Living with arthritis can make everyday tasks like buttoning clothes, cutting food, opening medication bottles, or turning a doorknob challenging. Arthritis causes joints to be stiff or painful, which can make fine motor coordination activities difficult to perform. Most people living with arthritis feel it the most in the morning because its when your body has been resting for a period of time, making stiff joints hard to move.
Someone with arthritis joint space narrowing in a knee or hip joint can make walking and standing painful and hard to tolerate.
Luckily, there are arthritis-friendly tools that help with daily life when living with any type of arthritis.
Tips and Tools for Getting Dressed
For those who have arthritis in their hands, getting dressed can be a difficult task. Doing things like zipping a zipper or tying shoes can hurt.
Elastic Waist Pants – opt for these types of bottoms instead of something with buttons or zippers. They’re easier to pull on.
Sock aids – similar to a shoe horn, this device grabs the sock and assists in pulling them up to help alleviate any pain in fingers from arthritis.
Fasteners – zipper hooks and button hooks are good for anyone who has trouble zipping up clothing or assembling buttons.
Tips and Tools for Personal Care
Most personal care takes place in the bathroom, and is the most common place where falls occur.
Walk in tub – instead of having to lift your leg over the edge of a tub, a walk in tub could be the best solution to stay safe while getting in and out of the shower. We offer a selection of walk in tubs that you can choose from.
Shower bar – a grab bar is a good tool for those with mobility and balance issues.
Hands-free blow dryer stand – skip the elbow and wrist pain by getting one of these and standing while blow drying your hair.
Easy-open medication bottles – you can ask the pharmacist for these types of containers to make it easier accessing the medicine you need to take
Warm water – running hands under warm water for a few minutes has been known to help with stiffness in the joints and help move your fingers more.
Tips and Tools for the Kitchen
You can manage arthritis symptoms with a well-balanced healthy diet, but what if the kitchen has the hardest appliances to overcome when it comes to using your hands? Here are some tips and tools to help.
Jar openers – use rubber jar openers for grip.
Adaptive utensils – these help with grip. A wider handle won’t put as much pressure on your joints when holding utensils.
Food processors – a great appliance tool to do the chopping and mixing for you. Less strain on the hands!
Tips and Tools for Hobbies and Activities
One of the toughest parts of living with a degenerative disease like arthritis is being unable to take part in the activities you love. However, there are creative solutions that can help you stay engaged in the things you’re passionate about.
Audiobook vs physical book – when holding a book becomes too tough, switch to an audiobook to still be able to enjoy reading
Wider gardening tools – same concept as adaptive utensils, choosing gardening tools with a wider handle helps with wrist pain and grip issues.
Fingerless gloves – these work in a wide variety of hobbies that deals with any sort of grip.
Tips and Tools for Mobility
Joint pain and stiffness from arthritis can also lead to balance and mobility issues. We offer a lot of mobility tools to help you stay safe, and independent in your home.
Splints – these are helpful to keep joints straight and allow you to continue to move around. Knee braces are also a good option too to alleviate pain while walking.
Walkers and cane – these help reduce pain when walking and walkers can act as a good resting place for when you’re out and about.
Stair lifts – if you have stairs in (or outside of) your home, stair lifts help keep you safe and mobile going up and down the stairs. If its difficult to bend your knees or grip the handrail, a stair lift is a good investment. They help reduce the risks of falls and major injuries. Plus, it provides family and friends peace of mind that you’re safe navigating the stairs.
All of our stair lifts are equipment with high-quality safety features like a retractable seatbelt, easy to use ergonomic controls and a swivel seat for easy exit. If you are in need of a stair lift, visit us online or give us a call and we will be able to help: 1-800-790-1635
While arthritis can make everyday tasks more challenging, the right tools and devices can reduce pain and help improve your quality of life.
Article Source: https://health.usnews.com/senior-care/articles/tools-and-devices-to-improve-life-and-mobility-with-arthritis