Gadgets to help elderly people regain independence at home
Age, accidents, or illness can drastically change your life and mobility. It might be challenging to get around the house and do some basic things.
By investing in a few gadgets, you can reduce dependence on other people and lead a quality, independent and free life in your home without compromising your safety.
There are plenty of options to choose from in the market. But, you have to sort through them to find the most effective and efficient tools and gadget that will have the most impact in your life. Here are a few devices you should consider.
With reduced lower body mobility, getting on and off the bed is going to be more challenging. Lifting your legs off the ground and placing them on the bed can go from an easy challenge to almost impossible.
Instead of changing the bed that you’ve grown accustomed to over the years, you can get an automatic leg lifter. The device is easy to use and makes the work of getting on the bed and off a breeze.
Automatic leg lifters are designed to be user-friendly with cutting edge features aimed at making bedtime easier and less challenging.
Stairlifts are an excellent addition for seniors with mobility problems. These crucial gadgets can save you money and allow you to continue enjoying the comfort of your home.
In many cases, as age sets in, seniors are forced to sell the house they worked so hard for and move into bungalows. This process is not only expensive but can drag on for months.
With a stairlift, you get to keep the home of your dreams and the stairs are no longer a challenge.
If you’re concerned about having uniquely shaped staircases, the stairlift can be customised to serve you and overcome any obstructions in your home. You will easily go up and down the floors as many times as needed safely and securely without breaking a sweat.
Lifting poles are an ideal mobility partner for patients who have lost mobility of their core sections or for seniors who feel their core muscles are not what they used to be.
As you age, you start realising how hard simple things like sitting up in bed can get. With a lifting pole, you can use your arm muscles to help you get to a sitting position and get out of bed.
The bed rope ladder helps pull you up from the bed. The rope attaches firmly to the legs of your bed for safety. Using the rope ladder, you can easily pull yourself up into a sitting position. The bed rope ladder is an alternative to the pole. It’s safer and less tedious to use, making it ideal for seniors that would find the pole difficult to reach.
Depending on the design of the rope, it can hold up to 310 pounds so you can lift your entire body weight using the rope with no challenges whatsoever.
These walking aids are underappreciated. A cane or walking stick can help you drastically improve confidence when moving around and the additional support they provide helps with balance.
While there’s not much technology with walking sticks, it’s strongly recommended to get the right size of a walking stick or cane. This ensures the pressure the walking stick takes is not transferred to other areas of the body like the shoulders which could spell additional problems to the user.
Why not also read: How Safe Are Stairlifts?
Activator poles are perfect for seniors still pursuing an active life. This mobility tool helps to reduce stress on the lower body joints like the knee and they also assist in adopting a healthy gait.
Even though this device is perfect for seniors with plenty of mobility and balance, they still help in improving posture, stability and balance for those that prefer to stay indoors. The activator poles can be used both indoors and outdoors while walking.
When using activator poles, it’s important to adopt the right posture and height of the poles. If you’re not sure about the right way to use the poles, you can ask a physician.
If walking sticks are not doing the trick, a walking frame comes in. A walking frame is beneficial to seniors with deteriorating balance. With the four feet, the walking frame provides better support and stability.
Walking frames can be standard, wheeled, or foldable, depending on what you want and your needs. Because the frames are foldable and made from lightweight but strong materials, they are also perfect for travel. You can bring them on a trip to see your children or when visiting a friend. What’s more, you can use them both in and outdoors.
The greatest scare for any senior is falling. Falls can be catastrophic and without being able to get up to call for help, the injuries can be fatal.
Grab bars can help to mitigate the risks. They are installed in high fall risk areas. You can use them for extra support and in case you fall, you can use them to get yourself back up. They might not have fancy buttons or technology but, they can save a life.
The handles of the grab bar are fixed permanently on the wall. If you prefer non-permanent options, there are grab bars that come with powerful suction cups that can be used instead.
Before having grab bars installed, it’s best to talk to a professional who will advise on the best type of grab bars, the materials and the height of installation depending on the area. These factors will help to make these devices more useful to you.
You might have to do most things when sitting. That only makes it harder for you to stand up. With a lifting cushion, standing up will be easier on your knees and lower muscles.
The device helps you get to a standing position when you’re seated. There are other options you can use, depending on your level of mobility.
But, when considering the mobility devices, you should not forget to add one that helps you get up from the chair.
Technology has invented numerous devices and gadgets that can help you age in peace. While the variety is good, sometimes, it can be confusing choosing from the thousands of different products on the market. The ones listed are above are just a few of the ones that will help you get around easily with little or no help from other people.
