10 Helpful Elderly Aids for Daily Living

The older we get, the more difficult activities for daily living become. Our aging bodies naturally go through changes that may limit our abilities to perform activities we’ve often taken for granted. For example, getting in and out of bed, performing personal hygiene rituals, getting dressed and undressed, and even cooking and eating are activities that are harder to accomplish as we age. In addition to the difficulty performing daily living activities, the issue of safety in the bathroom and getting around in general also becomes problematic. 

These sudden age related limitations may be minor unless they are accompanied by a disability, a chronic illness or a neurological disorder such as cerebral palsy, arthritis or Parkinson’s. An elderly person with arthritis may have difficulty holding a hairbrush or a comb to groom themselves. Or, they may have difficulty holding an eating utensil to feed themselves because of pain and dexterity problems with their hands. Likewise, a person with Parkinson’s disease may experience the same problem holding a hairbrush, a comb or an eating utensil due to their hands constantly shaking, commonly known as essential hand tremors.   

The Result of Losing the Ability to Perform Daily Living Activities

Difficulties performing activities for daily living can happen to people of any age. However, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the difficulty is more prevalent in the elderly population and even more so for elderly people aged 85 and over. Depending on the person, these difficulties may result in having to seek help from a caregiver or family member. However, there are aids for daily living (ADL) products available to eliminate the need for help and enable you to perform routine tasks or activities for yourself.

Popular Aids for Daily Living Products for the Elderly

The ADL products discussed here are designed to provide elderly people the help they need to maintain a safe and independent lifestyle. You'll learn about aids to assist with dressing and grooming, eating and drinking, getting around the house as well as aids to help with bed and bathroom safety, and much more. There are also products to assist caregivers if a caregiver is required. You can find these products and other helpful aids at TheElderExpo.com. Listed below are just 10 helpful elderly ADL products and how they will assist you to perform specific daily living activities.

Bed and Bathroom Safety ADLs

A major concern for the elderly is falling. Our bones tend to get more fragile the older we get. Therefore, an accidental fall can be extremely dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control reports that an elderly person 65 and older falls everyday, resulting in costly hospital bills and even death. Almost all of these falls occur in the bedroom or bathroom. Because aging causes some of us to have issues with our balance, or medications we’re taking may cause dizziness, accidental falls trying to get in or out of bed, or trying to get in and out of the bathtub become all too common. These falls are easily preventable by simply adding a bedrail to help you get in and out of bed, a tub or shower rail for assistance getting in and out of the tub, or a toilet safety rail and raised toilet seats to prevent falls getting on and off the toilet. (add images of bed and tub rails, raised seats and toilet rails)

Dressing and Grooming ADLs

These simple and affordable modifications are especially helpful for elderly people with arthritis, Parkinson’s, recovering from a stroke and those living with obesity.

It is not unusual for elderly seniors to have problems with dressing and grooming. The aging process not only affects elderly seniors’ bones, it also affects our flexibility. Bending to put on our socks and shoes or reaching to comb or brush our hair becomes impossible without a little help. A very popular dressing aid is the rigid formed sock aid with built-up handles.

This helpful sock aid enables users to put on socks and stockings without having to bend or stretch. It’s perfect for users with limited hand dexterity or arthritis, users unable to bend due to hip, knee or back surgeries, and users living with obesity.

Another great daily living aid is the all-in-one extra long soap holder bath sponge. This 12 inch soap holder bath spoon has an easy opening inside the sponge to hold the soap. It prevents the soap from slipping out of your hands thus eliminating the possibility of you slipping and falling to retrieve it. The extra long handle makes it easy to reach your back and feet without a lot of stretching. Elderly and obese people with limited reach will love this product.

Eating and Drinking ADL

There are a number of great eating and drinking aids for daily living. The most talked about are eating and drinking aids for Parkinson’s patients. The all time favorites are heavy weighted eating utensils and heavy weighted drinking mugs.

These unique products allow people with essential tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease to 

feed themselves without assistance. This is accomplished by the added weight to the eating utensil and the mug. The weight of each is designed to help keep the patient’s hand steady, enabling them to eat and drink their favorite food and beverage without accidental spills.

Medication Safety

In addition to developing balance issues, the elderly also experience age-related memory loss. This type of memory loss is not the same as memory loss caused by Alzehimer’s or Dementia. HelpGuide.org describes age-related memory loss as the type of memory loss that occurs due to physiological changes in an aging brain. For example, it takes an elderly person longer to learn a new language or recall information quickly. Learning a new language can be done, it just takes much longer for an elderly person. Or, recalling information like a famous person’s name or the name of a movie. Eventually, the information will come to mind.

Nevertheless, age-related memory loss can be dangerous. How often have you forgotten to take your medication or couldn’t remember if you took it. Either way, forgetting to take your meds or not remembering if you took it could lead to a whole new set of problems. Although there are a huge selection of medication reminders to choose from, the most helpful and effective medication reminder is an automatic pill dispenser with an alert option. Automatic pill dispensers with alert systems sound an alarm to let you know it’s time to take your meds, and only dispenses the medications you need to take. This feature eliminates the possibility of overdosing. This is a great product for everyone, especially people recovering from a stroke or those simply living with age-related memory loss.

Getting Around Safely

Getting around the house or getting around the neighborhood is made simple and easy with the use of a walker. There are several designs to choose from with a selection of options. One of the most popular walkers is this lightweight and portable one from Stander. The EZ Fold-n-Go walker weighs only eight pounds and folds quickly for easy transport. It has a stylish design with swiveling front wheels and a storage pouch for your personal belongings. Use it to maneuver around the house, go to the grocery store or take a walk through the park.

All of these mobility helpers are very affordable and easy to obtain. They will assist the elderly and people with special needs to maintain their sense of independence and self-reliance. In addition, they will ensure your safety and improve your quality of life.