Several products are designed to make your golden years easier

As we become older and grow in age, we find out some things about, well, life start to get harder. Tasks that we performed routinely are suddenly a challenge. Sometimes, the information we used to stash in our memory, now seems to get lost somewhere in the depths of our minds. However, never fear. There is a whole world of products designed to come to our aid. These products can make our senior years much more enjoyable. What, then, are the top products that make seniors’ life easier?

Mobility and Safety

When you think of the word mobility, your mind most likely jumps to walkers and wheelchairs. However, those aren’t the only household aids that help us get around. Your mobility issues may also, or primarily, be in standing up from a sitting position or reaching something you’ve dropped without falling down. There are a few things on the market that might help in these areas.

1. Swivel-seat and Safety Bars

If you (or your loved one) have difficulty standing from a sitting position, try putting on a swivel seat. Some well-placed safety bars in your shower are a good thing, as well. These seats are designed especially for this purpose, so they won’t rust from the constant moisture. These products will allow you to sit while you lather up and move around to reach items you need. The safety bars are also products that make seniors’ life easier. They are used for you to easily grasp and pull yourself up again or to grab quickly in case you start to slip. 

There are also swivel seats you can purchase for your vehicle. This enables you to swing your legs out so you can get out, in case your back or hips are working against you in this area.

2. Step-stool

A bath step, which is a small, sturdy step-stool with a non-slip base and surface, is also a practical addition to help get your legs over the side of the tub when you get in (if you don’t have a walk-in shower). The toilet, too, will require some safety additions with good surrounding support to pull yourself up with.

3. Recliners

If you have a favorite recliner, but find it hard to reach the thing to get it reclined, there are lever extenders that you can add so you can more easily grasp, push, and pull the reclining lever.

For grabbing things in high places or on the ground without straining to bend over, buy yourself a reach extender. These go by various names but are all essentially a long rod with a claw or tong-like grasping mechanism at the end. The claw has rubber grips, and some even have magnets. Just make sure, if you get the magnetic kind, you don’t use it to pick up your cell phone or other electronic devices, as the magnets can damage your device.

Keeping Your Wits about You

There are many little daily living aids you can buy to help keep you on track. These aids are also top products that make seniors’ life easier.

1. Pill sorter / scheduler

A daily pill sorter is one that often comes to mind, which you can load at the beginning of the week for each day, morning, and night, so you never have to remember what you have to take that day or if you’ve already taken it. This can help not only with your memory but also with your health. There are many medications you do not want to accidentally take double of or completely miss a dose.

2. Password Journal

To keep track of passwords in this modern-day age, especially when it seems like everything needs a password, get a password journal and list each site with your login information as you go. It might be tempting to just use the same password for everything, but this puts you at risk of your sensitive information being stolen and possibly used by identity thieves. Better to safeguard yourself by writing it down in one reliable place you can turn to any time you forget (if you can ever remember them all in the first place).

3. Accent lights

Much of what contributes to memory and cognitive function loss is failing sight and hearing. Keep your world easy to see by putting accent lights in critical areas, buying a large button phone, and investing in some large textbooks.

4. Wireless Headphones

Beyond your prescribed hearing aid, consider purchasing wireless headphones for watching TV at home and installing a sufficiently loud doorbell so you can hear when company calls. 

Continue to engage with the world around you. Keep your mind sharp by doing large-type crossword puzzles and Sudoku, reading new books in your favorite genres, and carry a magnifying glass (and, of course, your reading glasses) with you at all times, so you can read smaller text when you aren’t in the comfort of your own home.