Gadgets to help with rheumatoid arthritis

[Moomoola]

Hello! MIL has it severely and can no longer move and struggles to hold the phone.
can anyone help me with gadgets that might make life easier? She has speaker phone on when she calls me in her mobile, but is going deaf so she still has to hold it.
she can no longer use keypad so can’t Google.
FIL looks after her and it’s constant washing, moving etc. he’s finding it exhausting ( he’s 80) they live miles away and are very stubborn, won’t let us visit in case we bring covid/ catch something. I’m not sure what MIL means but it might be the teeny insects that she believes live and are breeding in her ( they might be, not pleasant anyway).
obviously they need help, but I don’t know how if I can’t visit!
sending MIL a bird feeder that sticks to the window so she can see a bit of life.
am trying to persuade them to use ‘cook’ frozen meals, no luck so far.
thank you x

Maybe an Amazon Alexa and Echo Show? The Show is a screen she can interact with and the Alexa is just a speaker. She can give it instructions including telling it to make phone calls for her... It's not 100% intuitive though so you'd probably need to set it up for them which if they won't let you in is problematic.

You might also want to phone the GP to arrange a home visit about the bugs - it's a common delusion or hallucination and might indicate a UTI or significant increase in dementia or similar.

It also sounds like they needed a care assessment if your FIL is struggling to cope.

What would happen if you just appeared on their doorstep?

It sounds like they need an OT assessment. Occupational therapy can arrange for all kinds of adaptations in the home to help. Things like handrails, bathing aids, grippers. One thing that was a massive help to mum was a little thing like a hostess trolley she could put a plate or a cup of tea on it and push into the next room.

Hearing test? Loss of hearing can contribute to dementia.
How do they shop? Could you set up home delivery?

Tech gadgets can be difficult if you are not there to teach them how to use them but my mum managed a large iPad /tablet and could play some games on it.
I spent many hours writing detailed instructions on how to use gadgets and troubleshooting over the phone.

Is there an Independent Living Centre nearby? They are showrooms for all sorts of gadgets to help disabled people.

Thanks everyone. They are hard to help! I’ve got them a trail with ‘cook’ as FIL hates cooking and gets angry. He’s the sort of person who irons the sheets.😳
we did get an Alexa but obv they don’t use it. Will just have to book a band b nearby and suprise them.
they won’t let us visit as they won’t compromise on being ‘good’ hosts, which means loads of stress. I’m sure I can make my own bed!