As you age, your bones, joints and muscles begin to weaken and may not be as strong as they once were. Some tasks require more effort while others may seem close to impossible. But, getting older does not have to mean that life gets harder. There are many daily living aids that are here to help with all tasks, great and small. Daily living aids help with all types of daily activities such as sitting in a chair, going to the toilet, having a shower, preparing food, eating and taking medication. These aids can provide the necessary addition to make that hard to do task a lot easier and lead to day to day improvements, efficiency and productivity.
SUPPORTIVE CUSHIONS
Sitting for a long time may place your back, spine and muscles under excessive stress and strain, worsening with old age. If it isn’t accounted for this can cause pain, discomfort and possible injury. Cushions can be used to help in this situation to provide support for internal structures. In doing so, they decrease the likelihood of injuries. Specific cushions such as The Gelina and The Zephyr pressure cushions offer multi-functional capabilities that help support your back. These specific cushions have pressure care in mind and reduce the possibility of pressure sores from long amounts of sitting. Cushions are a great way to give yourself a comfortable, well-supportive seat while being kind to your body and supporting your back and its structures.
OVERBED TABLES
In hospitals, nursing homes and facilities overbed tables are a great invention providing an easy to move table surface permitting people to eat in bed or from their chair. Some elderly are bed-bound or have limited mobility restricting them to beds and chairs. Overbed tables are the perfect solution to deliver a surface to place food, drinks, books etc. Some design features include high-quality materials ensuring longevity and less breakages from bumps and bashes and a raised lip edge encircling the table top surface to prevent items slipping and falling off. The overbed table is easy and convenient and a great addition to everyday living for those who are confined to their beds or often using a chair that they remain sitting in for extended periods of time.
LIGHTWEIGHT WHEELCHAIRS
Heavy wheelchairs can be bulky and hard to push around, they can leave the pusher feeling fatigued or weakened after a long day of transporting. Lightweight structures and designs are perfect for everyday transit wheelchairs that need to be pushed around rather than self-propelled. A lightweight construction makes the wheelchairs easier to move and transport allowing for easier and longer use. Some lightweight wheelchairs will also have a foldable frame such as The Lightweight Economy Transit Chair. This will allow you to fold up the chair and place it in your car permitting the chair to be used in any location. This specific wheelchair also features a seatbelt ensuring safety and removable leg rests and calf support to assist with transfers and user comfort. This is a great way to ensure user satisfaction and pusher approval.
OVER TOILET AID
An over toilet aid is a very common daily living aid that you can find in thousands of homes and facilities across Australia. Over toilet aids are mainly used to assist in toilet transfers and for those who have difficulty lowering themselves down onto the toilet. Over the toilet aids come in all shapes and sizes and should be chosen based on the user. Some special features include adjustable heights, hand rails for extra support and stability, splash guards, lids and rubber non-slip feet. This daily living aid is very helpful and can make day to day life a much more pleasant experience.
ABSORBER BAG COMMODE LINERS
Commodes are a handy product for elderly people who have difficulty with mobility. They can provide a portable toilet, a transfer seat between chairs, toilets and showers as well as providing an over toilet aid. Pots and pails are attached to commodes when using it as a portable toilet. Cleaning these pots can be a messy and tedious job. Absorber bag – disposable commode liners provide a sanitary, easy to use and clean system for commode pots. They’ll make cleaning a commode as easy as 1, 2, 3. These absorber bags will absorb any unwanted odours and ensure the entire process is as efficient, user friendly and sanitary as possible.
SHOWER CHAIRS
Showering can be a dangerous activity when falling is a factor. Some elderly men and women may not be able to hold themselves upright for a long period of time or may suffer from immobility or instability which can cause issues with showering. A shower chair offers a seat that can be used directly in the shower. Shower chairs are made with high quality materials that don’t rust allowing them to continuously be used under water. Rubber non-slip feet and drainage holes in the chair seat ensure the chair is shower friendly. Safety and Mobility offer height adjustable shower chairs with integrated arms to assist with transfers and backrests providing back support. Shower chairs should be an integral daily living aid for those needing support in the shower.
ALARMED SENSOR PADS
The risk of falling is greatly increased in the elderly population leading to increased risk of injury. For many people it is necessary to monitor their sitting to ensure they aren’t falling off their seats and hurting themselves. Alarms can be used in situations like these to alert staff or family members of someone moving off their chair. The CareWatch Chair Alarm and Sensor Pad is a fantastic, easy to use system that combines a seat mat with an alarm. The mat is placed on the seat surface and internal sensors are programmed to sense pressure changes on top of the mat (i.e. when there is a decrease in pressure due to someone getting off the pad). If someone is sitting on the mat and falls or moves off, an alarm will sound and alert the necessary personnel to the situation. A daily living aid like this is great for cautious clients and can be used within hospitals, nursing homes, aged care facilities and in the home.
REACHER GRABBERS
Daily activities can become very difficult, time consuming and possibly painful when you are having trouble bending down and picking things up. For people who suffer with painful backs, stiff hips and mobility problems, reaching can become almost impossible. A Reacher Grabber is a wonderful little tool that provides that extra necessary assistance to help grab and pick up items that might be out of reach. This handy tool has a very user-friendly, lightweight design with a comfy hand-grip and trigger that activates the grabbing function. A firm favourite and must have for anyone in need.
FOOD PREPARATION SYSTEMS
For elderly people who love to make and prepare food, it can be challenging if they have difficulty gripping and/or only have the use of one hand. Fortunately, daily food preparation aids offer assistance and support. The multifunctional Food Preparation System offers a fantastic all in one gadget to use in the kitchen. It comprises of a cutting surface, non-slip rubber feet, clamps and spikes. The non-slip rubber feet stop the specialised board from sliding and any unwanted movement; the clamps secure food, tins, cans and bowls in place and the spikes hold food allowing you to cut and peel with one hand. These accessible daily aids are the perfect system to add to your kitchen gadgets.
AUTOMATIC PILL DISPENSERS
When taking medication is a daily occurrence it can be difficult to stay on top of it all and remembering to take the correct pill at the correct time may be tough. Automatic Pill Dispensers remove any confusion and are a fantastic way to organise medication. Specialised dispensers have inbuilt alarms to alert the user when to take medication throughout the day making it less likely for them to forget or miss a pill. Automatic pill dispensers are definitely the smarter way to take and manage daily medication.
Daily living aids are a wonderful, life changing solution for so many individuals. They offer support and assistance in a wide range of areas to ensure your daily life isn’t majorly affected by any impairments, problems or issues you may have. Safety and Mobility stock and supply an extensive range of daily living aids specifically aimed at helping and assisting the elderly. For more information on any products mentioned above visit and browse our website or, call to speak to our friendly staff.