list of things you “can’t do anymore.” It means helping you do those things differently so you can keep living the life you want.

Pain Is Real… But So Is Your Brain’s Ability to Change

One of the most helpful things we now understand about chronic pain is that it isn’t just about tissue damage. Your nervous system can become extra sensitive — like a smoke alarm going off when you make toast.

This is where OT shines.

Occupational therapists help retrain your system by gradually increasing safe activity, teaching the brain that movement is not dangerous, and reducing the fear around pain. Research supports this: pacing, task modification, and graded activity can significantly reduce disability for people with chronic pain (National Institutes of Health, 2021).

Pain Management That Isn’t Just “Take These Pills and Rest Up”

Older adults are often told to take it easy. I, unsurprisingly, disagree. Yes, rest has its place — but long-term rest is a one-way ticket to muscle loss, stiffness, and feeling even worse.

Instead, OTs focus on the practical, the doable, and the meaningful:

✔ Pacing and Energy Conservation

So you don’t burn all your energy cleaning one bathroom only to be useless for the next two days.

✔ Task Modification

Changing how you do activities so they’re less painful but still get the job done.

✔ Home Modifications

Pain makes simple tasks harder. Small home changes — lever handles, grab bars, better lighting, a stool in the kitchen — can prevent strain and falls.

✔ Strength Training

Yes, even (especially!) with chronic pain. Done correctly, building strength reduces pain over time. This is a major pillar of Bulletproof Aging for a reason.

Pain Loves Isolation — Connection Helps Break the Cycle

Pain is exhausting. It’s easier to stay home, skip outings, or avoid hobbies. But isolation can actually amplify pain. That’s one reason I created the Strength in Aging Squad, where older adults can build strength, confidence, and community without the pressure of a typical gym. It’s not an ad — it’s an invitation. Movement is medicine, but group movement is the good stuff.

OT Isn’t Just for People Who Are “Really Struggling”

Occupational therapy can help before pain takes over your life. And if you’re already in the thick of it, there’s no such thing as “too late.”

OT can support you now by:

• Teaching you safe movement strategies
• Rebuilding strength without flare-ups
• Showing you how to adapt your routines
• Helping you stay independent in your home

And in the future by:

• Preventing decline
• Keeping you socially connected
• Maintaining mobility and confidence
• Reducing fall risk

Pain may be part of your story, but it doesn’t have to run the show.

Chronic pain doesn’t mean giving up the things that bring you joy. With the right tools — movement, strength training, connection, better sleep, supportive nutrition, meaningful daily activity, and a home that works with you — aging in place isn’t just possible. It’s powerful.

And OT? We’re here to walk that journey with you — one adapted, paced, well-supported step at a time.

By C²
connie@pnwhomeforlife.com
360-770-1752

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