A Practical Guide for Friends of People With Arthritis

Pattye, I am glad tp hear that you are doing better. You are right that the world still goes on whether we are up and about or not. I wish we had the operations in Australia that you have in America but we are a bit slow down under. Hope you keep getting better and will be able to do all the walking and whatnot that you want to do.

cheers Eileen

Hi pattye, i'm a fellow RA and OA sufferer and i have spondylosis in my hips and it just kills me. i've already had a 3 level fusion on my cervical spine, so i'm sure i'm going to have a long haul of growing old with numerous surgeries in the future. your ideas are great. i'm an RN and i've done home health for years and i had a few to add to yours. these are things people don't think about. since most retired folks are on a fixed income and it's not practical to think about hiring someone to do your chores, think about calling a girl scout/boy scout group and ask the leaders to see if they can get willing volunteers to do things like grocery shopping, trash, even housekeeping and yard work. (easy stuff) my kids were in scouts, but never were asked to do anything like this, but i would have gladly "lent" them out to someone in need. there are certain things they have to do to earn badges you know. believe it or not, there are a lot of good kids out there that would love to help someone out, it just takes an adult to get kids to understand what kind of a hardship you were dealing with. also, i live in a town with a nursing school, they have a bulletin board that people in the public can post ads on through at the student union building. now, it might cost you a little to get a young adult to come by and take out trash and wash dishes, do some laundry and some easy shopping and put up the groceries, but when i was in nursing school i would have loved to have a one day a week job to have just a little spending money. surely there are still kids out there like that - maybe not, but it's worth a try. also, don't forget your church. people think they are intruding if they come by very often, but no one i know would mind picking up a prescription. re-think your pharmacy if you take a lot of meds. little home town pharmacies deliver and they will add stuff to your order like a roll of toilet paper, lotions, otc meds, bandaids, denture stuff, toothpaste, shampoo, bath soap, etc to your order and they will deliver it all at the same time. some will let older folks charge up to a certain amt. most will let you write a check when they get to your house. in amarillo, tx our pharmacies are charging $2-$3 a delivery. well, good luck to you. mind your physical therapist!! i wish you all the best.    melanie
p.s. if you call around to beauty shops, i can almost guarantee that you can find someone who will come to your home to cut and style (or roll) your hair. i had to call several places, but finally found one for all my female patients!!