My Dad (88) can't have knee surgery due to health issues. Now what?

God bless him.

And you.

Thanks to everyone who responded. My dad is using a knee brace. Took shots as long as they helped. Now he is starting to use a power chair. He has gained his independence back which is fantastic. A power chair from a small bussiness refurbishing chairs for those not qualifying for Medicare chair or don t t want the hassle. Wears now modifying his home. For chair access but all is well worth it. We are trying to preserve enough of his knee to avoid needing personal care assistance. He rides around the house and out running errands and can still shower and use bathroom. Every day is a new challenge but we keep in trying.

Carla88, I have the same issue with my Dad regarding his knees.... the orthopedic doctor wanted to do surgery but my Dad felt at his age [93] it would be too much of a risk. Whew, glad Dad said no. I am also looking around to see what is on the market that would help ease the pain.... I don't want Dad to be on any high strength pain pills, he sleeps enough already :P

Pam, thanks for the name Synvisc. I went to WebMD and printed off the material they had and will give it to Dad's primary doctor to see what she thinks about this product. Sounds like it would be worth a try.

Now I also need to find a comfortable knee brace that isn't a major struggle to get on... something with a Velcro closure. If anyone has found something that helps, let me know the name. Thanks :)

There are injections of Synvisc. Knee braces prevent buckling. Losing 40 lbs always helps. Finally, swimming is very good PT for knees.

We also have this problem with Dad. He is the same age as yours, and needs bilateral TKR but the docs won't do it due to his age. So I bought him some really good, comfortable knee braces that give him some stability, and help mitigate some of the pain. Have his orthopedist recommend some, or you can go online and there are a kot of good ones. We also got an electric lift chair that helps tremendously when he needs to get out of his chair. It is a Catnapper brand recliner, and he loves.it.