Focus on affordable and practical adaptions that improve your daily living.
Finding practical gadgets or tools for the disabled shouldn’t have to be too complicated or a huge hassle. Though the biggest concern tends to be the quality of brands that cater to the disabled community. Unfortunately, for most people, it takes a lot of trial and error to find reputable brands. No matter the company, always look at the return policy and customer reviews before buying. Also, make sure to buy from reputable suppliers and always avoid already opened products.
When deciding on daily living gadgets, focus solely on tools that improve overall independence. These include reacher grabbers, walkers, modified utensils, toilet elevators, and much more.
Another important emphasis should be on affordability. You can never go wrong with reputable and affordable brands like Drive Medical. There is no reason you need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on products that tend to be overpriced in medical supply stores. Fortunately, most Drive products and other competitors can be purchased online on Amazon.
Toilet Elevators
One of the most important daily aids is the toilet elevators or toilet seat risers. What this does is raise the toilet seat to ADA heights, in most cases at 18 inches. Sadly, most regular toilets tend to be well below the 18-inch threshold. In most cases, most individuals will need to look for elevators with at least 4-6 inches of additional height. Lastly, toilet elevators are easy to install, require no complicated tools, and are easy to clean.
I recommend going with Drive Medical and you can get it in most drugstores or on Amazon.
Walker Rollators
Another great aid is the walker rollator, which can help people with limited mobility. When looking for a walker rollator always look for ones with brake handles. This is essential for safety, you don’t want a rollator that moves or rolls away when stopped. The other focus should be on lightweight walkers only. Bulky walkers will only make it harder to push and will only put more pressure on your body. On top of that, you run the risk of a bad fall or serious injury if weight is too cumbersome. With regards to actual brands, I would stick with reputable companies like Drive, Carex, and Medline. Also, if you use Amazon you can take advantage of their fairly liberal return policy.
Reach Grabbers
The reach grabber is essentially a gadget that extends your overall reach for picking up items on the ground like keys, small bottles, and reaching high shelves. Drive Medical, RMS, and Vive have good grabbers with various lengths. I highly recommend the RMS brand which is of great quality and fairly affordable. Also, the grabber is lightweight and has a nice reach of 32-34 inches. And some versions are even foldable and can easily be stored in a backpack or drawer. You can easily get it on Amazon or on their website.
Daily Utensils
Daily living aids that improve grip and better reach are essential for individuals with low dexterity or who need additional assistance. Examples include key chains, dining utensils, and longer handles for daily grooming. Drive Medical has a few affordable sets. Or go with the foam tubes sets by Impresa on Amazon.
As mentioned earlier, there are more daily aids out there that can improve independence. However, every person’s needs will differ depending on their circumstances. Though the four items mentioned are mere suggestions and just a starting point for most. With products that require no huge out-of-pocket costs or heavy maintenance, having affordable brands is a huge asset for our community.
