What Gifts are Good to Give Friends with Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis comes with certain limitations, such as difficulty holding pens or doing up buttons, and so that nice stationary set or item of clothing you were going to buy for your friend may not be the best thing for their wellness. If you have a friend with rheumatoid arthritis – and a birthday coming up – there are many gifts you can give them that can help improve their wellbeing.

Firstly, get to know about the types of limitation that your friend has to deal with. Does he or she have a problem using regular utensils to prepare meals and to eat, or is that fine but reaching for items in their kitchen cupboards is a challenge? Once you have the low-down on their condition, there are several shops online that provide a wide range of items to help someone with rheumatoid arthritis cope with physical challenges.

Your friend might appreciate eating utensils with special grip handles that make them easier to hold and use or knives that work with a rocking motion – as these will greatly reduce stress on your friend’s hands and wrist. for gardening enthusiasts, tools with special grips or extra-long handles might be a good idea, or your friend might like a reacher or grabber which allows them to extend their reach and retrieve items. You can also buy door knob grippers, which make it easier to turn regular door knobs, special cushions that can be put on pens and pencils, and dressing aids, such as button hooks, zip pulls, and shoe horns.

If your friend struggles buttoning clothing, or has items that are difficult to put on, how about giving them a voucher to have the clothing altered by a professional tailor or seamstress? You could even do the alterations yourself if you are handy with a needle and thread – all you need is a few Velcro brand fasteners. Other vouchers your friend might appreciate include ones for lawn services, cleaning services, maintenance services, food shopping delivery or a catered or home-cooked meal once a month. You could also help them with a voucher for a massage, gym or fitness club membership, tai chi classes, hair salon services or even a spa day.

 

What Gifts are Good to Give Friends with Arthritis?

Categories: Arthritis, Friend, gifts, items, Rheumatoid Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), services, special, Vouchers

Have You Picked Up Your Wellness Vouchers?

Looking after your family’s wellbeing by making sure they get enough exercise and a good diet can be a challenge, but the government is here to help with ‘money off’ vouchers for food, as well as discounts on activities and nutritional wellness advice. This is available to families in England as an incentive and encouragement to swap your unhealthy habits for healthier lifestyles.

 

This scheme is known as the ‘Great Swapathon’, and to qualify you will need to join up on the Great Swapathon website, fill out a questionnaire and you will automatically receive suggestions of lifestyle changes you can make to improve the health and fitness of your family. By taking part in the Great Swapathon, you will have access to a £50 book of vouchers for money off healthier foods and activities, recipes for healthier alternatives to favourite snacks and for family options for each meal time, as well as nutritional and activity advice.

 

These vouchers are being subsidised by the food and drinks industry, and amount to a total of £250 million overall. The Department of Health says the scheme is ‘a revolutionary new partnership between Government, industry and the media’, due to the fact that these food and drink manufacturers and activity providers are joining together with the Government to improve the health of the nation. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley stated that ‘This is a very exciting initiative. It’s a great example of how Government, the media, industry and retailers can work together to help families to be healthy.’

 

Lansley continued, ‘The healthy option isn’t always the cheapest option so it’s a really important step to be able to offer £50 off healthier foods, drinks and activities.’ One retailer was praised specifically by Lansley for offering 20% off dining room furniture, as this will ‘encourage families to sit round a table together for meals.’

 

Interim Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davies advised that ‘The New Year is a great time to think about making some small changes to be a little bit healthier’ so you should ‘be a bit more active and eat a little more healthily’, ‘try to eat five portions of fruit and veg every day’ and should ideally ‘be doing 30 minutes of exercise five times a week – or an hour a day for children’. However, Davies assures that ‘Exercise doesn’t have to be painful – you could take the dog for a walk or play with your kids in the park. Anything that gets your heart pumping.’

Have You Picked Up Your Wellness Vouchers?

Categories: Family, Information, Vouchers