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

andyandflo

sh1305 wrote: »

But pain does cause care and mobility needs.

Not if medication is taken in sufficient quantities to relieve it, it doesn't.

It's like saying that I need care and have mobility problems if I don't take my Morphine regularly. I can't function at all with the pain. Walking is impossible. Even bending down to put my socks on is sheer agony. With taking it, I have no pain, just the side effects of the medication. So I can't have care and mobility issues if I take my medication can I?

Mobility issues, as far as I understood them to be, related to the inability to phyically walk due to say, not being able to bend the knee, or lose balance due to some other deformity.

I think the OP's friend should bear this in mind as the DWP will take into account how she should be after taking all of the medication that is available, not how she is. The claimant has a duty to take the medication to relieve the pain and if she doesn't then the DWP can find against her. Self Help!

Otherwise you would have every Tom !!!!!! & Harry going for a medical without taking the medication just to show how bad things can be without it. Absolute rubbish!!

So the next time I have a medical - it's no Morphine for 24 hours beforehand and then collapse in the medical ending up in A&E, just to prove how bad my illness/disability/mobility needs/care needs are.

Indie_Kid

I used to take medication; but it didn't relieve the pain and caused various side effects which increased care needs.

babymoo

andyandflo wrote: »

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?

When I am in pain, I struggle to walk at all, I can't get out of bed/chair by myself, can barely handle stairs and getting in and out of the shower is a major chore.

When I take all of my pain relief I am that out of it that I can not be left alone at all.

I am not trying to play the "I am worse than you" game, my point is simply to point out that sometimes taking pain relief really isn't an option when you need to do certain things during a day, and whether you have taken the pain relief or not you can and some still are left with care and or mobility needs.

elfen

My mum's got osteoporosis and osteo arthritis in her knees, hips, back and shoulders. She gets LR DLA due to her needing help when walking, that her medicatino does not fully contain the pain and she needs hel pt oget in and out of the bath (and probably other things but she won't tell me...she's too proud)

Blahblahblah_2

Osteoporosis alone does not cause any symptoms at all and, as such, will not cause problems with mobility.

It does increase a person's risk of fracture and, if a person suffers a fracture as a consequence of having osteoporosis, this may cause problems with mobility which I suppose may entitle them to some sort of benefits.

qwertyuiop12345

andyandflo wrote: »

Not if medication is taken in sufficient quantities to relieve it, it doesn't.

It's like saying that I need care and have mobility problems if I don't take my Morphine regularly. I can't function at all with the pain. Walking is impossible. Even bending down to put my socks on is sheer agony. With taking it, I have no pain, just the side effects of the medication. So I can't have care and mobility issues if I take my medication can I?

Mobility issues, as far as I understood them to be, related to the inability to phyically walk due to say, not being able to bend the knee, or lose balance due to some other deformity.

I think the OP's friend should bear this in mind as the DWP will take into account how she should be after taking all of the medication that is available, not how she is. The claimant has a duty to take the medication to relieve the pain and if she doesn't then the DWP can find against her. Self Help!

Otherwise you would have every Tom !!!!!! & Harry going for a medical without taking the medication just to show how bad things can be without it. Absolute rubbish!!

So the next time I have a medical - it's no Morphine for 24 hours beforehand and then collapse in the medical ending up in A&E, just to prove how bad my illness/disability/mobility needs/care needs are.

Sadly, not all pain can be prevented by medication. I take a combination of morphine, diclofenac, tramadol and paracetamol along with various anti nausea drugs and sedative type things, but my pain can still be very severe despite this. You are very lucky to have no pain after taking your medication.

With regard to mobility issues, you understood incorrectly. One of the criteria for DLA mobility is as follows:

because of a physical disability, you are unable or virtually unable to walk without severe discomfort, or at risk of endangering your life or causing deterioration in your health by making the effort to walk

zaksmum

Painkillers may not deal with the pain completely though. Taking the edge off it may be the best you can hope for, so that you can function to some extent rather than not at all.

My friend does have days when she can potter round the house and garden, but she's had so many fractures due to the osteoporosis that most of her joints are so painful she can be bedridden for days at a time.

Pain is a very valid reason to claim DLA.

Newly_retired

it isn't the condition that entitles you to DLA - it's your needs.

lilac_lady

My sister has osteporosis in her hips, spine and wrist. She has broken both her wrists and her ankle at separate times. Her wrist fractures have left her with a very weak grip and much pain. She applied for DLA and was awarded the low care rate.

If osteoporosis has affected you to the point where you need help you should apply for it and if rejected, should appeal. It's progressive and won't go away.