Getting older is a fact of life, but ageing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing independence. At Careline365, we recognise that your elderly loved ones may need some support to remain healthy and active. Fortunately, there are plenty of daily living aids available that can improve quality of life. Offering support with mobility, hygiene, and daily chores, these are some of the best daily living aids available for your loved ones.
What are Daily Living Aids?
A daily living aid is any form of equipment that makes it easier for a person to perform certain tasks. Often, they are designed with elderly or disabled people in mind. They may provide support with moving around, going to the toilet, preparing food, getting dressed, getting in or out of bed, or even simply sitting comfortably.
Examples of daily living aids include walking frames, lap trays, winches, pill organisers, and reaching aids.
Best Daily Living Aids
With so many daily living aids to choose from, it is important that your loved ones are using the best quality products possible. To help you make the right choice, we have scoured the internet to find the best daily living aids for over-60s.
Mobility Scooters
If your loved one struggles to get around but still needs to head down to the shops, a mobility scooter can be a sensible investment. There are a range of models available, all with varying price tags. Whilst buying a reliable mobility scooter won’t be cheap, it’s an effective way to support your loved one’s independence.
Amongst the top-rated mobility scooters is the I-Go Vertex Sport. It is amongst the more expensive of the country’s best mobility scooters, but it is worth the price tag. The Vertex Sport provides considerable ground clearance without being difficult to climb into. This helps to ensure a smooth journey, and the swivel chair will make it easy for your loved one to stand up and sit down again. It’s also collapsible, meaning it can be folded up in the back of the car for a day out.
For one of the best daily living aids on a smaller budget, you could instead choose the Livewell Jaunt. It offers less range on a single charge, and doesn’t offer as much ground clearance, but it offers the same security and reliability as the Vertex Sport. The Jaunt is also collapsible.
Dressing Aids
Health conditions such as arthritis and Parkinson’s disease can make it harder to perform fine motor tasks like dressing. Buttons can become too fiddly and leaning over to pull on socks of shoes may become painful. Fortunately, there are a range of dressing aids that can help to make these tasks more manageable.
Some of the best living aids in this category, such as a shoe horn, are surprisingly simple. Affordable and effective, a shoe horn is great for anyone who doesn’t want to bend down to get their shoes on.
For support with socks, consider a sock aid, which will pull socks onto your loved one’s feet without them leaning over and struggling to pull them up. A button hook, especially a big grip option, will make putting a shirt on that little bit easier, too.
What makes dressing aids some of the best daily living aids is their affordability. It’s literally a small price to pay to help your loved ones remain independent.
Reaching Tools
Leaning, bending, and reaching are all actions that can become troublesome in later life. Changes in your loved one’s balance or strength can make it harder for them to retrieve dropped objects or things from shelves. If they push themselves too far, they may have a fall or other accident. Using a reaching tool can help to reduce this risk.
One of the best living aids of this kind is the Unger ‘Nifty Nabber’. Available in a range of lengths, this tool is great for retrieving dropped items or tins from the shelf. This model of reaching tool even comes with a magnetic grabber for additional convenience.
However, this could be an expensive investment. Simpler models are available and will still provide that extra bit of help around the home.
Key Turner
Keys can be fiddly things, especially if your loved one has arthritis or unsteady hands. Fortunately, there is a product on the market that can make locking and unlocking the door more straightforward. With a key turner, your loved one will have more grip on their key, making it easier to keep hold of it and turn it in the lock.
There are several models available, but the best we could find is the Keywing. Unlike other key turners that have bulky handles, the Keywing is a wide, comfortable grip that slips over the key. It provides something to hold onto while your loved one unlocks or locks their door without getting in the way in their pocket or bag.
They are also affordable, providing three grips per pack. Each grip in a pack is a different colour, which could help your loved one differentiate their keys from one another. For further key security, your loved one may also want to purchase a key safe.
Safety Lights
One of the leading causes of falls is tripping over unseen obstacles. An effective means of reducing this risk is to ensure walkways are well-lit. Safety lights in the darker areas of your loved one’s home are some of the best daily living aids for people worried about falls.
To be both safety-conscious and eco-friendly, you should opt for motion-sensitive LED lights. These use less energy, produce less heat, and your loved one won’t need to worry about turning them on or off. Safety lights can be fitted anywhere in the home, at any elevation, to ensure your loved one is safe wherever they walk.
Pill Organisers
As your loved ones get older and the risk of health problems increases, so too does the likelihood of them taking multiple prescriptions medications a day. It can be challenging to keep track of medications, especially if they need to be taken at different times of the day. This is where your loved one may benefit from a pill organiser.
We’ve discussed medication boxes on the blog before and highlighted how useful they can be. There are many different models available; some are split into times of the day, and others are electronic, sending out reminders that it’s time for your loved one to take their prescription. They are great for helping keep track of whether medication has been taken on time as well as whether your loved one is running out.
Boots sell a weekly pill organiser with each day split into different times. If your loved one is prepared to spend some extra money, they could consider the Med-E-Lert Automatic Pill Dispenser, which is programmed to provide the day’s medication only when it is needed.
Home Adaptations
Not all the best daily living aids are simple purchases. In some cases, considerable adaptations may have to be made to the home to make life easier for your loved ones. The purpose of a home adaptation is to remove risks to your loved one’s wellbeing, such as trip hazards, whilst still allowing them to live independently.
Your loved one’s local council can help to identify which home adaptations are necessary for their safety. The council are also legally obligated to cover the costs of any adaptations they recommend up to the price of £1,000 per item. These adaptations could include:
- Fitting a stairlift
- Adding an additional bannister to the stairs
- Installing grab rails around the home
- Fitting a walk-in bath or shower
- Widening doorways
- Adding an outdoor ramp
To get an assessment of your loved one’s home, contact their local council or apply online.
For home adaptations over £1,000, your loved one can get support with costs. Find out more by visiting the Disabled Facilities Grant page on the government website. If your loved one is in receipt of any other benefits, they will not be affected by the Disabled Facilities Grant.
Choosing the Best Daily Living Aids
There are many forms of daily living aids that can help to improve your loved one’s quality of life. We have looked at some essential options, but there are more products out there. Some are as simple as a tray for use in bed, others as complex as winches for moving your loved one from their chair, for example.
Be aware that more specialised equipment is likely to cost more. If your loved one requires this equipment, they be eligible for benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which could help to cover costs.
Careline Alarms: Help When You Need It
At Careline365, we recognise that the safety of your loved ones is at the forefront of your mind. However, we also know that you cannot always be with them. When you are apart, you may worry what will happen if they have a fall and you are not there.
Fortunately, Careline alarms can provide reassurance to you and your loved one. If they have a fall or feel unwell, a simple press of the button on their pendant sends an alert to our 24/7 Care Team. They then arrange help on your loved one’s behalf by informing emergency contacts – such as you – or, when necessary, the emergency services.
At Careline365, we offer a range of personal alarms, providing the best daily living aids for your loved one’s peace of mind. To find out more, read our in-depth guide or get in touch with our helpful customer service team on 0800 101 3333.
Essential Plan
Basic pendant
- Not included, Automatic Fall Detection
- Included, 100 Metre Range
- Included, Wearable on Wrist or Neck
- Included, Waterproof
- Included, No Need to Charge
- Included, Easy to Activate
Plug-in Base Unit
- Included, 24/7 Monitoring Service
- Included, Lifetime Warranty
- Included, Plug-In, Easy Set Up
- Not included, No Phone Line Needed
- Not included, Our Fastest Connection Time
Plug-in Base Unit + Basic pendant
Basic pendant
- Not included, Automatic Fall Detection
- Included, 100 Metre Range
- Included, Wearable on Wrist or Neck
- Included, Waterproof
- Included, No Need to Charge
- Included, Easy to Activate
Plug-in Base Unit
- Included, 24/7 Monitoring Service
- Included, Lifetime Warranty
- Included, Plug-In, Easy Set Up
- Not included, No Phone Line Needed
- Not included, Our Fastest Connection Time
Rising to £22.67 per months after 3 months
Essential+Plan
Save £80 if paid annually
SmartTrigger Pendant
- Included, Automatic Fall Detection
- Included, 600 metre range
- Included, Wearable on Wrist or Neck
- Included, Waterproof
- Included, No Need to Charge
- Included, Easy to Activate
SmartLife Hub
- Included, 24/7 Monitoring Service
- Included, Lifetime Warranty
- Included, Plug-In, Easy Set Up
- Not included, No Phone Line Needed
- Included, Our Fastest Connection Time
Rapid Connect Hub + SmartTrigger Pendant
SmartTrigger Pendant
- Included, Automatic Fall Detection
- Included, 600 metre range
- Included, Wearable on Wrist or Neck
- Included, Waterproof
- Included, No Need to Charge
- Included, Easy to Activate
SmartLife Hub
- Included, 24/7 Monitoring Service
- Included, Lifetime Warranty
- Included, Plug-In, Easy Set Up
- Not included, No Phone Line Needed
- Included, Our Fastest Connection Time
Get 3 months free by paying annually
Complete Plan
RecommendedOur Safest AlarmSave £100 if paid annually
Fall Detector
- Included, Automatic Fall Detection
- Included, 300 Metre Range
- Included, Wearable on Wrist or Neck
- Included, Waterproof
- Included, No Need to Charge
- Included, Easy to Activate
SmartLife Hub
- Included, 24/7 Monitoring Service
- Included, Lifetime Warranty
- Included, Plug-In Anywhere, Easy Set Up
- Included, No Phone Line Needed
- Included, Our Fastest Connection Time
Recommended
Rapid Connect Hub + Fall Detector
Fall Detector
- Included, Automatic Fall Detection
- Included, 300 Metre Range
- Included, Wearable on Wrist or Neck
- Included, Waterproof
- Included, No Need to Charge
- Included, Easy to Activate
SmartLife Hub
- Included, 24/7 Monitoring Service
- Included, Lifetime Warranty
- Included, Plug-In Anywhere, Easy Set Up
- Included, No Phone Line Needed
- Included, Our Fastest Connection Time
Get 3 months free by paying annually
GPS Pendant Plan
Save £88 if paid annually
GPS Location Tracking + Inbuilt Speaker
- Included, Go Anywhere Alarm
- Included, GPS Alarm Pendant
- Included, GPS Location Tracking
- Included, Optional Fall Detection
- Included, Inbuilt Speaker
- Included, Charging Base Station
Get 3 months free by paying annually
GPS Pendant Plan
- Go Anywhere alarm
- GPS Alarm Pendant
- GPS Location Tracking
- Optional Fall Detection
- Inbuilt Speaker
- Charging Base Station
Get 3 months free by paying annually
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