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There are lots of flat, flimsy tab lifters around to use when opening soda pop cans, or cans of soup or tunafish. I find holding on to most of them nearly as difficult as trying to pry the tabs up in the first place. That’s why I like this tab lifter so much. The handle is nice and robust — very easy to hold just by curling your hand around it.
Those of us who have worn eyeglasses forever — say from early elementary school — don’t have to worry much about where we set them down. If your uncorrected sight is as limited as mine is, you learn very quickly to put those babies in the same place every night.
The other night when my husband was searching our bookshelves for a copy of Eros and Magic in the Renaissance (don’t ask), he found a copy of a marvelous book I’d picked up years ago. Handmade Helps for Disabled Living (by Stuart Grainger) is a compendium of ideas and projects designed to make living with various disabilities easier.
Hand tremors can make eating an insecure business, and mealtimes frustrating and unrewarding. When trembling is not too severe, weighted tableware can make dining a more pleasant experience again, instead of a discouraging struggle. This fork is part of a standard set of four pieces (fork, knife, teaspoon, soup spoon). Each piece can be bought individually, or the four can be purchased as a set.
This tableware looks very much like standard silverware — an advantage for people who may be self-conscious about using a dining aid. The individual pieces are a bit thicker than ordinary utensils — one-quarter inch high by one-half inch wide. Each weighs 7.5 ounces; heavy enough to sooth mild tremors, but not too heavy for most people to eat with. The set’s stainless steel and dishwasher-safe.
Weighted Utensils at Dynamic Living
At some point during the time when my dad used a cane, it became essential to get a walker to use when we went out. Sometimes he had to walk a little further than he comfortably could with his cane, and sometimes we were in situations when he really needed to sit for a while. Having the walker made that possible.
Ah, IKEA, how did we ever manage without you? On our last visit we picked up another one of those basic essentials for good living — a long-handled shoehorn. No household is complete without one — but IKEA, as ever, carries the idea one (dare I say it?) step better: This shoehorn is a serpent. Turn it so that the hook faces you and you’ll be looking directly into the snakely visage. A shoehorn with a sense of humor — it’s what the world needs now.
Omsorg Shoehorn at IKEA (it’s on the Singapore site, but in stock, this week at least, in Plymouth Meeting in the good old US of A).
Making life better and easier sometimes requires looking at things you accept as perfectly ordinary parts of life and considering them from a completely different perspective. This post is about one of those things — the baby crib you may have slept in when you were little, and the one you may be considering using for your own child.
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.
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My dad’s old cordless phone was a mixed blessing. The ‘cordless’ part was great because it was easy to use anywhere in the room, but, like most of the cordless units available, the phone and its charger base were lightweight — the charger cord weighed so much more than the base that the phone was often pulled onto the floor.
A few generations ago, brushing hair was a crucial, and pleasurable, every day routine for many women. These days, few people have time for lengthy sessions in front of the dressing table, but even modern hair needs a good brushing and some attention now and then. Easy enough, unless you have a shoulder injury or arms that don’t like being raised above shoulder height, in which case there’s nothing easy about it; getting to the top of your head to shampoo, to brush, or to comb can seem like climbing Mount Everest (but with bad hair!).