Assitive devices

Hi,
I know there are other’s that work well, but have found my black and decker “lids-off” jar opener something I wouldn’t do without.

And for me, a pair of plyers/vice grips have become my third hand because I can’t grab ahold of things. I keep a pair out on my kitchen counter.

Another one, I have some aerobic steppers and I can use them safely to get up to the top shelf of closets.

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid]Good Thread.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid]If you go to [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] (Link deleted by administration)
[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid], you will see a Table of Contents. Scroll to ‘Tools and Equipment #1’ and right under it, ‘…#2’. There are some great examples of assistive devices pictured.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid]Heath did an awesome job on this/his ([/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] (Link deleted by administration)
[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorchid]And a big ‘attaboy!’ to Marc for donating the pics & to Marc’s wife, Julie, for taking them! (I’m just guessing Julie took the pics. Duh.)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

Great idea, Blu. I would like to expand this and add “new skills to deal with new challenges” as well as opening it up to questions. These might trigger responses we normally wouldn’t think of.

To give one example: I didn’t know an easy way to squeeze out a lime because I don’t have enough sensation in fingers and hands. Cheryl answered me in “The Tavern”:” [B][I]just put 1/2 of the lime between 2 bowls and put under your hand and push together on the counter, the bottom bowl will catch the juice. make sure you put the top bowl on the lime in the “nesting” position! voila!!! instant lime press and catcher.”[/I][/B]

I used mine tonight to get my granddaughter from one place to another. My daughter and wife had to run out to pick up a car and I did not trust myself to carry Sydney. They put her to bed first but as soon as they left she started crying bitterly. So I got her out and lay down with her in her parents bed. When that didn’t work, I put her on the rollator seat facing the padded bar, told her to hold on (she is 14 mo.) and pushed her to our bedroom which was dark and has a fan unlike the other bedroom. Within a few minutes she was asleep. 🙂

Norbert,

A “grabber” has been quite helpful. It is a 30 inch extended grabbing device. It helps me pick up off the floor ( I have bad balance). I am tall so I can still reach high things, but it would be useful there as well.

As my feet have gone numb and become more useless in balance, I have been working to learn how to assist my balancingwith my calf and thigh muscles to replace those non-active feet. It has helped me keep steady when I stand still. I don’t “bob and weave” back and forth as much.

The biggest thing is thinking before I walk, to determine the shortest distance and to avoid any unnecessary steps. Waklking is still possible for me, but I fade fast.

Take care
Dick S

To all who have difficulty with balance and walking, I have found the use of AFO’s (Braces) to have been the greatest assistance for me. Before I got them I was falling all the time. I haven’t fallen once since wearing them.

This is a wonderful post. We often find out things by trial and error and it’s great being able to share them.

PEace,
Pat

A grabber sounds like a good thing to have. Where did you get it? Picking up things off the floor has become quite a challenge for me. I have to bend down very slowly inch by inch almost like a robot. I havn’t paid attention much how I keep my balance walking, esp. the thing with calf and thigh muscles. I waddle a lot like our 14 mo. old granddaughter. My walking isn’t too difficult yet but I’ll keep the braces in mind. When I get tired and too wobbly I push around my rollator which keeps me from falling.

When taking a shower I use a plastic bathtub stool with rubber feet. Afterwards I set it out and sit on it to towel off. That has made my shower experience a lot easier. But I still have not been able to figure out how to keep the slippery bar of soap in my hand although my grip seems to be fine. It is very frustrating to keep dropping it and struggling to pick it up again. Numbness in my hands is a fairly recent thing for me and I am still learning. Picking up small items like pills has become a challenge, too. I find myself using my eyes with a lot more attention than before. If I look at my fingers and know exactly what they are doing helps a lot.
Take care and walk slowly

Norbert,
You can get grabber at just about any medical supply store and I have seen them in ACE Hardware stores also. There is a place online called Dr. Leonard’s where you can buy them, although hey are not to well made.
As for dropping soap, I have the same problem and so I usually use a liquid body wash and spray it on a sponge or wash clothe. They also make a soap on a rope but it is fairly expensive and sometimes hard to find.
Hope I have been of some help.

hang in there,
LEA

I have found the grabber very helpful also. Be sure to get the kind that has rubber cups at the end. They will even pick up a piece of paper. I have found the greatest thing for the soap problem. I can’t remember where I got them (perhaps Walter Drake) but they are nylon net bags into which you can put a cake of soap, pull a string closure, and it’s ready to use. I’m sure one could make one.

Peace,
Pat

One thing I cannot live without are the AFOs. I luckily don’t need them all the time as I don’t do a whole lot of walking. However, they are great for grocery shopping trips. I also broke down and got a wheelchair which made trips to the zoo and Disney possible. As much as I hate being in it, I would hate to deny my kids an outing because of my pride.

And speaking of kids, they have turned out to be the handiest device.:) Although they require daily maintenance, they have been a lifesaver in getting items off the floor, running down to the basement for the food in the extra fridge, etc. And they are the right height should you be crossing the room and need to gain your balance. Plus they give the best hugs and kisses and tell you things that just make your day. 😀

[QUOTE=learthur]I usually use a liquid body wash[/QUOTE]Dah, simple solutions, why didn’t I think of that. It’s just a matter of changing year-long habits.Yes, your feedback is very helpful. Thanks, Lea & Pat

P.S. Badmommy: It does sound like your kids are handy to have around. We spend half our time in Denver babysitting our 14 mo. old granddaughter. She likes to pick up lint and tiny things like that. She is not quite ready yet to pick up things I need. If she does she needs a lot of coaxing and by the time she gets it for me she often gets sidetracked and heads for a toy or baby book instead.

Norb,
the joy your granddaughter must bring to you is therapy enough! Give her time to start helping with the big stuff…just think…your time spent vacumming up lint and other small items of interest has been cut in half! LOL!

Have you tried the, “how fast can you pick up that such-and-such”. My youngest thrived on being timed and would often beg us to time her cleaning up her toys at night.

I’m glad that you have the time to be around her. My grandparents make up a lot of my childhood memories and I miss them all so much now! I am lucky that I had them around growing up and I appreciate the time they dedicated to us when they could have been off doing so many other things.

When I couldn’t move my legs to the side of the bed, I used to have to use my arms to move them. I also had a thin wooden sliding board to put under them to make them easier to slide. I also use a shower chair & a handheld shower head to shower. My towel ring is right next to the shower, so I can reach it. I use a sponge & put shower gel on it to wash. My husband put one of those suction units right at my reach for my sponge, my shower gel, & my shampoo. I switched to the 2 in 1 shampoo to save time also.

I can walk, but i still use my powerchair a lot in the morning while on the computer & to read the newspaper. No other chair is as comfortable & has such good back support. It also conserves energy that I may need later in the day. I also have a manual wheelchair, but with my broken collarbone, I no longer use it. I also use AFOs to walk as they support my ankles, as well as correcting my foot drop. I take a cane for extra stability when I go outside the house.

When I go out to the grocery store or mall with my husband, I always push the cart, as that works like a walker for me. With sturdy railing, I can do most stairs. But I always lead with my left leg, as it is a little bit stronger. When I put a load of clothes away I always use my powerchair, as it saves so much on walking. I also have my clothes in my closet on a low rack, makes it so much easier. I try to save as much as I can on energy in the morning, so that I can walk the rest of the day.
Pam

[QUOTE=bluangel]I also have the rubber grip pad for jars, and have found it useful in the past, but lately, it is not helping much. I don’t think I have enough strength on some jars even with it. So looking for a new alternative.[/QUOTE]
Blu and all the others, thanks for sharing all the useful tips. Blu, there is an alternative. There is a jar opener that works like pliers except it has large jaws – don’t know how to desribe it but found a picture of one. You probably can find it in kitchen stores or online.

We used to have one with white handles but with all our moving around it hasn’t shown up yet. It makes opening jar real easy.

[QUOTE=bluangel]I also have the rubber grip pad for jars, and have found it useful in the past, but lately, it is not helping much. I don’t think I have enough strength on some jars even with it. So looking for a new alternative.[/QUOTE]
Blu and all the others, thanks for sharing all the useful tips. Blu, there is an alternative. There is a jar opener that works like pliers except it has two sets of large jaws, one for small and a second for larger lids. Don’t know how to describe it better but found a picture of one. You probably can find it in kitchen stores or online.

We used to have one with white handles but with all our moving around it hasn’t shown up yet. It makes opening jars real easy.

Thankfully, I am not needing my assistance devices much anymore, since moving to IVIG 3day/3weeks:) . I have found many things already mentioned: AFO, shower seat, handheld shower head, rollator (I”m guessing that is my walker with seat, basket and brakes), liquid soap,sit and shops at grocery and wal-mart, and shopping carts at other stores.

I must say, now that my daughter is nearly three, she is a great help around the house. She always tried before but the day she opened the fridge and brought me a Pepsi I was ellated 😀 . She also has many toys that have become very useful for me. She has a “Princess Tea Cart” that is great for collecting things that are out of place. I have become the master of “high stacking” and then deliver things to the appropriate room to put them away. I always ended up on he floor to pick up her toys and so began pushingthat along as I crawled on my knees. Being closer to the ground my balance was better and if I did fall it was not too far down or up.

As for the kitchen, I must admit, the Pampered Chef (for whom I’m a consultant) has many great tools that most people think are good. I think they are great as those who have good strength in the hands and fingers dont’ realize how important these tools are. We have two jar openers. My favorite is the Easy Opener. It opens 2 liter bottles, pop cans, pop top bottles, and also has a devise to break seals on jars. The thing is, that it also helps me open jars that have been opened before. You simply place it on the lid and raise it up, it loosens the lids like magic. The best part is that it has a magnet on the back so is always on the fridge waiting to be used. For $3.75 it can’t be beat (with a 1 year warranty). There are several other items in the Pampered Chef line that I love as well especially since my hands don’t work like they used to. I dont’ want you to think I’m just trying to sell stuff, as I can actually get in trouble for placing a link to my site from other sites but I know how helpful these things have been. You can look at the items on my website (Link deleted by administration)
Some other items of interest besides the easy opener #2590, is the I-slice #2995 $3.75 to cut paper, bags, cellophane wraps, etc. and the Handy Scraper #1615 $5.75 to pick up the food that I have chopped and need to get off my cutting board.

Ok, one last thing that hasn’t been mentioned yet is rx bottles. I told my pharmacist that I need to the NON CHILDPROOF lids. I now get lids on most bottles that are either. I love them as they have the deep side for child resistant and allows me to open all my bottles and put required amount into one lid then pick it up and pour them into my hand for easy taking. Ask your pharmacist if they have the lids and start using them for you.

Oh, I can’t forget all the goodies I got while in the rehab unit before my dx. They had a sock-aid that is like trifold and has long strings on it. You feed your sock onto it then grab the strings and put your foot into the aid. You then pull the strings up and it slides the sock onto your foot. Alos the shoe horn for giants. Not really but it is like 3 foot long, thus I didn’t have to bend over to try and force my shoe on, especially whn wearing my AFO for foot drop.

OK I”M DONE. Hope al lthis helps.

Hi, it has been a long time since I have posted anything to this board. my friend sent me a program NaturallySpeaking Dragon. I talk, it types. Only harde part is I still have to train it.

I love of all your ideas, some of them I already use. The nylon scrubby on a stick is something I need to find.

I was wondering if cutting the nylon about knee length, putting a bar soap in the toe, then making a knot down by the soap, would make it easier to hang on to, and also be easier to pick up if drop. Think I will give it a try. I will let you know how it works.

It is good to be back here.

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.(an Irish blessing)

Do any of you need help putting on your socks? When my mom had her hip replaced, the pt brought her one of those.

Please email me at [email]saycheese1966@hotmail.com[/email] and I’ll try to find out the name and other info. It’s a really neat thing.

Lori

good morning, I told my husband about the nylon idea. He came up with one better. He got one of his boot socks, drop bar soap in, tied a knot, it works great. it is soft on the skin, and if you drop it, it is easy to pick up. I love it.!
my husband is always thinking of ways to make my life easier. I don’t know what I would do without him.

have a blessed day.

Hi,

Out of all the assistive devices I’ve trained on, tried, and used over the years, this $0.99 pop can opener has gotten the most use, and the only thing I got my monies worth on.:)

Norb,

To keep from dropping the bar of soap when taking a shower: cut one leg off an old pair of your wife’s pany hose, slip the bar of soap into the toe of the hose, take the top (open end) of the hose and tie it about halfway down the leg (making a loop)–if you remember your Boy Scout knots, two half-hitches works well, slip your hand into the loop and snug the loop closed on your wrist.

When taking a shower I use a plastic bathtub stool with rubber feet. Afterwards I set it out and sit on it to towel off. That has made my shower experience a lot easier. But I still have not been able to figure out how to keep the slippery bar of soap in my hand although my grip seems to be fine. It is very frustrating to keep dropping it and struggling to pick it up again. Numbness in my hands is a fairly recent thing for me and I am still learning. Picking up small items like pills has become a challenge, too. I find myself using my eyes with a lot more attention than before. If I look at my fingers and know exactly what they are doing helps a lot.
Take care and walk slowly[/QUOTE]

Today I found a source for the bathing assist for soap. The new Harriet Carter catalog has one type of Terry Cloth Scrubbers into which you put scraps of soap. A rope is attached. See C4427 on p[age 91.

If you need more information, contact me.

Peace,
Pat