For many people, as they age, the “little things” like buttoning a shirt, grabbing a jar from the pantry or remembering a morning pill, start to feel like major hurdles. However, aging in place doesn’t have to be a struggle, as there are a wide variety of products specifically made to help with daily tasks.
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are tasks that we do every day to maintain daily life, such as getting dressed, eating and using the bathroom. When you have trouble with an ADL, you may have to use a special device or tool to help. From high-tech smart dispensers that manage your meds for you to a simple doorknob grip, the right adaptive equipment can bridge the gap between needing help and staying in control. Here’s how to improve your daily routine with tools that will help you live independently for longer.
[READ: Why Activities of Daily Living Are Important for Living Independently]
Who Needs Adaptive Equipment?
A device or tool for activities of daily living can come in handy for certain health changes or conditions, including:
— Arthritis or another chronic musculoskeletal condition
— Fatigue
— Multiple medications to use that cause side effects and limit your awareness of when to take the medications you need
— A neurological condition such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease
— Recovery from surgery
— Sensory or vision loss
A device or tool for your ADLs in these situations is helpful because you may feel weaker than usual and have limited mobility. Having a special device can help you to complete tasks independently.
Using a device or tool for activities of daily living is not limited to those who are older.
“Children may use adaptive equipment to support communication, feeding or handwriting,” says Sara Kregel, an occupational therapist and owner of Senior Helpers of Sheboygan, an in-home senior care company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Occupational therapists like Kregel work with patients to help them function independently and identify adaptive equipment to help assist them with ADLs.
[SEE: Tools and Devices to Improve Life and Mobility With Arthritis]
Types of Adaptive Equipment for ADLs
There are many types of tools to help you simplify the activities of daily living, including helping you take medication on time, navigate the kitchen, move around and reach items.
Examples of adaptive equipment include:
— Medication management tools
— Mobility aids
— Reacher/grabber tools
— Cooking and eating tools
— Personal hygiene solutions
— Dressing and clothing help
— Task-specific tools
[READ: How to Simplify Activities of Daily Living]
Medication management tools
If a person needs something beyond the simplicity of a pill organizer, an automatic pill dispenser — like the Hero Smart Pill Dispenser — may be the solution. This type of device is set up to release medications right on schedule and provide a reminder for the person to take that medication.
Depending on the device, it also can send an alert to a caregiver if the person hasn’t taken the medication. The alert can be sent via text and via the system’s app.
“For people with cognitive impairment, lock-and-release dispensers plus caregiver monitoring are often safer than unmonitored pillboxes,” says Karen Jacobs, clinical professor and program director of the online post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy program at Boston University in Boston.
If you don’t have access to an automatic pill dispenser or it’s too pricey, you also can work with a pharmacy to sort medication by the time and day it’s needed in easy-to-open packaging, says Graham Gravley, senior vice president of clinical services and specialty provider markets at the pharmacy care management company Anew Health.
[READ: How to Choose the Best Pill Organizer or Dispenser.]
Mobility aids
Mobility aids help a person to get around. These include:
— Canes
— Electric floor lift chairs
— Hoyer lifts (used to transport someone who is bed-ridden from one place to another, such as from the bed to a wheelchair)
— Ramps
— Scooters
— Stair lifts
— Walkers
— Wheelchairs
The best way to find out what type of mobility aid you need is to work with your primary health care provider as well as an occupational therapist or a physical therapist. Once they have assessed your health needs, here are a few more tips:
— Contact your insurance company to find out what insurance coverage you may have for a mobility aid. “In general, essential equipment like walkers or wheelchairs may be covered by traditional Medicare, while more task-specific tools are often not covered,” Kregel says.
— Request a written coverage determination, which states the exact coverage that your insurance will provide for that device.
— Ask if you can have a trial period with the device. “Doing so under an occupational therapy practitioner’s guidance prevents poor fit, unsafe use or wasted costs,” Jacobs says.
Reacher/grabber tools
A reacher or grabber tool is what a person can use to reach for something they can’t reach on their own.
For example, a reacher that’s a couple feet long and has a grabbing mechanism on the end may help you to reach kitchen items in a high cupboard. Jacobs, who’s 75, describes herself as very active and still working. Still, she uses a reacher to retrieve clothing from a deep washer or to reach for an object on a high shelf.
Long-handled sponges can help you if you have trouble reaching your feet or back.
Reacher/grabber tools also can help you to reach things closer to the ground. For instance, there are sock aids and long-handled shoehorns so a person can dress without having to bend over.
Cooking and eating tools
If you’re recovering from hand surgery, or have a condition that affects your hand movement, you may find it hard to do your usual tasks in the kitchen, such as chopping veggies for a salad, reaching for a bowl in a higher cupboard or opening a can.
That’s when a whole range of adaptive kitchen tools can come in handy. Some examples of adaptive kitchen tools include:
— Cookware with removable handles (making the cookware easier to move around) or sloped sides
— Cutlery and utensils that have larger grip areas, so you can hold on to them if you have tremors or reduced grip strength
— Electric can openers
— Elongated straws
— Jar openers
— Rocker knives that enable you to cut something with one hand
— Two-handed mugs
— Walker trays so you can safely move food to a table while using a walker
Personal hygiene solutions
Bathing can be a daunting task for those with limited mobility or who are prone to falls. Installing grab bars or steps, as well as easy-access showers can be helpful, but there are a few other tools that can be used to help maintain personal hygiene.
— Scrub brushes and sponges on long sticks
— Shampoo tray for hair washing in bed
— No-rinse shampoo cap
— One-handed denture brush
— Suction base fingernail brush
— No-rinse or dry shampoo
— No-rinse body wipes
— Nonslip shower mats
Dressing and clothing help
Upper-body tools
— Button hooks and zipper pulls can be used on regular clothing to help grasp the button or zipper
— Zipper rings can be added to regular zippers to give a better grip
— Jewelry with magnetic clasps
Lower-body tools
— Dressing sticks with hook ends can help someone push or pull clothing items on without bending over
— Leg lifters are straps that help get your legs into place if you have limited lower-body mobility
Shoes and socks
— Elastic shoelaces and fasteners can turn regular shoes into slip-ons
— Shoe horns can aid with putting on shoes
— Sock aids are tools placed on the floor that allow you to slip your sock on more easily
Fasteners
— Adaptive clothing has magnetic or velcro fasteners that can help make getting dressed easier
Task-specific tools
There are a variety of lesser-known tools that can make some activities easier:
| Task | Tool |
| Making the bed | Bed MadeEZ mattress lifter |
| Opening doors | Great Grips doorknob attachments |
| Getting in or out of a car | Car caddy strap which attaches to the door frame to provide a sturdy handle for lowering yourself into or rising out of a seat |
| Buckling a seatbelt | Easy reach seatbelt grabber handle |
| Writing | Weighted pen/pencil holder |
Questions to Ask Yourself to Determine If You Need a Special Device or Tool
Questions you can ask to determine if you or someone you care for needs a device or tool for activities of daily living include:
— Do I have mobility limitations?
— Do I have trouble remembering to do daily tasks?
— Can I consistently manage medications on my own, or do I need help?
— Do these tasks take significantly more time or effort than they used to?
— Have I experienced recent falls or increased balance issues?
— Am I avoiding certain activities because they feel unsafe or physically challenging?
— Do I rely more on others for help with daily tasks than I would like?
If most of these are answered with a “yes,” then a special device or tool may help.
Final Tips to Choose a Device or Tool to Support ADLs
Here are a few tips if you or someone you care for may need a device or tool to support activities of daily living.
— Define your specific needs. Before purchasing, clearly identify the challenge you are trying to solve. If you are unsure which adaptive equipment is best for your situation, consult with an occupational or physical therapist to perform a professional functional assessment.
— Compare suppliers and costs. Don’t settle for the first option you find. Shop around at local pharmacies, online retailers and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers. Be sure to verify price points and check if the tool is covered by your insurance or Medicare.
— Test equipment before committing. Whenever possible, ask if a device can be rented or trialed. Because everyone’s physical requirements are unique, a tool that looks good on paper might not function the way you expect it to and makes it difficult for you to operate in practice.
— Prioritize simplicity and ease of use. Fancier, advanced features aren’t always better. The most effective assistive technology is often the most straightforward, so be sure to look for tools that are intuitive, easy to maintain and reliably get the job done without unnecessary complexity.
— Customize the solution to the individual. Avoid buying a device just because it worked for a friend. Remember, when it comes to ADLs, one size rarely fits all, so it’s important to match the tool to your specific physical limitations, home environment and personal goals.
— Maintain your natural strength. While these tools provide vital support, try to avoid over-reliance if the goal is rehabilitation. Use the device to stay safe, but continue working on exercises that help you maintain or build the strength needed to perform tasks independently when possible.
— Seek professional guidance and support. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, whether it’s learning the proper technique for using a new tool or recognizing when you need human assistance beyond what a piece of equipment can provide.
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Tools to Support Activities of Daily Living: Helping Seniors Stay Independent originally appeared on usnews.com