severe osteoporosis - can we get any help benefits wise???

pagangirl

Hi - can anyone advise please?

Friend has been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis in her right hip.
Does anyone know if she can can get any help benefits wise, possibly under mobility.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

KxMx

If she has care needs or mobility problems it would be worth applying for DLA.

Indie_Kid

How old is she?

pagangirl

sh1305. - She is 50

Indie_Kid

In that case, she can apply for DLA if she's had care and /or mobility needs (not diagnosis) for at least 3 months and they're expected to last for another 6.

Oldernotwiser

Is she working or capable of working?

zaksmum

I have a friend who has severe osteoporosis and she's been on both Incapacity and DLA for over 20 years now. She's late 50s and was previously an NHS professional

andyandflo

zaksmum wrote: »

I have a friend who has severe osteoporosis and she's been on both Incapacity and DLA for over 20 years now. She's late 50s and was previously an NHS professional

It is quite a common disease, they say up to 50% of the population have it to some degree or other. The medical profession say that exercise is very good for it, you have to work through the pain. The worse thing that you can do is sit around and do nothing.
Apart from surgery in the more severe of cases, pain relief medication is all that is needed.

My wife suffers from Osteoporosis and has done for the past 15 years - she is now 66.
Her GP prescribes Codeine/Paracetemol 30/500mgs which she takes daily.

She has it in her neck, both wrists, both hands, both hips and left knee. Her right knee is now starting to show symptoms.

She has never claimed any disability/sickness benefit for it until she applied for DLA last year. She was turned down, and by the time she was notified that she had failed, she had passed the 65yr milestone and couldn't appeal or claim again.
Earlier this year she applied for Attendance Allowance and that was turned down as she has mobility problems not care problems as such.
I suppose it does depend on each claimant on how bad it is, but to be honest my wife is now more or less housebound with it. I have to do everything in the house for her now. On that basis I can't understand how your friend has managed to get both of those benefits, when others are being turned down right left and centre.
But I wish you well.

babymoo

Andyandflo - zaksmum has been on incapacity and DLA for 20 years already, therefore she didnt wait until the last minute to apply for a benefit that does run out as you rightly said at 65. She obviously has care and or mobility needs with her osteoporosis that mean she is eligible for the benefit. Everyone suffers differently. Your wife may well be ok to carry on "as normal" once she has had the pain relief you have described therefore she has no further care needs or mobility, and yes I may be totally wrong but my point is that unfortunately everyone suffers from conditions differently and it may be that zaksmum's friend has more needs than your wife does.

I'm sorry your wife is houesbound with her illness and it is horrible, I have been there, through other illnesses. Have you tried respite care for your wife so that you get a break?

P.s. sorry I didnt mean to hijack the thread.

Back to the OP, as others have said if your friend has care and or mobility needs then she may be eligible for DLA. What a lovely person you are to be helping her.

andyandflo

babymoo wrote: »

Andyandflo - zaksmum has been on incapacity and DLA for 20 years already, therefore she didnt wait until the last minute to apply for a benefit that does run out as you rightly said at 65. She obviously has care and or mobility needs with her osteoporosis that mean she is eligible for the benefit. Everyone suffers differently. Your wife may well be ok to carry on "as normal" once she has had the pain relief you have described therefore she has no further care needs or mobility, and yes I may be totally wrong but my point is that unfortunately everyone suffers from conditions differently and it may be that zaksmum's friend has more needs than your wife does.

I'm sorry your wife is houesbound with her illness and it is horrible, I have been there, through other illnesses. Have you tried respite care for your wife so that you get a break?

P.s. sorry I didnt mean to hijack the thread.

Back to the OP, as others have said if your friend has care and or mobility needs then she may be eligible for DLA. What a lovely person you are to be helping her.

Thanks for that, yes of course it is down to each individual person.
I accept your point that with sufficient pain relief, the ability to manage is possible to some degree or other. Like the OP, her friend is in the same boat, as everyone that takes that medication is capable of living a near normal life. Yes there may be degrees of mobility but surely for the OP's friend, like my wife, if she took enough pain relief, her mobility problems would ease to a somewhat normal level.
What I am trying to say but not probably making it clear, is that there can be very little difference in ability between one person and another provided the medication is taken in sufficient quantities.

That is what I thought medication was for, to relieve the pain so that mobility was not an issue.
Care is another thing, she may not be able to care for herself when in pain, but out of pain is a different matter. I thought the DWP assess somebody on the basis that they are taking sufficient of the right medication to make life possible in a more normal way - not their worst day without medication.

You can't use pain as an excuse for care or mobility needs surely?

Indie_Kid

andyandflo wrote: »

You can't use pain as an excuse for care or mobility needs surely?

But pain does cause care and mobility needs.