Daily Living Aids: What Are They & How Can They Help?

Aging, injuries, and a variety of medical conditions can all lead daily activities to become increasingly challenging. Tasks like using the bathroom, getting dressed, preparing and eating food, running errands, moving around the house, and a variety of other things can be difficult for people as mobility and balance are limited. Because of this, people often lose their independence, relying largely on the help of caregivers, or they isolate themselves, risking the danger of falls or further injury rather than ask for help.

This is where daily living aids step into the picture. These tools are uniquely designed to make living everyday life exponentially easier, and encompass a wide variety of devices varying from non-slip floor treads to adaptive cutlery to extensions for lamp and light switches. They help people maintain their independence by allowing them to more easily perform their daily tasks and regain control over their surroundings.

To help you get a better idea of tasks you might need assistance with and the tools available to make them easier, we’ve outlined the major categories, and will guide you through some of the best items in our catalog to help you regain control of these activities.

Tasks Made Easier by Daily Living Aids

Hygiene

Hygiene is a major part of day to day life, and a vital part of helping you feel your best. With limited strength or mobility, certain aspects of keeping clean can become progressively more difficult. 

Daily living aids come into the picture to make these tasks more possible. 

Recommendations:

Dressing

Getting dressed is something many of us take for granted. It just seems like an ultra-simple part of every day until you face something that starts to make it seem like a dreaded challenge. Once you start to have difficulties with dressing, you start to understand the wide variety of movements that need to be addressed in order to be able to easily get dressed independently.

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Mobility

One of the most challenging parts of needing assistance with daily living is just the general difficulty with moving around your home or living space. Activities like getting up and out of bed, getting up and down from chairs and couches, and navigating through hallways and around corners can seem like obstacle courses if you aren’t properly supported. 

  • Bed Mobility - Getting in and out of bed and adjusting and repositioning yourself in bed can both pose a challenge for people with muscle weakness, balance problems, and any other motor problems. A wide variety of bed rails and bed grab handles are available to help support you as you move in and out of bed, while products like bed pull-up assist straps can help you sit up and lay down more comfortably. Additionally, for people living with pain or difficulty adjusting in bed, slide sheets can be a great solution, helping you move more easily across the bed's surface.
  • Couch and Chair Accessibility - For trouble getting in and out of chairs, products like lift chairs can help, providing an added boost to help you get up more easily, while lift seats are also available to allow you to make every chair into a lift chair. Additionally, shorter chair and couch handles and standing support frames are also available to make getting up and sitting down much easier.
  • General Mobility - For moving around the house, products like grab bars, poles, and even mobility devices like canes, walkers, and rollators, can make a huge difference in your ability to feel safe and supported throughout your home. 

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Dining

Feeding yourself is one of the most important aspects of feeling independent, so finding a tool or aid that allows people to feel confident in their ability to perform this task is an integral part of any daily routine.

Adaptive cups and drinking helpers, as well as assistive plates and bowls, are all available to provide a comfortable and convenient solution for better dining. However, utensils tend to be the biggest problem for many people, and there are a plethora of designs to make handling, holding, and bringing them safely to and from your mouth for a comfortable eating experience.

Rocker knives help alleviate the amount of pressure you need to cut food, while utensils with built-up, cushioned handles or weighted handles are designed to help improve grip or stabilize tremors. Swivel utensils are also available for users who have difficulty keeping them steady.

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Summary

Daily living shouldn’t have to be hard, but for many people all over the world struggling with various injuries, illnesses, or aging-related concerns, the tasks we all take for granted can become a daily struggle for independence. Daily living aids are designed to make these tasks easy again, helping provide the adaptive tools you need so that you can maintain your independence. 

For more information about adaptive tools and ways to live better every day, check out the rest of our helpful tips and tricks on Caregiver University. When you’re wanting to compare the types of tools available, or you’re ready to make a purchase to improve your life, come visit Rehabmart.com for all your rehabilitative and assistive needs.

Author:

Co-Founder of Rehabmart and an Occupational Therapist since 1993. Mike has spent his professional career working in multiple areas of Occupational Therapy, including pediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, ergonomics and inpatient / outpatient rehabilitation. Mike enjoys writing articles that help people solve complex therapeutic problems and make better product choices.

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