What problems does your arthritis cause you?

michaelgcse

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Hello, I'm currently doing my GCSE Coursework at school for OCR GCSE. I've opted to design and make a product to help people with arthritis or similar conditions. My choice has been heavily influenced by the fact my grandfather is a sufferer. However I am not yet sure exactly what I will attempt to create and I need to find out what people have problems doing and then come up with a solution for it, so it would help me greatly if anyone could help simply by listing a few problems that they face due to arthritis.

Thank You very much,

[NAME DELETED]

elnafinn

People with arthritis have difficulty walking, sitting standing, standing from a sitting position, steps generally, steps into buses and trains, opening things, doors, windows and vice versa, screwing and unscrewing jars and these safety tops, bending down to pick things up. Sometimes it is every movement that is painful. I bet you find that difficult to imagine.

Good luck with your project. If you post again with some ideas of what you are thinking of designing we can let you know if they are good ones and would be useful to us.

katykat

My arthritis affects my hands so I have problems with lifting, carrying, opening jars. writing etc.
The worst problem is that it is in my neck and spine also and has caused bony growths to develop along my spine (called bone spurs or osteophytes). These press into my spinal cord and cause numbness and pins and needles all over my body, also headaches and sometimes vertigo. I hope this helps and if I can help more please ask.
Kate

mattsmum

You've already had a pretty comprehensive list, but... Putting on socks, shoes, pants because you can't reach your feet. Doing things up at the back, because you can't get at the back of your own neck! Reaching high things, because you can't raise your arms above shoulder height. Hope that helps.
JossX

radiogirl

Dear [name deleted by moderator]

I think that you doing this project is great, I have problems with my hands mainly, when thinks are smooth, like glass jars I cannot get a firm enough grip and I drop them, sometimes my kitchens a mess !
Also getting from the sitting to the standing position is not always good, getting in and out of cars is not much fun sometimes.

Hope this helps

Good luck.

frogmorton

Hi [name deleted by modrator]
I think you have a good list already, but I'd like to add that I think this is a great idea and I hope you come up with something really useful
Cheers!
Toni

michaelgcse

Thank you so much for all the replies!

I think it would be easiest for me with the limitations I have to design something to help people with opening something, however I realise there is quite alot on the market for this already (not that I want to market this, but it has to be a new idea(ish)), so I'll try and think of something innovative.

kate21

with regard to opening things, what i find most difficult is the smaller bottle tops, like on coke or lemonade bottles. also the smaller tops on some tetra packs/cartons which require a very firm grip to open them.

although i have a few gadgets for jar/bottle opening, none of them seem to work for this type. i normally end up using my teeth!!!

if you consider something like this, you must remember that many people with arthritis will have very little strength/a lot of pain in their hands, fingers and wrists. the turning action necessary for opening bottles etc can be pretty impossible at times. maybe you could think of a way of changing this turning motion into something else through the device you desgin.

good luck with your project!

Wonkylegs

What a great project - and thank you for putting so much thought into it.

As most of the others have already said, it is the little things that cause us the most problems.

Something that I don't recall being mentioned already is the problems with writing that many of us experience. Holding a pencil/pen for any length of time can be very painful, and the average pen/cil is often far too small for us to grip easily.

Personally I find it very uncomfortable to use a mouse for the computer, mainly because it is always the same finger which is required to make repeated movements.

One other thing that drives me mad -

squeezy bottles (like my shampoo bottle) which need so much strength to squeeze that we can only use them on 'good' days. It is not great having to wait until your hubby comes home from work to be able to finish washing your hair!


best of luck with your project!

coralbangle

hello,

As mentioned on a different thread the pump at at a petrol station squeezing trigger is hell.
If it could be a gadget that fitted into a bag and was multi-functional like a swiss pen knife that would be good. (miricules expected )
I have problems with carrying bags. Normal shopping bags are useless because of having to hold them, yet trying to put a bag up on to my shoulder when my elbow is stiff is impossible. Cant put things in shopping trolley and then cant push/drag it along so i dont even go there.
best of luck
Coral

merryberry

My particular bug bears are bathing the baby, especially when fingers are numb. He often goes a couple of days between dunks, waiting for someone safe to do it. And doing up poppers/tiny buttons on his clothes. It is so hard to find velcro'd or zippered baby clothes.

elnafinn

merryberry wrote:

My particular bug bears are bathing the baby, especially when fingers are numb. He often goes a couple of days between dunks, waiting for someone safe to do it. And doing up poppers/tiny buttons on his clothes. It is so hard to find velcro'd or zippered baby clothes.

Hello

Would a Tummy Tub Baby Bucket Bath be ok for you to use, for babes up to 6 months. My grand daughter of 7 weeks loves it. She looks like a little buddha sitting there

Elna x

slummymummy

I would like something to stop my mobile phone slipping out of my hand (because I have a weak grip), and something to help me pull my skinny jeans on :shock: .

lindalegs

slummymummy wrote:

I would like something to stop my mobile phone slipping out of my hand (because I have a weak grip), and something to help me pull my skinny jeans on :shock: .

I'm with you on this one, my hands in the morning especially, seem to sweat alot and handling any phone is difficult - my phones, landline and mobile, all have handsfree/speaker on them, because of this. It might be worth you thinking about this when you have to replace them.

I always buy jeans or any trousers with belt hoops on them to enable me to pull them up, although it can still be a struggle. Dressing and undressing is so energy consumming it's a pity we can't walk around naked all the time :oops: :shock: :shock: - in the realms of the surreal maybe spectacles could be invented that made the nude body look dressed, I would save so much time and energy. :P
Luv Legs

susann

taking a plug out of a socket,I can never grip it and pull

lindalegs

susann wrote:

taking a plug out of a socket,I can never grip it and pull

Hi Susann
Plugs with handles moulded on are widely available. I've got them on most appliances I need to plug in or unplug regularly e.g. vaccuum, hairdryer, iron etc.
Luv Legs

susann

lindalegs wrote:

susann wrote:

taking a plug out of a socket,I can never grip it and pull

Hi Susann
Plugs with handles moulded on are widely available. I've got them on most appliances I need to plug in or unplug regularly e.g. vaccuum, hairdryer, iron etc.
Luv Legs

Thanks Linda will look for them ,I really hate struggling with plugs

michaelgcse

Thank you for the continued responses. I think for me the most practical thing to make would be something to ad gripping or opening, but there are many existing products out there. Something my granddad mentioned was opening Nightlocks, the lock found on the front door (for example those made by Yale) which have very small knobs which can be diffucult to open and so discourage going outside, does anyone else have any diffuculty with this?

Michael

kezzo1

stiffness in hands in morn and eve, pain in wrists shoulder, toes,hard to open milk and baby jars sometimes door handles if stiff had to use 2 hands, getting in and out the bath, walking long distance, standing too long,

lindalegs

kezzo1 wrote:

stiffness in hands in morn and eve, pain in wrists shoulder, toes,hard to open milk and baby jars sometimes door handles if stiff had to use 2 hands, getting in and out the bath, walking long distance, standing too long,

Hi Kezzo,
I have treated myself, this afternoon, to a battery operated jar opener, quite expensive at £19, but it opens all jars even the ones with the pop tops and would make easy work of your baby food jars. I got it from L*k*land. I'm thinking that every little helps and we get that bit of independence back.
Luv Legs

kate21

michaelgcse wrote:

the lock found on the front door (for example those made by Yale) which have very small knobs which can be diffucult to open and so discourage going outside, does anyone else have any diffuculty with this?

Michael

Hi, i definitely also have trouble with this. luckily the flat i live in has a different type of lock. but i have actually technically been locked in my old flat and my mums house because of this. it is particularly bad in the winter as alongside joints worsening in the cold, often doors swell with the rain and become stuck or stiff making them even harder to open.

a device for help with this would be a god send.

there is a gadget already that may work. it is like one of those pin boards with a handle attached. here is an example:

http://www.handyhealthcare.co.uk/mobility-aids/household/gripping-and-turning/contour-turner.html

however i'm not sure how well these work! they look pretty difficult and tempremental to me. perhaps you could visit a local mobility shop and ask to test out some products. this way you could see where the gap in the market it.

something that would open yale locks but also could be attached to a key ring would be very useful so you would always have it with you when leaving the house

madwestie

legs hubby brought me one of those jar openers 2 weeks ago i find it a godsend. no more knocking next door when hubby is out. i actually enjoy opening jars now (how sad does that sound) i've got a bit back that i could do before the ra took hold.

michaelgcse

Hi, i definitely also have trouble with this. luckily the flat i live in has a different type of lock. but i have actually technically been locked in my old flat and my mums house because of this. it is particularly bad in the winter as alongside joints worsening in the cold, often doors swell with the rain and become stuck or stiff making them even harder to open.

a device for help with this would be a god send.

there is a gadget already that may work. it is like one of those pin boards with a handle attached. here is an example:

http://www.handyhealthcare.co.uk/mobility-aids/household/gripping-and-turning/contour-turner.html

however i'm not sure how well these work! they look pretty difficult and tempremental to me. perhaps you could visit a local mobility shop and ask to test out some products. this way you could see where the gap in the market it.

something that would open yale locks but also could be attached to a key ring would be very useful so you would always have it with you when leaving the house[/quote]

Thank you very much kate21, I'll do this and draw up some ideas and see where they lead. And again thank you to everybody else who has replied and helped me so far!

qbcube

lindalegs wrote:

susann wrote:

taking a plug out of a socket,I can never grip it and pull

Hi Susann
Plugs with handles moulded on are widely available. I've got them on most appliances I need to plug in or unplug regularly e.g. vaccuum, hairdryer, iron etc.
Luv Legs

Google "13a plug handle"

sharmaine

michaelgcse wrote:

NOTE FROM WEB MANAGER: THE AUTHENTICITY OF THIS POST HAS BEEN CHECKED. ALTHOUGH RESEARCHERS/STUDENTS SHOULD SEEK PERMISSION, IN ADVANCE, IN THIS CASE I HAVE MADE AN EXCEPTION.
Hello
Good luck with your coursework! I have osteoarthritis and this affects the joints in my knees, my toes and my fingers. I have real difficulty sitting in low chairs as it means I can't get up again. I find a chair with arms, that is of solid build much better. I'm 53 and a keen gardener and have trouble weeding and planting. I think there are many products on the market to help with these tasks. I can't walk for long distances and find walking on flat surfaces extremely difficult for example the weekly food shop at Tesco or going to B & Q. I often wish there were seats available when queuing to see the doctors receptionist; or at the airport or even around supermarkets. Everyday tasks are not easy!

When my arthritis flares up I find that I limp and my joints may ache for days at a time. The medication helps most days, but during flare ups I simply have to lie down and rest.

So standing or sitting in one place for arthritis sufferers is difficult and walking on flat surfaces is jolly painful. Perhaps you could come up with something to help the thousands of sufferers out there!
Good luck to you.

Hello, I'm currently doing my GCSE Coursework at school for OCR GCSE. I've opted to design and make a product to help people with arthritis or similar conditions. My choice has been heavily influenced by the fact my grandfather is a sufferer. However I am not yet sure exactly what I will attempt to create and I need to find out what people have problems doing and then come up with a solution for it, so it would help me greatly if anyone could help simply by listing a few problems that they face due to arthritis.

Thank You very much,

[NAME DELETED]

kirstym

michael maybe a wrist support that has soothing mvemnts, or the same for your knees extra. kinda lyk a vibrting feeling to relax and release pain. I have arthritis so i thought i might just pass on my idea.