Ideas to make life easier

julie47

My husband put a stiff rubber loop on the end of an old walking stick so that I could pull open windows closed.

Juliepf x

LolaCrayola

My latest discovery is 8 hour self heating patches from 99p store, 3 in a pack, cheaper than tens electrodes. I am using a bag from the healthy back pack place, l have the very smallest one and you can wear it round your waist.

LolaCrayola

I have a 'magic scarf, it keeps my neck really warm and stays put.

dingbat77

I have a "magic" overweight cat that likes lying on my feet and keeps them warm.....only problem is he snores ,fights imaginary flies and doesn't stay put :roll:

Now where did I put the cable ties and packing tape

totoes

I forgot to mention, those chunky kitchen scissors with a gap in the middle with teeth-like "wonder what that bit is for" part, just above the hinge? Opening screw-cap bottles, that's what! Open handles wide enough to close snugly around bottle top & turn anti-clockwise. We discovered it by accident, and it works a treat!

totoes xx

lululu

Socks - If I don't have to go out I wear mens sport socks as they are big and loose and easy to get on and of. I made my own 'puller-on' by hammering two nails into a stick and bending them into a usefull shape one 'sock puller' in each hand.

lindalegs

I use an easygrips peeler which has a wide handle and you drag it down vegetables or pull it upwards.

and this is my favourite Christmas present


Luv,

[Deleted User]

Post copied to this forum at the request of the poster - lululu
Moderator
YEH

I often hear of people who need help with care or aids and don't know how to ask for help. It does not seem to be common knowledge that anyone can self refer to OT and I think the best route is to go through Social Care Direct Tel. No. 0345 60 80 191. Anyone can phone them, I have rang them several times for different people always with good results. One common misconception is 'they will put me in a home' please don't worry they only want to help and will not do anything without you say so.


Sorry I meant to put this in the simple ideas thread, I don't know how to move it perhaps the help team will do it for me please helpteam

lululu

Vests ladies - Men Don't look
Just at the moment my whole body hurts to touch, - back and front even any light presure from clothes so I have stopped wearing a bra as it is just too painfull. Have searched the shops for an alternative, there are tight lycra vests in the shops but I know I would never be able to wriggle into them, I may even get stuck with my arms above my head and have to go to neighbour to help with my luck I would run into Hugh Grant on the way lucky I would be wearing my big pants though. Anyway I was feeling the cold so went out to buy some vests, looked at the price of womans and compared to mens so bought a pack of mens 2 for £5 in A--a Ho what joy to wear! lovely soft cotton no itchy frills like womens, they are long so I can tuck them in and they are just a wee bit tight so hold me very nicely. I have now bought more.

lululu

I find it easier to do my dusting with the wet wipes (seems all the cleaning stuff companies have them now ) I just use the cheap ones from l----s, I wiz around the house in no time (if we folk can wiz)! with a carrier bag to just drop in the used ones. I think because it is wet the muck lifts up and is not just spread around and so stays clean longer. Idealy I would like to just have to do it only on 29th Feb but I think that is asking just a little too much. Unless someone has any easier ideas please.

lululu

Hi I have found another use for the non-slip rubbery mats, I cut of a small square to help me turn taps, to-day I have discovered that it is also good for opening wine bottles, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke I opened a second one have to drink it too can't let it waste. I have about two dozen bottles :roll:

anita62

i have a long shoe horn with a little hand on the other end which i use to push or pull things to me instead of getting up it's usefull for a lot of things. so maybe others could try this.

lululu

I found it hard to bring my shopping in from the car so I now have a little blue trolly from I--A cost @ £9. I put a box on it and fixed it with cable ties and I put a shopping bag in it and hang another bag from the handle. Because the trolly is small and light and folds I keep it in the car for when I need it.

lululu

Satin sheet to lie on satin pillows to cry on. So Tammy Wynette sang.
I bought some only cheap ones and hey! I can turn over in bed again rather than having to get out to turn over!

Harlansmummy

The lady I used to work for put an extra duvet on top of the mattress before making the bed, so it made a more comfortable mattress until she could buy and expensive one. Plan on trying this myself!

Harlansmummy

And another one - get a slow cooker. I can't stand for long at the cooker, so I prepare veg when I get a few minutes of not-so-bad-pain and chuck it in the slow cooker with some meat and herbs. I dont have to stand at the cooker stirring things and making extra means I can freeze it and still have proper food on days when I can't face cooking at all. Just get it out of the freezer and microwave it

Harlansmummy

Crocs.

I wear them 90% of the time. They are easy to slip on and off and don't require socks.

succotash

Using my kindle to read, my most favoured past time.

It is light weight, contains thousands of books, battery lasts a month and you only need one hand to click the button to turn pages over. No using 2 hands to prize a book open or wedging a sore thumb between the pages to keep it open. Oh and if your sight is not good you can increase the size of the text!

I LOVE my kindle

harleyquin

Thankfully my hands/fingers aren't too bad at the moment so I am able to have a travel kettle next to my bed, with coffee sachets (latte's being my favourite) and sugar cubes so that I can have a coffee in bed before getting up in the morning.
When my 7 year old Grandson stays over he likes a cup of tea, and one of the big brands has jars of "white tea granules", so I can make him a drink too.

Harley X

lululu

I have just had a brainwave (well for me anyway) while in town I was thinking about doing some cleaning but have trouble holding a bowl of water. Then I saw some kids beach bukets all sorts of colers and sizes, I can put the handle over my arm and have diferent coulers for diferent cleaning jobs and one of the best things is they only cost @ £1 ideal. They may even be good to microwave I will have to try one,

jillyb1

Cleaning teeth ! I have misshapen , painful hands and wrists . Bought myself radius toothbrushes ; they have wide easy grasp handles and come in left or right hand versions ~ check out eb@y . Jillyb

merri

Magnetic bra extenders, you clip them onto the fasteners of a normal bra, but they make bras so much easier to fasten. I got mine from Betterware but Amazon do them too I think.

JuliaHod12

well, following my TKR in July this year, my hubby was at home for 2 weeks and if i needed anything taken upstairs he was normally at hand.

so, when he went back to work i found a large handbag with adjustable shoulder strap, slung it over my head/ across shoulder and put anything i wanted to take upstairs into it ( tablets, phone, glasses, book etc, etc) so that i could still hold on to bannister and use walking stick to get up safely!
Simples

stickywicket

To wring a dishcloth - or anything else.

Put it round the stem part of the tap. Take one end in each hand and twist them round until it's wrung out enough - or you run out of cloth - or strength

lululu

An idea I have sort of been turning over in my mind for a while now is to put some loops onto the ends of towels for drying myself after a shower, I think if I sew a lenth of tape to each end of a towel then I will be able to sort of put my hands through the loops this should be kinder on the hands than having to grip a thick towel -or even a thin towel.