Category: DIY

Shoe Lace Replacement

Wear Ease offers a different take on the difficulties shoelaces sometimes pose. Rip the laces out and replace them with these simple hook-and-loop strips.

Anchored in two eyelets on either side of the tongue, the strap folds over and fastens with hook-and-loop tape. A D-ring makes grabbing and manipulating easier. One set works for shoes with 2-3 pairs of eyelets; two pair may be needed for 4-6 pair of eyelets.

Available at Elderstore in black, brown, tan and white, though the website only lets you check off tan or brown; a phone call may be in order if you want white or black.

Lever Door Handles

Round door knobs are a bane on the face of the earth. Face it, people, they’re just not user-friendly. Wet hands, mittens, gloves, an armful of groceries . . . everyday something makes turning that knob a pain, even if nothing else is going on with your arms or hands. Add arthritis, grasp impairment, carpal tunnel syndrome or whatever and whooeeee . . . standard doorknobs aren’t really very user-friendly.

At Home DIY Everyday Gear

Non-Electric Call Bells

Post author By gearability
Post date February 4, 2007

Posting about call buttons made me think about the low-tech system my dad used to call his caregivers on the west coast. He kept this bell on his night stand, and rang it when he needed help in the middle of the night. It worked well — at least it served to wake me up, so I could wake up the caregivers — but that’s another story.

At Home DIY Everyday Gear Home Modifications

Easy-to-Use Light Switches

Post author By gearability
Post date February 2, 2007

I don’t have arthritic hands (yet), but the things that annoy me most on a daily basis are light switches. Ours are the ones that snap when they get pushed. When they get pushed hard, that is. Try pushing one of those babies when you’ve got a plate of crackers-and-cheese in one hand and a glass of juice in another. Pow — the wall needs washing and the crackers are a-slippin’. Even without arthritis, I don’t have an iota of the strength required to control the awesome power of a sprung light switch.

At Home DIY Everyday Gear Nursing Home

Caddy/Holder for Call Button and Bed Controls

Post author By gearability
Post date January 30, 2007

Call buttons and bed controls are a critical part of nursing home life. For someone like my dad, who is able to manage these on his own, using them is one manifestation of independence. He can request that someone come to his room, rather than passively waiting, and he can adjust his bed without any help.

At Home DIY Everyday Gear Kids Nursing Home

Elastic Band for Holding Paper/Small Objects on Tray Table

Post author By gearability
Post date January 30, 2007

Writing has become difficult for my dad, and he does very little of it these days. After Christmas, though, he wanted to write short replies to a number of Christmas cards. It was difficult for him to hold on to the paper, so I rigged up a fat rubber band to hold it on his writing table.

At Home Clothing DIY Everyday Gear Gifts Good Stuff Kids Nursing Home

No-Slip Fleece Socks

Post author By gearability
Post date January 28, 2007

It’s winter, and the house is cold, especially at night — and nothing is colder than my feet. What I long for, on these cold evenings, is the perfect pair of socks. I want the lovely woolly ones that are soft and dreamy. Sadly, fuzzy socks threaten to kill me with every step I take.

At Home DIY Everyday Gear Good Stuff Home Modifications Nursing Home

No-Slip Grips for Phones, Remote Controls

Post author By gearability
Post date January 20, 2007

egrips appliques are hard to beat for making objects easier to grasp. Adding these rubberized adhesive strips to phones, remote controls and even nail clippers makes them less slippery without creating any additional bulk.

The IT crowd — at least those who aren’t cavalier about their equipment — use the same strips on PDAs and phones to avoid those potentially disasterous fumbles.

Available in all sorts of shapes and colors to customize just about everything. University of Texas fans can plaster their very own UT steer anywhere they like. Get them online, or at larger computer stores.

Locking Shoe Laces

Post author By gearability
Post date January 14, 2007

These interesting items make up a Lock Laces kit. The idea is that you thread the elastic laces through your shoe eyelets, push the ends through the cord locks, and then through the cord caps. Voila! No more tying and untying shoelaces — just open and shut the cordlocks by squeezing.