10 Aids For The Elderly

Making life easier - 10 aids for the elderly

Added 466 days ago. 18 October 2023

As we age we may need a little more help with day-to-day tasks. Our guide provides some ideas on 10 types of aids that can be used to help.

As we age daily tasks can become more challenging due to mobility issues or just some of the changes that come with aging. Daily living aids can help to maintain independence at home, here at Wiltshire Farm Foods we're committed to helping our customers to live independent lives.

We run through some of the best home aids for elderly people to help with those day-to-day tasks:

1. Smart Assists - rather than having to turn lights off yourself you could set up a smart home assistant like Amazon Echo or Google Nest. These allow you to perform many tasks such as setting alarms, reminders or even playing music. This is all done by voice command so can make life much easier!

2. Smart Doorbells - to give peace of mind when their is a ring at the door a smart door bell will allow allow you to see who's there and speak to them. There's no need to answer the door unless you feel safe to do so.

3. Robot Vacuum Cleaners - why not get someone else to vacuum for you? A remove vacuum can whizz around the house while up put your feet up and have a cup of tea!

4. Alert Systems - if you've previously suffered from a fall or medical emergency at home this will make you understandably nervous in case it happens again. With an alert system, you can get the help you need. These can work in different ways and can either sound an alarm as a basic model or alert family members or a call centre service that can dispatch help if needed. It's also possible to have monitoring alarms which can detect actions such as falls and send alerts. You can get help from the local council with getting an alarm to help you live independently.

5. Mobility aids for the home - there are a huge range of mobility aids that can help you around the house. You can have grab rails fitted to help you get in and out of the bath or one that you attach to your bed. There are also stands that you can fit around your toilet which allow you to help yourself on and off more easily. Chairs for showering can help when it's a challenge to stand for a longer period of time.

6. Smart Kitchen Equipment - there are a lot of useful kitchen gadgets that you can get to help you grip more easily. For older people grip can deteriorate with changes to muscle mass so it can be more difficult to do things like open jars. You can get an easy-grip jar/can/bottle opener which will help. There are easy-grip scissors available that can make cutting much easier and chopping boards and specially designed knives to make make food preparation less of a chore.

7. Hooks for dressing – it can be more challenging as dexterity decreases to button shirts and pull up zips. Specially designed hooks can help by catching hold of the button and pulling it through the buttonhole. They can also have another end which has a hook to attach the zip.

8. Easy chairs - if it's becoming more difficult to get out of the armchair these days you can get a special chair which will help you get up more easily by rising up with a push of a button.

9. Stairlifts - if the stairs are becoming more effort then you can get a stairlift fitted which will take the strain out of getting up the stairs giving you a smooth ride up instead! You can save money on a stairlift by opting for a reconditioned or a second-hand version. Stairlifts are an expensive option but there is some help available, Age Concern have a guide to financing stairlifts including details on what government grants are available.

10. Walkers – designed to give a solid frame to help with balance issues a walker can help you to get around when you are less steady on your feet.

There are some great resources available online to provide advice:

Living made easy - a site run by a charity called DLF which is part of Shaw trust, they provide impartial advice on specific aids and gadgets that can make life easier.
NHS - has a useful page on household gadgets and equipment to make life easier.
Age Concern - provides advice on products that help to maintain independent living.

At Wiltshire Farm Foods we help our customers keep their independence by delivering delicious food to their homes. Our friendly delivery drivers will even put them in the freezer if you want them to. With customer service second to none we really want to help make our customers lives easier and independent for as long as possible.