Help For Elderly Friend

[emmie]

he is over 80 and is having trouble going 5 yards without stopping for breath, has been given an inhaler which doesn't seem to be doing much, he has been informed there is some residual damage to lungs due to smoking, he quit over 30 years ago. Not to mention severe pain in legs on walking, so hasn't been out the house for some while, doctors are some distance away
he did go a few days ago, but doesn't seem to have been helped, told it was his age, any advice as to what he could do next. I know what i would do, but i am not him...

[emmie]

i would get a smart retort or worse if i suggested a mobility scooter

[whiskeryron]

Then he does not want to get out much.

WR.

[Sharingan]

No any sort of medical expert here Em as you well know, but my ( and Sqad knows this because he kindly gave me soime information on the matter at the time) my 'grandfather' suffered a major heart heart attack in March , followed shortly after by another and then an attack of heart failure. He also has claudication and can't walk above about 5 metres without getting breathless. He has seen every consultant possible, had extensive MRA scans on his arteries regarding his leg pain and they have decided to treat the whole matter quite aggressively firstly with drugs, then with stents to his leg arteries ( which he has not had done yet) further cardiac stents ( again due for those shortly) with the idea of a bypass in 2-3 years.
His breathing was truly appalling due to COPD and his legs and lungs were filling with fluid, however they have him on a drug regime which helps tremendously. The consultants have taken a lot of trouble to try to improve his quality of life (and are thus far succeeding), so I really think it's worth your friend pushing to be seen and treated properly.He only stopped smoking after the first heart attack in March of this year.
His drug list is as follows:-
Tricagrelor 90mg twice daily
Atorvastatin 80mg daily
Ivabradine 5mg twice daily
Ramipril 2.5mg daily
Glyceryl Trinitrate spray as required
Ipatrorium Bromide inhaler 2x 4 times per day
Salmeteraol Xinafoate 2x twice per day
Aspirin daily
Omeprazole ( for an unrelated gastric issue)
Novomix ( for diabetes)
Salbutamol inhaler as required
Furosemide 40mg Twice daily
Sitagliptin 100mg daily
And finally Nicorandil 10 mg twice daily which seem to have made a huge difference as they were only prescribed 2 weeks ago.

My point is prior to his heart attack ( apart from the insulin) he was on no medication whatsoever and very, very poorly. Although he's not going to be running any marathons soon, his consultants have his quality of life at the top of their minds and have his scheduled for surgery to improve it still further, so you really must press your friend to push for treatment, it has made a world of difference to Calumn, who also railed he wasn't having a motability scooter but we got him one anyway and he now uses it after having a really good think about things. I hope your friend presses for the help he needs.

[Garibaldi2]

Your friend may be eligible for ‘Continuing Healthcare’ funded entirely by the NHS.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2392.aspx?CategoryID=68

He needs to ask for an assessment for Continuing Healthcare – the responsibility for this (to whom he should make the request) is his local PCT.

[bednobs]

pcts do not exist any more

[bednobs]

also, as the friend is not receiving any care, what exactly would the NHS pay for?

[boxtops]

Depending on where the friend lives, he needs to speak to Continuing Care either in his local Clinical Commissioning Group (the successors to the PCTs) or in the Commissioning Support Unit (locally, our continuing care team is part of our CSU).

[bednobs]

however, there is not much point in getting 100% health funding if you don't need any care, or aren't getting any!

[emmie]

this person has been fairly independent, active and could get around, walking reasonable, and using public transport, because of the breathing problems that seem to have occurred as mentioned within the last 6-12 months. He had some help some time back with the cancer from health care professionals, doesn't currently need any help in the home, but i am worried he is not going out, to my mind and own experiences there is a good deal of depression. Thanks for the further info, i am considering contacting his GP surgery, he is not based in the capital so i am not able to go there in person, at least not for a time.

[Scarlett]

Could you help him apply for Disability Living Allowance? He would definitely get the mobility rate and that could afford him a motor scooter or wheelchair which would at least get him outside a bit. If he has pain on walking could he try a pain killer such as Amitriptyline, which might help with any nerve damage? I know it's a long shot but my pain was helped by doing a detox/elimination diet. Gluten and dairy and sugar can cause inflammation in some people, which over many years can lead to pain. Also get him to go to physio. Massaging and stretching his leg muscles might give them strength. They have probably got stiff from not being used. Finally, look up Tommie Copper- amazing bands you can wear which are infused with copper. I swear they help with pain. He could get one to wear over his ankles or knees and they would act as support as well as possibly help with pain.