Sad news and Good news

Marcia

Being diagnosed with Arthritis is no joke. It is very challenging to do everyday chores which was ok for me at first now I have to do a little at a time and then rest. Since having my operation and i have spoken to the Council in regards to being assessed as I am unable to stand to have a shower and the bath is too low for my hip that I would not be able to come out of the bath as I live alone. I have been given a bath seat which is too high and there is nowhere for me to hold on to get in and out of the bath.
I am not sure how to go about being assessed for PIP and getting a Freedom pass, its a constant battle to get people to listen and its uncomfortable for me to explain myself as if I don't know what I am entitled to and talking about it is difficult because of the feed backs I get comes across negative.
The good thing for me today is that I met a friend yesterday that told me about a disability Key I can get for £5 and it is called a RADAR KEY. I am so please about this.

[Deleted User]

Hi Marcia,

it’s lovely to meet you, I’ve read that you were hopeful of finding a group near yourself, I hope that’s successful and in the meantime post on here with any questions you think of and we will do our best to help!

I’m guessing a little from what you’ve said - please correct me if I’m wrong - I think you have hip osteoarthritis and have had a new hip?

You can ask for a referral to an Occupational Therapist (OT) either ask your doctor or get in touch with your local council, here’s a link to help

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/occupational-therapy/

If you have been assessed and are not happy as you said the bath seat was too high, or your situation changes you can get back in touch and explain this.

Claiming PIP can be daunting, it is based on what you need to be able to care for yourself and get around, here is the versus arthritis factsheet

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/financial-support/

Many people find it easier if they get help from others to make their claim eg CAB

Well done getting a radar key. This allows you access to disabled toilets throughout the UK.

I’ve moved your post to the Say Hello forum which is where most people’s first posts appear.

Do let us know how you get on, and ask anything, it is difficult trying to find out what is available and how to get it.

Take care

Yvonne x

stickywicket

Hi Marcia and welcome from me too I've had both hips and knees replaced so I can empathise with the ensuing difficulties. Though nowhere near as great as the difficulties before the replacements

I have had a RADAR key for a long time. It's best to buy from the official RADAR site for best quality but other versions are available. I keep mine in my bag always though I increasingly find that disailed toilets which don't require them are available in shops, sports grounds, transport hubs etc.

I wonder if your 'too high' bath seat is intended more as a shower seat. My shower seat is high but could be lowered. But, after a hip replacement, if that's what you've had, we mustn't take the joint over a 90 degrees angle so a high seat would also be essential for the bath. Not exactly relaxing but functional enough.

You can buy grab rails for the bath /shower at any disability store. Even Amazon has them. They're very cheap and suction ones would need no installation.

I'm sorry, I don't know what a Freedom Pass is. I've never heard anyone mention it on here.

Mike1

This link is to the CAB website to help you fill in the form: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form/
They will also offer help through their offices but also check your local Council Adult Care section as they may be able to help as well.

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you and I am sorry you have had to find us. I've had a RADAR key for years and only used it once - one is kept in the car and the other is, well, I don't know where! I began my first arthritis when I was 37, I am now 60 and have osteoarthritis plus fibromyalgia as well. Life takes and keeps on taking.

I was given a bath board by social services for me to sit on so I could wave the shower head around me, a total waste of time as my knees would not bend sufficiently and water went everywhere so we used it as a shelf in the airing cupboard. In our old house we had just one shower over the bath, now we have a choice and on my very poor days having a walk-in with a proper seat is a boon, I appreciate how fortunate I am. I have OA in both hips but still climb in and out of the bath to use the overhead shower, I regard it as a physio exercise, as is wiping down the walls etc after with a squeegee (I broke my upper left humerus back in 2014 so this helps me preserve the ROM* in that joint).

I began with one joint, now it's around forty and know that the best way to manage is to do a little and often with a rest in-between. The meds for my psoriatic arthritis (PsA) do nothing for the OA which I manage as best I can with pain relief, rest and sensible exercise. I am firmly of the opinion that because OA is so common, and because so little can be done to relieve the day-to-day grind of it, it is not taken seriously enough by those who don't have it. There are around ten million arthritics in the UK the majority of which have OA and we all get it because we've all got it. I hope you find the forum to be of interest, conversations happen when people talk so talk to us! DD

* = range of movement