Why are Daily Living Aids Becoming more Important?

For most of us, being well and healthy and fully mobile, we don’t tend to think about Daily Living Aids, and probably only have a fleeting acquaintance with what they actually are.

Daily Living Aids are a group of products that basically help us to do ordinary daily tasks around the home or garden, or even whilst travelling or on holiday.

That might look like making slicing a loaf of bread easier, holding a heavy kettle, reaching a high shelf, or fastening buttons on a shirt…

For many people; the elderly, those suffering from a disability, or recuperating after an illness, these aids are a real lifeline, as they help to make life easier, promote independence and improve safety around the home.

But why are these aids even more important now?

With the recent lockdowns imposed to protect us from the spread of Covid-19, one of the consequences has been that we have, and continue to be in our homes for much longer periods.

In some areas of the country, lockdowns are still in force and are likely to be for some time, which means a much greater time spent in the four walls, and spending far more time doing all those household and garden activities.

Being in the home for longer periods really does bring into sharp focus the areas of our life that are causing us irritation, difficulty, frustration and even risking our safety.

Often, it’s one of these minor irritations, that lead us to seek practical solutions to make the particular problem disappear, hence the search for an appropriate Daily Living Aid.

It’s true to say that demand for daily living aids, has seen a large spike since March, when lockdown began, as many people have looked to make their home life as comfortable and hassle-free as possible.

So what are some of these Daily Living Aids, and what do they do?

Here are a few examples of some of the most popular Daily Living Aids and how they help around the home…

Help with the Kettle.

Handling hot liquids in the kitchen, and using the kettle, can be challenging for some, either through grip weakness, arthritis and other conditions or simply because due to recovering from a sports injury to the arm, hand or wrist.

One of the most innovative gadgets to come on to the market in recent years has been the Combination Kettle with Tipper. it features an effortless power-steering pour action that almost eliminates any risk brought about by pouring from a heavy kettle.

The technology is known as PowerPour – a non-weight bearing tilt and pour action from the ergonomic handle helping to direct hot water into the cup without the need for removing the kettle from its cradle.

Help with Cooking.

The Jar and Bottle Grip Opener gives your hands a much higher level of grip on awkward jar and bottle tops, effectively moulding across the contours and so providing you with stronger leverage.

This device comes into its own for any users with a weakened grip or decreased sensation in their hands, particularly for those stubborn bottles and jars – where for some reason only known to them, the manufacturer has decided to attach with a vice-like grip, as if wanting to protect the precious contents from any human intervention!

The Kitchen Workstation is a multi-function station specifically designed to help in the fast and hassle-free preparation of food in the kitchen, essentially an extra pair of hands to get around many of those regular obstacles that have been putting you off cooking or baking.

The workstation is fitted with a versatile clamp, designed to hold food for preparation, vegetables for slicing, bread for cutting etc, it can also be used to hold bowls, jars or bottles of various sizes.

To allow for one-handed grating or slicing, a grating and slicing box is also supplied, and this can be mounted securely on the surface of the Kitchen Workstation. This station comes into its own for users who have a weak or painful grip, or who don’t have the full use of both hands, such as arthritis sufferers or those recovering from an injury or surgery.

Help with Reaching.

A very useful daily living aid, and a great example of a typical aid around the home that’s grown in demand over the last few months, is the Lightweight Handy Reacher, this very useful reacher allows the user to grip and lift light objects that would otherwise be difficult to reach.

Both lightweight and compact the reacher allows for objects to safely be grabbed or moved, both easily and safely.

The Reacher has a single moving jaw that can be operated with ease by a trigger action from the handle. The head is complete with a magnet, perfect for picking up small metal objects e.g. pins, and it also has a hook to aid in dressing.

If you’d like to take a look at a much wider range of Daily Living Aids, then simply click here to go to a full category page where you’ll see many options of our current aids for sale.

Phil Ashforth is a staff writer for Mobility Smart, an online retailer of health, wellbeing and mobility equipment to help you recover from injury, recuperation and protection of joints and muscles when exercising or just helping you in normal daily life, you’ll find their website here.

This is a collaborative post.

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