Living with rheumatoid arthritis means you have to deal with pain or aching joints, stiffness, tenderness and inflammation as well as fatigue and so many more. You need to be able to manage all this as well as your daily tasks, whether they be at home or work. Good news is that there are many helpful aids, devices and gadgets out there to help make life easier and certainly less painful.
Rheumatoid arthritis can effect even the most basic tasks, tasks that you wouldn’t necessarily give a second thought to. This can include:
- Getting dressed
- Eating and drinking
- Showering
- Cooking
The sole goal of any daily living aid is to help make life safer and easier for those who need and use them. They can help anyone who has limited strength, mobility, dexterity and/or visibility. With a number of mobility stores around the country, you will also be able to pop in and give each of them a try before you buy.
What’s Available for Those with Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Dressing Aids:
With rheumatoid arthritis, the mornings can be tough. Just as you open your eyes to greet the day, there is stiffness and pain in your joints. This can make getting dressed a herculean task. That is why aids like:
- The ezy-on sock aid can help. There is no more bending, lifting and trying to work with uncooperative joints and socks. Simply place the sock on the frame and slide your foot into the sock for an easy breezy morning.
- Long shoe horns – Some shoes you can easily slip into and others need a little coaxing to get on. With a long shoe horn, you don’t have to bend down or use your sore potentially swollen fingers to put on your shoes.
- A button hook – such a genius invention that makes doing and undoing buttons much easier. It’s large plastic handle makes gripping better and more comfortable and you don’t to worry about wearing shirts, jackets and jeans.
Eating & Drinking Aids:
Navigating the kitchen can be difficult when you live with rheumatoid arthritis. There is plenty of lifting, holding, carrying and pouring of hot items like a kettle or a pot. Not to worry, there are aids to make this safer and easier too.
- The Uccello Tipping Kettle – with this kettle, there is no more lifting, balancing or straining yourself when using the kettle. You can use just one finger to pour the kettle. You won’t aggravate your joints and you can actually have a chance to enjoy your favourite hot drink.
- SuperGrip Cutlery – cutlery can be heavy, the arms can also be quite thin and difficult to grip and hold for arthritic hands. With SuperGrip cutlery, you don’t have to worry, the arms are wider and made of non-slip rubber so you don’t have to worry about dropping or spilling while eating.
- Large handled cups – With rheumatoid arthritis, it can effect your fingers and potentially deform your joints. This in itself can make drinking for cups or glasses with handles a nightmare. There are cups on the market now with longer and wider cup handles so this need not be a worry again.
Cooking Aids:
- Reachers – can be useful in any room in the house but particularly so when it comes to cooking. If you happen to drop a towel or need to get a tin from a high shelf, the reachers can be a god send. There is no more stretching, bending or reaching with this handy tool.
- Non-slip mats – the kitchen is a steamy potentially slippy place and is the room where most accidents can happen. With non slip mats like our Grip Mat, you can keep items in place and be able to open all stubborn lids. Having non-slip mats in the kitchen will really help, especially when your grip isn’t the best.
- Angled knives – will give you more stability with their soft grip handles and their unique shape means there is less pressure on your wrists. Freshly baked bread anyone?
Who Can Fund them?
Throughout Australia, the NDIS or National Disability Insurance Scheme funds the costs associated with disability. This can include and illness/disease that affects your mobility like arthritis.
There are a number of ways you can access funding from the NDIS and these include:
- Vehicle modifications
- Daily living products – such as our Uccello Kettle
- Home modification design and construction
- Transport
- Therapy supports
- Help from skilled works etc.
The NDIS supply 3 packages you can avail from and they are:
Self Managed
This is 100% managed by you. You can access your funding via the Myplace portal and are responsible for tracking all of your spending, claims and paying providers (such as store or a website you wish to buy a daily living aid from).
You would need to pay your service provider from your own account and then claim it back from the NDIA.
Plan Managed
The NDIA will allow for the funding of a plan manager within your plan. They will be able to access the funding for you, pay your providers and you keep track of your spending.
NDIA Managed
The NDIA pays the service providers for you. But you should note that if you choose this option, you will only be allowed to select from a list of NDIA-approved providers for any of your equipment or service needs.
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