Ideas to make life easier

stickywicket

This will only be of use to those who can’t reach their feet.

Mine are all lumps and bumps and cracks and creases and I was told over 10 years ago that I should moisturise them twice daily. Well, it’s taken me 10 years to work out how to do it without enlisting the help of Mr SW but this morning inspiration struck :idea:

1. Sit on side of bed with pot of E45 in one hand and long-handled shoe-horn in other.

2. Get some cream onto tip of back (convex side) of shoe-horn.

3. Transfer it to top of one foot.

4. Rub it round and in with bottom of other foot. This moisturises top of one and, more essentially, bottom of other.

5. Repeat with other foot ignoring hoots of laughter and offers of help from husband.

It will probably be 10 years before I have another bright idea.

LignumVitae

When I'm on the beach I use a thing that you can buy but which I copied for not as much money as it costs to buy. Get two bath towels and sew them together down the length but leaving arm holes at the top and then sew the top length leaving a head hole. Pop it over your head, pop a dressing gown over and hey presto, you're dried without having to do anything. It would leave your lower legs not done but I suppose you could wrap them in a towel? On the beach you can then undress and redress without risk of flashing your bum.
I may well be following Sticky's foot moisturising advice, I'm struggling to see my feet at the mo

dreamdaisy

In our bathroom we have wooden towel rails which rotate, his is a single, mine a double. I have always had trouble stuffing my towel over my rail but recently I read a comment by Katherine Whitehorn: you feed your towel up from behind, it just rolls up and over. It is exquisitely simple, much easier on the hands and far better for the temper! DD

lululu

One for the ladies - shaving my legs is a bit of a chore these days but not any more, I have split a bamboo stick for a few inches and wedged a rasor in it and taped it up tight to hold it - job jobbed. Now I do not need to bend so much.

lurch1

If, like me, you find it difficult to get to the phone, either before the caller hangs up, or the answerphone cuts in, its annoying to make the effort, only to find the person phoning wants to sell you a kitchen/conservatory/new windows!!!
So, i have a code. When family phone, they let the phone ring 3 times, then they hang up, and redial.
That way i know its a call i want to answer, and can actually make the effort to answer it
Cris

millmoll

if you have trouble bending to put cream or ointment on your legs and feet,use a radiator paint roller,nice and long and you can get them in the pound shop

lululu

Some really good ideas still coming in, I am going to check out the keyboard. I have just tried DDs towel idea and although my towel rail does not rotate I foung it much easier to use when I 'feed' the towel up from the back.

lululu

I have cordless phones and I always have one on charge but I always have one close to me to I sometimes put it in my pocket when out in the garden.

lindalegs

I like to wear my bag across my body ......please see the model below.



As my shoulders are rubbish I can't lift my bag over my head so I put the strap on a door handle and then thread my arm and head through the strap and as I straighten up the bag is on my shoulder and across my body.

I take the bag off by hooking it onto the handle again and doing the reverse of the above.

I will add that this can only be done when your back doesn't hurt :shock:

lululu

Hi Linda I thought this was a really goo idea till I got to the last line. :roll:

But I have high coat hangers in the hall way and on the bathroom door so I should be able to use them thank you so much that is something I was struggling with too.

Boomer13

I keep a supply of dried, chopped onions, garlic and veg. on hand so I don't have to chop.

Apologies if this one is already mentioned....haven't read all of the thread yet

Boomer13

Here's one:

Put all those roasting pans, etc (without plastic) that you can't scrub properly, in the oven when you do a high heat self-clean. Cleans them beautifully for those of us who can't scrub anymore .

lindalegs

I've never thought of doing a shelf clean in the oven, I usually pop mine in the dishwasher and not worry about the hard stuff left :oops:

My oven is probably not the cleanest on our road

Luv,

lululu

ome more good ideas there, surprising how many people keep coming in with more. Baking trays are now out for me but I did used to just put some cheap toilet cleaner in them and leave for just a few minutes then rinse and put in the dishwasher and have lived to tell the tale so not poisened myself.

Just on here to pass some time while I wait for my dinner to cook, I use frozen stew pack 2 for £2.0 at the moment in the shop with the orange logo, some broth mix and dumpling mix and mixed herbs all in the slow cooker - wonderful, no choping, cheap, tasty and I can feel all them veg doing me good.

lindalegs

I use the same frozen stew pack Lululu from the same shop with the orange logo (Sainsbury's ) add milk/water and a couple of Knorr stock cubes. Bring to boil then simmer till soft and blitz in a bender season to taste and I have a rich vegetable soup. Quick and easy and nutritious.

Luv,

stickywicket

I've finally worked out how to get some aerobic exercise.

The wheelchair's cushion, placed behind my recliner, is just thick enough to provide a decent step and I can hang on to the back of the recliner to safeguard against falling over. I've just done 100 and I'm mildly out of breath. I stopped there because my old TKR found it quite a big step and was starting to not quite make it but, even if it can only manage 100 at a time, I can now do it several times a day. Woo hoo!

Stormyblue

Laugh at the washing situation, I get the man to deal with it, on a good day i ball it up with a big towel or sheet and take it down lol
As for the bin situation I never take it out, I stumble too much. and cannot cope with the weight due to my slipped disc in my neck ( unrelating I know)

I had my taps changes recently so I can manage it better.
Had difficultes turning the tap before now they have been change to make it easier for me.

my problem at the moment is kettle, I have to take it to the other side of the kitchen to fill it up but the weight of it on my bad day with my hand I struggle, any suggestion on this, my son had fills it right up and said to me that way you havent got to fill it up later ( was surprise at his kind loving thoughtful ideas, hes only 11)

And the walk, i can cope the walk about 10 mins but after that i am in pain surely there is a way that I can still get out and about without putting myself through those pain???

oh i play the guitar to loosen up my fingers joints,

hileena111

Hi
The kettle problem.......keep a plastic jug with water in it beside the kettle and put water in when needed.....not a lot of water.
You can also buy tip up kettles
Even a holiday kettle {not sure that's right} very small kettle that we take on holiday with us.

As for the walking.....I can only do about 5 minsutes so snap.
I use my 4 wheel rollator.......I can walk for much longer with this.
Don't care what anyone thinks {if they think anything } it gets me out an walking.

Hope this helps

Love
Hileena

dreamdaisy

A tip-up kettle is one that is in a holder which can 'swing' - to pour you don't need to lift the kettle, just tip it. A rollator is a walking aid, they come in three or four-wheeled versions. I have a four wheeler because they have a seat so one can rest when needed. I can queue again! DD

lululu

Re; the kettle again Sblue are you not able to plug in the kettle closer to the taps? I am no longer safe with a kettle of boiling water, apart from finding it heavy my hand just seems to fly out sometimes a bit like restless legs.

I now use a small travel kettle which you can buy in any supermarket @£10 I have tried the one cup water boiler and have just thrown it out (the brevill one) I also tried th one which makes the Costa coffee and took that back to the shop as I did not like it at all. I keep coming back to the travel kettle I will save my money an stick to that now.

The travel kettle is no good to fill a hot water bottle though! A very good alternative is the micro wave bottle which I bought in R Dyas £10 I micro it for 4 minutes and it is just rightI woke in the middle of the night and was surprised to find it still warm!

lululu

I have noticed that the pound shops have some very helpfull gadjets in at the moment I bought a key holder to put away for someday I also noticed that they have joint supports in to(sort of elastic bandages) I think I will keep some of them in too (you never know when you will need such things)

lululu

I used to read a lot but then when I started on the drugs I found I could not concentrate, I tried the Kindle (the one with the keyboard) and it was better but still not good enough. But I have just bought the new 8.9 fire and it is just perfect! the light behind the page is just so easy to see even in the dark and I now haveloads of ooks and music on it. I can now read for hours as I used to at least I would if I could sit for hours!

lululu

Further to the hot water bottles I mentioned,I now think that they should be used with caution; I put it in the bed and when I went back to it I found that it had leaked some very very hot liquid which soaked my bed. I was able to quickly move away from the hotspot but anyone less able may have got a very nasty scold. :?

stickywicket

Great idea,Web Manager. Go for it

dreamdaisy

I don't do Twitbook but why not? Go for it and I hope it yields positive results. DD