How to help my grandma, who has very bad arthritis

[TashieWoo]

Hi - just looking for other things that could help my 91 year old grandma, whose arthritis has got worse in the last few months. It is everywhere really, but her knees are giving her the most trouble at the moment and she can only walk with a frame now. And understandably it is getting her down.

She is living with my aunt and her partner at the moment, she moved in there after a cataract operation 2 months ago. She will have to go back to her own home from next weekend as my aunt is going to France for 2 weeks and will need to isolate before and after. Apart from her mobility and age, my grandma has no other health problems and has all her faculties, which is a blessing. She has a stairlift at home and will be supported by my dad and I.

She has had a steroid injection (I think) into her worse knee and it hasn’t helped much, and now the other one is worse. I know she isn’t going to get any better sadly, but are there any other things that could help? I have bought her a special pillow and a heat wrap to help her neck and shoulders, could something like that help her knees as well?

As far as I know she only has paracetamol at the moment, could there be side effects of taking anything stronger?

Many thanks in advance

poor gran, it can be miserable, we have it in our family, what sort of arthiritis does she have? There are arthiritis support groups, they offer a lot of advice.

Does she have equipment at home that would help like a raised toilet seat, grab rails, bed support. We bought a recliner chair and a electric bed which helped and there are loads of little bits you can get, would she like to have a physiotherapist or occupational therapist visit her at home to organise adaptations and equipment.
My family member has widespread osteo arthiritis and is now on morphine patches with paracetomol and a non steroidal pain killer if needed, that seems to be helping but they still get days when they are very stiff and it takes a while to get moving. They also use a TENS machine sometimes and avoid sitting on hard chairs.

All tablets have side effects but these can be managed by the doctor or district nurse, easing the pain is the most important thing to my family member.
www.arthritisaction.org.uk/

www.versusarthritis.org/get-help/helpline/

www.completecareshop.co.uk/free-product-advice-from-ots

Social services should be able to do an assessment of her home to see if she needs anything like handrails or bathroom gadgets to help. One of the most useful yet simple things that helped my mum was a little wheeled trolley. She could prepare a meal or drink and push it from kitchen to living room, using it as a walking aid as well as carrying things.

Her doctor should be able to give her more than paracetamol. Is she under a Rheumatologist? I ask because steroid injections are usually for Rheumatoid arthritis rather than osteo.

Also at 91 the benefit of a drug which makes life more bearable is worth any long term side effect.

@Hax. So true. I have an elderly relative who moved from overseas where she was routinely prescribed painkillers that are not available on the NHS. The doctor told her that at her age no one should be in pain. Makes me quite angry to see how much pain she is in now.