Does anyone know if Medicare will help pay for one of those mobility assist chairs that can help someone up?

Have you considered the power chair that would maybe be safer for her as she gets up to go. Not being active with OA is not good so the choices are somewhat limited but let you PCP or an orthopedic surgeon help you so you can help her with the best of care.

You can get an inexpensive chair new for $400-$600. They are lift chairs. And, unless it has changed, Medicare will cover $350 for the cost of the motor.

The problem with lift chairs are they are not safe. The veterans would not furnish one for my dad for this reason. He is now in an excellent SNF and they furnish lift chairs but he adjusts it to the lift position and then falls asleep. He's fallen out a couple of times. One more time and i am going to unplug it.

Check with her suplimental, they may help.

you need to get her doctor to write a referral for a OT (occupational therapist). the OT's are trained and know of all that is available to assist your mum, and where to get it.

Check with a medical supply store that sells these chairs in your state. If your state's medicare pays the lift portion, they should know how to tell you to go about it and what the prescription would need to say. My mother had bad knees and my dad made various seats in the house higher than average so she could manage with less pain. She also used a lift chair. She had a wheel chair she used at her kitchen table that was adjusted with a thick cushion to a height that worked well for her. The wheel chair was easier for her to get up from as it locked in place and had arms that were helpful when she would stand up. It's important that they not sit too long anywhere. Therapy is also very helpful to keep the muscles above and below the knees strong. Squats are a great exercise if one wants to continue to be able to get up and down. I was told not to use a lift chair for my FIL because it would make him weaker. But he didn't have bone on bone. That sounds so painful. Ask your mothers dr to order her pt at home. They can evaluate her and see what help they can offer.

Check with your local agency on aging and see if they have one that has been donated, or if they can put you in touch with an agency that can help.

I was able to rent a lift recliner chair for my Dad to try out.   Oh my gosh, he loved that chair, and the control was so simple, large lighted arrow up and one large lighted arrow down.   It was soooo comfortable.   One time the motor stopped working, and the store sent a repairman out the same day.

These chairs come in different sizes, the store  asked how much did my Dad weigh and how tall was he, thus he got a chair that was a perfect fit.   Later down the road, I could purchase a brand new chair or buy the rented chair with a nice discount.

That chair made it so easy for my Dad to stand up, as in the past he would try to use the arms of his standard recliner or grab the rolling walker seat and try to pull himself up.   He fell a few times trying to do that.

Since I've been where you are now, I would like to add a little if you are going to obtain a different chair for her. It is extremely helpful if the arms of the chair extend to the front edge of the cushion. Some stop short. This is so that she can use the arms to *push* herself up rather than using the walker to *pull* herself up. There are you tube videos showing this motion.
One time when Mom was getting PT, he showed me how to help her do things, how she could help herself, how to use a gait belt. Later they showed me how to transfer her without injuring myself. But videos are helpful too.

You guys are awesome. I'm going to search for another chair. Hers is a rocker. This is quite the learning experience. So thankful for this community.

Windy - so right about those with dementia not being able to correctly use a lift chair.

My mother had a lift recliner that she spent a lot of time in with her legs up to help reduce swollen calves and ankles. Whether getting into the reclining position or getting out of it - mom was continually punching a hole in the wall behind her with the top corner of the chair. This was while she lived in a NH and they kept patching the wall even though we told them it was fine to leave - since we knew it would just keep occurring. When mom passed and we were settling the account the NH kept the hefty damage deposit- citing having to continually patch the hole in the wall! (Sigh)

My experience is with 86 year old mom. Her doc wrote an order for an assist chair, I still had to pay for it but saved on taxes only. This may differ in your state.

Couple tips about the chairs. They are simple to operate but people with dementia may not be able to remember how. Also, if cognitive skills are bad they can dump themselves  on the floor.

My mom does not have dementia but still forgets to use the assist to get up and down most of the time.

Medicare does not pay for a lift chair. Sometimes you can buy one used. I have heard that they will assist with the cost of the motor only, but on the other hand I have been told that they no longer do even that.

May I suggest that when you assist your mom, do not pull on her hands or arms, they are easily dislocated. Help her to move her rear end to the front edge of the chair and put her knees over her feet. Better body mechanics will help her stand up easier. Make sure the chair isn't too low to the ground. Make sure it isn't a rocking chair that works against her. There are also portable seat risers available online. That may have an advantage in that it can be moved from chair to chair.

Cortisone shots in the knees may help, as well as ice packs to reduce swelling. Unfortunately, there really isn't much that can be done. The Supartz shots did nothing for my MIL even though we tried them several times. I now have the same diagnosis and can relate to the pain.