My Aunt will be receiving a card from the queen this April, she independent, in good health & lives alone. The one problem she's having is having to wear compression stockings, to the knee. I know myself that they are hellish to deal with, she is OK getting them on her feet but very concerned that in the effort to pull them up she is going to rip her skin. I've had a look on the web & everything looks very Heath Robinson. Has anyone any ideas that we could look at to assist?

She could ask her GP for an Occupational Therapy referral. 
They will help her with a way to deal with this along with all manner of other suggestions, techniques and bits of kit for easy daily activities.

> She could ask her GP for an Occupational Therapy referral. 
> They will help her with a way to deal with this along with all manner of other suggestions, techniques and bits of kit for easy daily activities.

I will suggest an OT referral, but she is extremely private and is not good or used to asking for help. The nurses have given her something to get them over the foot but the only suggestion so far is to wear rubber gloves to pull them up & knowing how tight they are these are getting caught. As for other daily activities she's fine, only recently given up mowing the lawn.

talc can help getting them up over skin. vile things.

also I do agree ask to be remeasured and maybe go for a slightly lighter weight version. heavier ones work best but consultant may agree a slightly lighter one would do good enough-and be far easier to get on.

I do sympathise!Having had to put these on poor ladies in the care home where I worked.I cant offer any advice as they were always really hard for us to put on,we all wondered how people living on their own,possibly with arthritis in their hands ,would manage.

Perhaps she could be persuaded that this is just professional advise and that they are as strongly interested in helping her in maintaining her independence as she is.

I agree horrid things but necessary sometimes would try talc rather than rubber gloves her skin is probably quite thin and I would worry about tearing it with the extra friction. Also the lightest ones that are suitable. Would the ot do home visit as part of community care. Stooge has made good comment ;) just to add hope she has a lovely birthday in April a very special one x

talc, and very slowly and gently from the the toes working them bit by bit rather than pulling from the top of the socks.
It is important that she has the right size too.

Karen

Many thanks for your replies, I too have fought with them when working in care. Yes, she has been checked for the size.

They have become the bane of her life taking probably an hour morning & night, suggested that she sleeps with them occasionally but she does love her bath in the evening. I've also advised her for some years to cream her legs daily  (which probably doesn't help), will talc dry her skin?

Once on they are wonderful but for some (me) impossible to get on and worse to remove I am in danger of having a panic attack when trying to remove and would resort to scissors but as no one puts them on for me now and I can get them on I no longer need to get them off.

> They have become the bane of her life taking probably an hour morning & night

I'm guessing she is getting up to the loo before putting them on then.  If she does it it will help to lay down again with the legs resting above the heart for about 20/30 minutes before attempting to put them on.
I think you are right about encouraging the regular use of E45 rather than talc but I do think she could benefit from one of the gadgets that OT could offer her and she really should not be sleeping in them.

> I'm guessing she is getting up to the loo before putting them on then.

Understand what your saying, but if it takes that amount of time to get them on first thing, don't think I could wait that lenght of time for the loo. Old age is a bug...!