Home Sweet Home: Equipment That Helps the Elderly Live at Home Safely

If the elderly person is adamant about remaining at home, and if they can physically and financially care for themselves and their home, here is some equipment that can help make the arrangement successful for everyone.

Equipment

Emergency response system (an electronic device designed to summon help in an emergency)
Riser for the toilet seat
Grab bars for the toilet and shower
Hand-held shower head
Bath bench
Bedroom products (beds, over-bed tables, pads)
Medicine droppers and spoons
Button loopers and zipper pulls, for easier dressing
Specialized dinnerware, to enable eating with one hand
Single-lever faucets for kitchen and bath
Touch-tone telephones with large numbers, speaker or hands-free telephones and TDD
Talking clocks, wristwatches, and calculators, for people with poor vision
Kitchen implements that make opening cans and bottles, peeling potatoes, and cutting and dicing vegetables easier
"Reachers" – pincher-like devices for people who have a weak grasp or limited mobility, to eliminate bending over or having to reach for objects
"Safety net" – A list of who to call in case of emergency to keep it by the phone

Comments

Comments 1 to 7 of 7

jefferson

Give a Hug

Oct 18, 2007

What's the best way to go about finding some of these specialty products ? Is there a central source for most homecare neds?

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KARLA

Jan 14, 2008

IT IS VERY HARD TO GET A AIDE IN OUR AREA. THE HEALTH SERVICES SAY THERE IS NO ONE TO SEND TO OUR HOUSE. MY MOM CARES FOR MY GRAM 24/7 AND SHE IS A TWO PERSON LIFT AND WE ARE REALLY IN NEED OF HELP. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

fisherking

There are so many mail order home healthcare product companies you can find on the web. In the senior care area there are places like Senior Living Depot, The Wright Stuff, Homehealthcareproducts.com and the like. Depends on what you are looking for.

On the subject of needing a care aide, you can try your lcoal senior citizen center. They are in tune with the resources available locally. Local support groups are similar. There is also the Eldercare Locator which should be able to help at 800-677-1116. This phone number has helped me find all kinds of help.

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Tigerooma

Jul 31, 2010

I take care of my 89 yr. old Mother. I enjoy doing it. The problem is that we have a tub with a shower in it. But she can not use it. And to buy one that she can walk into cost so much money that we can not afford it. And I feel just hand washing her is not really get her clean. Is their away that I can afford those walk in bath/shower tubs that they advertise on television. And my other problem is: We are living on my mother's social security & it goes to pay for her medicine & food and bills. As her care provider can I get paid & how do I go about it. Anne from Oswego, Illinois

charlene4047

Aug 11, 2010

I can't help with getting an aide to come, but is it possible to get a Hoyer-type lift so that one person alone can safely lift. We have one paid for by Medicare and Medicaid.

judybssisso

Mar 2, 2011

If you family member has Medicare part B you can have your mom's physician write a prescrition for a home health evaluation. The home health nurse will come make an assessment and can order a Hoyer lift which will be covered in Medicare. I hope someone has helped with this already since the post was from Aug!

pearlandharold

Mar 30, 2011

to Tigerooma,
Lowes and other stores and catalogs sell bath benches.
These are like tub seats, but much wider, so that it fits
half inside and half outside the tub. They usually come
with a back, to support the person's back. Your mother
would sit down outside the tub, swing one leg at a time
over the tub edge as she slides over, and finishes
sitting on the bench within the tub area. Then
she can wash and rinse off with a sponge or
with a hand-held shower head. The shower
head should cost between 30 and 70 dollars,
and needs only basic plumbing skills to
install - or a basic handyman.
These tub-benches usually cost
less than a hundred dollars. They are made of
high-strength plastic and aluminum. So they are
easy to lift into and out of the tub and can be washed
easily and/or placed outside to dry off (they are
resistant to mold, but should still be dried between
uses).

Equipment and Products That Help the Elderly Live at Home Safely

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