Things you can't live without! Helpful Hints!

Helpful Hints

Our members have all learned  learned a few tricks that help us
around the house, with day to day things that most people take
for granted. Things like getting clothes from the dryer, or
sitting up in bed can cause injury for those with bad backs.
People in wheelchairs may find it difficult to reach certain
things that need reaching. Here are a few recommended ideas
that have helped us live our day to day lives with more ease.

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    Velma told us these hints for life from a wheelchair..

 "Carrying coffee can be harmful , it's hot and real easy to spill
if you are in a wheel chair , So I started using a travel mug, put
the lid on it can set in between your legs until you get where you
are going and it's not hot !

     Getting clothes out of the washer can be very hard for me
and as well for people with back problems : Tongs , the BBQ kind
or just the regular tongs really help .

  Getting clothes out of the Dryer can even be more painful
for us whose backs are killing us
: Childs plastic Rake or Hoe work really well. Pulls them to
where you can reach them."

Walt finds these things help him.
 
"What I use for picking up dropped things or clothes from
the dryer is  a reach extender. On one end there is a pistol
grip with a trigger that closes the hook on the far end It
makes  it easy to pick up small dropped things. Also there
is a magnet on the end to pick up metal objects.

Another helpful tool is my sock thing. It is shaped like
an eaves trough. You slide the sock on it put it on the floor
put you foot in it and pull it up by the attached cord and
your socks are on. No bending. 

These things can be bought
at a medical supply store. Their both under fifteen dollars
or you can put them on the durable med equipment section of
your insurance."

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Cowboy added this!

  "I sometimes use my cane as an extra hand. If I drop
something, and can't bend enough to pick it up, either end
can come in handy, depending on what I drop. Even used it
to rake clothes out of the dryer!  Here's hoping you have a
low pain day. ( For all you guys out there, it works good for
toilet lids too. The ladies will thank you!)"

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Cyndy says

 "I can't bend far enough to reach the back of my shiny
new humongous dryer, so I keep a hanger on a  pipe just
above it to help me snag those last few socks to the front. 

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A sturdy stool on wheels is a good way to scoot around the
kitchen if standing for any length of time is a problem.
 
I strongly recommend a Bed Sack or similar type mattress cover. 
It's amazing the difference it makes in comfort, and sheets fit
better, too.  They're totally washable, and if continence is a
problem, a cheap plastic mattress cover can be used under it.
A Bed Sack is the brand name of a type of mattress cover. 
It's very plushly quilted and soft.  The average mattress
pad is flat and hard, but a Bed Sack is like sleeping on down. 
A channel quilted mattress cover should be similar.  T
these thicker covers have sides like fitted sheets, not elastic
straps like a mattress pad."

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Dan told us about long handled gardening tools.  Fantastic and simple idea that has made it easier to be outside working in the garden.

http://www.lifewithease.com/garden.html

I also have stopped buying high maintenance plants and got rid of most of my ground cover plants.  They were too much work.

 

I use a crock pot and George Foreman grill whenever possible, rather than using oven.   Saves bending and lifting.

 

If you don't have a shower chair, use a plastic chair with rubber grips on the feet in the shower. And always  use a rubber bath mat, to prevent slipping.

http://www.activeforever.com/

 

An  shower wand makes shampooing your hair much easier, especially if you have long hair. 

Safety rails attactched to the wall beside and on the tub and toilet make getting up and down easier.

 

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Susannah says:
 
"I couldn't live without those two gadgets Walt RN.
My husband has just made a 2 foot long pipe with a
tooth  brush fitted in one end for me to clean those
difficult corners in the shower recess. Also a stick
with a spatula like end for applying moisturizer or
ointment to my feet."

Lotion Applicator

 
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