Good Gifts For Arthritis Sufferers

Arthritis can be a crippling pain – I know of what I type as that beautiful hand under mine in the photo to the right was my 95-year-old Mom’s hand. And, a beautiful hand it was.

Especially on rainy days, my Mom’s arthritis pain could bring tears to her eyes, and to mine. There’s really nothing worse that watching someone you love so dearly suffer in arthritis pain, and there’s little you can do about it.

But, wait – I did find a few things that helped alleviate my Mom’s joint pain, or at least, keep it from getting worse.

Since I was my Mom’s caregiver, I was able to aid her in a lot of the daily living tasks such as dressing, basic hygiene, preparing meals, etc. I realize that Mom and I were incredibly lucky – I was able to keep her home with me and help her.

On this article, I’ll give you some ideas for helpful gifts. Now, these are mostly practical gifts that help those with painful hands function more independently. They might not be the most fun gifts but, you just might find, they’re the most helpful and appreciated by arthritis sufferers.

Touch Lamps Are A Perfect Gift For An Arthritis Patient

Just a touch of the base turns these touch-on, touch-off lamps either on or off.  There’s no fiddling with little switches that elude arthritic fingers, no searching in the dark for the on switch.

I put one of these lamps in Mom’s room on the nightstand so she could touch it to turn it on and see easily at night.

To see more a larger selection of touch on lamps, check out my article ‘Touch On Touch Off Lamps.’

 Touch Bedside Table Lamp – Modern Small Lamp for Bedroom Living Room Nightstand, Desk lamp with White Opal Glass Lamp Shade, Warm LED Bulb, 3 Way Dimmable, Simple Design Christmas Gift Regency Hill Traditional Accent Table Lamp 15 PARTPHONER Table Lamps Set of 2, Bedside Touch Lamp with Dual USB Charging Ports, Side Table Lamp with White Fabric Shade (LED Bulbs Included)

Arthritis Gloves May Alleviate Swelling of Arthritic Joints

Not only did my elderly Mom have arthritis, she also had carpal tunnel. One of the things that really helped her were arthritis gloves. The bit of compression that these gloves offer was just enough to quell some of the pain in her hands.

Note: arthritis gloves appear to be a pretty personal item so we went through a lot of types before finding just the right glove for my Mom. Be prepared. It might take a few tries to find the glove that works for your loved one.

 IMAK Hand / Elbow Arthritis Gloves Size: Medium FLA Orthopedics Therall Arthritis Gloves Size Medium – One Pair Thermoskin Premium Arthritic Gloves Pair, Black, Medium

Electric Scissors Work Well For Arthritis Sufferers

Whether your favorite joint pain sufferer still likes to sew or is a coupon clipper, introducing him or her to a good pair of electric scissors will get you in their good graces – for good! I love the pair that a friend gave to my Mom and use them to this day.

 JOAVANI Cordless Scissors, Electric Scissors for Sewing, Cutting Fabrics, Crafting, Cardboard, Cordless Shears Tools (Two Battery, Lower Noise) VLOXO Cordless Electric Scissors with 2 Blades Rechargeable Powerful Shears Cutting Tool for Fabric Cardboard Carpet Leather Felt with Charger & Storage Box-Pink Cordless Electric Scissors, SnapFresh 4V Electric Mini Cutter, Rotary Cutter for Fabric and Cloth, Carpet and Cardboard Cutter with a Replacement Blade

Ring Pens Help Arthritis Sufferers Write

One of my favorite things was to come down to the kitchen in the morning to see that Mom had left me a little note or card – generally, it was to thank me for her day.

Her writing meant a lot to me as I knew how painful it was for her to even sign her name. The Ring Pens you see below helped Mom write short notes without her arthritic hand cramping up. These are excellent Christmas stocking stuffers.

 PenAgain Original 3 Pack Pens – Red, Blue, Green or Neon Green ETDYuuta 12pcs Big Fat Pens Short Mini Ink Pen For Tremor Arthritis Handicap Writing Parkinson Elegant Ink 0.7mm, Red,Blue,Orange,Black,Pink,Yellow, 12 Count (Pack of 1) Outus 6 Pieces Short and Fat Ballpoint Pen for Tremor, Arthritis, Parkinson, Big Fat Pens Elegant Black Barrel with Black Ink Mini Ink Pen

&

Kitchen Utensils For Those With Arthritis

I can’t tell you how many times my Mom would drop her fork or spoon because of her weak grip. I go so tired of picking up the things that she dropped that I trained my Australian Shepherd, Killian, to ‘Pick that Up For Her.’

I did buy a set of thick handled eating utensils for Mom but wish I’d found the Good Grips Utensil set below. I’m familiar with the brand and know they have quality items.

 Homvare Adaptive Utensils (4-Piece Kitchen Set) Wide, Non-Weighted, Non-Slip Handles for Hand Tremors, Arthritis, Parkinson’s or Elderly Use – Stainless Steel Knife, Fork, Spoons Vive Foam Tubing (9 Pack) – Utensil Padding Grips – Spoon, Fork Round Hollow Medical Closed Cell Tube – Cut to Length – Provides Wider, Larger Grip Pipe Tool for Dexterity, Disabled, Elderly ABLE-T Right Angle Knife, Approved by a Certified Occupational Therapist – 1 Count

&

For Arthritis Patients, Jar Openers Can Make The Difference Between A Sandwich With A Pickle – Or Without

Even though I have just a small amount of arthritis in my hands, opening a pickle jar can be incredibly irritating.

I can turn that sucker upside down, bang it on the counter until the cows come home, and still go without my juicy gherkin. That was pretty much the scenario in my kitchen many days until someone game me the NanDInfotech Perfect opener you see below.

 NANDInfotech Perfect Opener Arthritis Jar Opener & 8-in-1 Home Kitchen Tool Sets, Blue Hamilton Beach Open Ease Automatic Jar Opener EZ Off Jar Opener OXO Good Grips Jar Opener

&

Dressing Aids Can Allow Those With Arthritis A Bit More Independence

Although the below item on the left is billed as a ‘Deluxe Hip Kit,’ don’t be fooled. This dressing aid kit will work equally well for those with arthritic hands, or hips. Included in this kit is a 26″ reacher (perfect to retrieve that napkin or newspaper that invariably finds its way to the floor), a molded sock aid to help one pull up their socks, a large bath sponge, shoehorn, a dressing stick and elastic shoelaces.

 Deluxe Hip Kit Ableware 738810001 Dressing Stick Good Grips / Sure Grips Button Hook Zipper And Button Puller Sock Aid Easy On Original – Tool for Putting the Socks ON

&