Do you use senior helpers/aids?

I use what was my mother's cane since 2 years. I was in the bathroom and suddenly had a very strong pain in my knee and almost fell down, thankfully I grabbed myself at the sink but couldn't get out because there was nothing to hold on, all smooth walls! Then I found out I had a torn meniscus. And since then I started using that cane as a safety precaution.
I also put a bannister on my stairs to the basement. I have two grab bars in the shower which my son installed when I had the mastectomy. I use the one on the side every time to get out of the tub for safety. My bathtub is very high, just came with the house. And I use glasses since I was 9 years old
 

We added a handrail to the front two steps and grab bars to the two steps in from the garage.

We’ll have to make more modifications in the future as DH has Parkinson’s.

We buy 5 gallon refillable jugs of water. DH hurt his arm and still can’t lift that weight. We’re going to replace these with 3 gallon ones. In the meantime, we’ve just been filling them to half and some gallon bottles.
 
After MIL died years ago, we gave her cane away. Now I'm wishing we'd kept it because it had four "feet" on it that adjusted themselves according to the surface it was being used on.

I've been a bit off balance a time or two recently, and when I get a cane, going to look for one like that.

A reacher/grabber thingie sounds like a good idea, too. It's not that I'm too short to reach those top shelves, though. It's because they are higher now than they were when they were installed ;)
 
I used to use a walking stick when I went outside to the yard or garden, mainly as an aid in standing up after kneeling down.
It was just a shovel handle with a wrapped handle and a lag bolt in the bottom end in case I encountered something I didn't want to encounter.
I don't use it anymore since I lost weight, but I still have it and probably should take it along.
 
Two grab bars mounted in my shower.

A grabber-reacher thing like Diva has (I call it a gripper). Very handy tool.

A cane for "just in case," but I very rarely use it. Mostly I got it for icy winter weather, which we don't really get any more.

I do have a handicapped parking permit card in the car, as I have trouble walking long distances. Rarely use that either.

One pet peeve of mine is the fact that hotels seem to all have bathtubs (no grab bars, usually) and one or two hard-to-get walk-in showers. How many people really want to climb into a bathtub when they go to a hotel? I think the standard equipment should be a walk-in shower, with the tubs in just a few rooms, maybe for people who have little kids.
 
I put in two grab bars in my bathroom, one in the shower and one by the toilet. I use them a bit but as I grow older they'll be handy.

I tried non-slip rubber mats in the shower which worked but got mold and slowly slipped to cover the drain hole. I sprayed them with pure vinegar to little affect so I binned them.

Have I been doing something wrong? 🤔
 
Terri said:
I put in two grab bars in my bathroom, one in the shower and one by the toilet. I use them a bit but as I grow older they'll be handy.

I tried non-slip rubber mats in the shower which worked but got mold and slowly slipped to cover the drain hole. I sprayed them with pure vinegar to little affect so I binned them.

Have I been doing something wrong? 🤔
Click to expand...
I use one of the old style rubber mats, with suction cups.

I take it up after each shower and let it dry attached to the side of the tub. I clean it when I clean the tub and I replace it when it starts to get grungy.

The one I have is small but I want to replace it with this larger full tub style.

1728224579742.jpeg
 
Aunt Bea said:
I use one of the old style rubber mats, with suction cups.

I take it up after each shower and let it dry attached to the side of the tub. I clean it when I clean the tub and I replace it when it starts to get grungy.

The one I have is small but I want to replace it with this larger full tub style.

View attachment 372298
Click to expand...
Thank you @Aunt Bea. I didn't know that that length of shower mat existed. I just ordered one from Amazon.
 
Terri said:
I put in two grab bars in my bathroom, one in the shower and one by the toilet. I use them a bit but as I grow older they'll be handy.

I tried non-slip rubber mats in the shower which worked but got mold and slowly slipped to cover the drain hole. I sprayed them with pure vinegar to little affect so I binned them.

Have I been doing something wrong? 🤔
Click to expand...
Do you have somewhere in the bathroom where you could hang the mat up 'till next use? That's what I do and it doesn't get moldy as fast.
 
My "just in case" cane is now a necessity. Recently at an event I was seated on a folding metal chair without arms. Thinking I would have to ask for help getting up I discovered something. By turning sideways on the chair I could use the back for one arm and my cane for the other. It worked!
 
Terri said:
I tried non-slip rubber mats in the shower which worked but got mold and slowly slipped to cover the drain hole. I sprayed them with pure vinegar to little affect so I binned them.

Have I been doing something wrong? 🤔
Click to expand...
I rinse and hang up my shower mat every morning after cleaning the shower. I accept the fact that it still gets grungy so I replace it every six months. $20 for our safety is worth it.
 
officerripley said:
Do you have somewhere in the bathroom where you could hang the mat up 'till next use? That's what I do and it doesn't get moldy as fast.
Click to expand...
I could if pushed hang up a shower mat but I use my shower rail to dry out my fluffy foot mat....
Drying does help a lot with mold, as I now do hanging my shower curtain over the shower caddy to drip dry...
 


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