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.
Category: Home Modifications
Much to everyone’s surprise, my dad not only survived his transfer from the west coast to a nursing home on the east coast, but he thrived. It wasn’t long before I began looking for ways to get him out and about — not just to doctors, but so that he could get to know the area around the home and have at least a bit of the sense of freedom that he had had when living at home.
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.
See also: Lever Door Handles
Some days it’s a good to have basic data first thing in the morning and on demand all day long. This expensive clock from The Alzheimer’s Store has large clear numerals and text showing the month, day, date and time in high contrast.
Unlike an LED clock face, it’s readable from any direction; my dad can see his even at night from the ambient light in his room. At 12 inches by 15 inches, it’s large enough to see from across the room, too.
The clock works are mechanical, and the cost apparently has to do with the durabiliy of the flipping mechanism (each numeral/word is on a separate tab which is turned by a little motor). Setting the features is simple; the clock runs on one AA battery, theoretically for two years.
It’s worth every penny; my dad refers to it regularly and has often mentioned how helpful it is.
In Part 1 of this series on Portable Ramps, I discussed the basic set-up around our house. This article will cover how I determined what sort of ramp setup we needed — Steps 1 through 4 on this mission.
I’ve just worked through the process of researching and buying portable wheelchair ramps for the house, so that we can get my dad into and out of it easily when he visits. We want him to be here with as little fuss and stress as possible.
