- wrist straps for canes--tape tied on a cane so it can be hung from the wrist while walking upstairs
- kitchen chair trolleys--made by putting casters on a chair and used to move things around easily
- bicycle baskets--strapped to a walker to store necessities and leave the hands free
- an egg carton--to organize pills
- rubber safety mats--ideal for the tub, shower, or any slippery surface; also useful to place on trays and tables for nonslip surface
- key enlargements--put the end of the key that you hold into a large cork for ease of grip
- foot-operated door levers--made by attaching rope to a "stirrup" and tying it to the lever handle
- enlarged handles--handlebar-style grips made with a garden hose, bendable aluminum tubing, a paint-roller cover, or (on small surfaces) a foam hair-curler roller
- language tags--cardboard tags with words that can be used to express needs
- light-switch enlargements--made by putting a rubber pen cap over a light switch
- enlarged pull switches--made by putting a plastic ball over small switches
- clips for canes--spring clips or Velcro placed on favorite chairs to keep a cane from falling
- bedside rails--wooden rails attached to the floor at right angles on swivel hinges
- pull rope--rope attached to the footboard of the bed to help someone change positions in bed
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we use a baby moniter at night to hear if my dad needs us in helping him get out of bed, etc. one of those portable light switches which runs about $15 you can plug into a light if you'll be there on and off in a room and leave the switch on the table or on a wheelchair or bed. If my dad needs my husband, who has a hearing problem and works from home, he switched the switch and the light on my husbands desk goes off and on and he knows my dad needs something. We also use another switch taped to his bedrail to turn on the floor lamp beside his bed if he needs light. We use large medicine keepers but he can no longer get the pills out himself but takes alot of pills which it holds. Adult bibs work great over the clothes you can buy them or make them from terry cloth.
My Mom used a walker and we found the front rubber tips would "catch" on rugs and carpeting making it difficult for her to walk. We took a tennis ball and cut an "X" in the top. We removed the rubber tips and replaced them with the balls. My Mom was now able to walk more smoothly.
Very good ideas and helpful for those who can't spend a lot of money on commercial items. The egg carton idea has never worked for us because of hand functionality issues--the whole thing would get spilled frequently. I put my husband's doses into plastic cups from jello or pudding desserts. Those are big enough for him to grip and we can add yogurt, etc., if he needs something thicker to help him swallow. Might tying a rope to the bedframe actually be safer than using the footboard? (We use the AmFab bedside valet (rail), it is a good product. Expensive--for us--but worth it.) Thanks for these ideas--looking forward to reading what others have come up with!