Living with Arthritis: The Best Strategies and Assistive Devices For Everyday Life
Each day millions of people struggle with chronic symptoms associated with arthritis. Fortunately, there are a variety of helpful tools and strategies available that make it easier for those living with arthritis to cope and complete everyday tasks.
The goal for those dealing with arthritic pain is to find ways to reduce the amount of bending, gripping and stretching needed to perform common tasks. Also, any products that help reduce strain on painful joints while moving from place to place can be a big help.
If you’re looking for the best type of products for arthritis or need assistance in finding gifts for people with arthritis, this informative guide covers a wide range of adaptive, self-help products.
Reducing Pain and Inflammation
Pain and discomfort from inflamed joints can make it difficult for a person with arthritis to concentrate or focus on doing things that most people take for granted. So, it’s imperative to find over-the-counter pain relief solutions that work. For instance, Easy Comforts offers an effective hand cream for arthritis that contains wogonin, a natural anti-inflammatory extract. Some people find that using an old-fashioned topical pain reliever like white liniment helps with pain management.
Aids for Cooking and Dining:
One of the most common obstacles people with arthritis face when preparing a meal is using their hands to open food containers. This is an area where tools for arthritic hands are essential for maintaining nutritional health. Finding simple kitchen tools that do most of the hand-gripping work is the best way to prevent discomfort.
Adaptive Can Openers
It’s no longer necessary to strain your hands to get those canned goods open. While automatic can openers have been around for decades, modern models are easier to operate, less clunky and portable.
Hands-free Can Opener
The battery-operated hands-free can opener requires minimal effort to operate. Simply place the entire unit over the can and press a button to turn it on and off. Cutting blades are designed to ensure the edges of the can top are smooth for easy removal. If you want an easy-to-use manual tool that opens a variety of food containers, this multipurpose can opener does it all.
Easy to Grip Spatula
Make pan-fried eggs, pancakes and other favorite foods that need to be flipped without straining your hands with this ingenious easy-grip spatula. It can be used in place of standard spatulas and tongs.
Adaptive Dressing Aids:
Feeling pain while getting dressed is among the worst at-home experiences for those with arthritis. Every item of clothing requires using the hands, which can make getting ready a slow process. Finding the right kind of dressing aid tools for arthritic hands can make putting on clothing much easier to do.
Button and Zipper Tool
This button zipper tool proves that arthritis gadgets don’t have to be complex in design to work. One end helps you fasten a button, and the other helps you pull a zipper up or down.
Sock and Stocking Tool
There are tools such as this handy sock aid tool that makes it easy to sit and put on a pair of socks or stockings without bending down, grabbing or pulling.
Long Reach Shoehorns
Some types of adaptive equipment for arthritis in the hands and fingers are used by anyone who wants to make a task easier. This is the case with the simple shoehorn, a tool that helps the foot slide into a shoe. Adaptive shoehorn designs are long enough to avoid having to do too much bending.
Elastic Shoelaces
Your strategy for putting on shoes may involve not having to bother tying shoelaces. This can be made possible by swapping out regular shoelaces for those made from stretchy elastic. Once installed, you can easily slip on any shoes with laces.
Household Helpers:
When you think about all the various things considered normal activities around the home, you may discover that you need a variety of assistive devices for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and other types of arthritis.
Grabber and Reacher Tools
Movements associated with reaching for items and grabbing them from shelves, or counters, can be difficult when joints are inflamed. A grabber tool has a comfortable handle, an extended pole and a device at the top end that can be used to grab ahold of an item.
Bed Step Stool
Arthritic knees can make it painful to get in and out of bed, and that may lead to accidental falls. The bed step stool has a wide platform, a sturdy grab bar and a motion-sensor activated LED light for visual safety.
Wedge Pillow
Leg wedge pillows can help you rest more comfortably by taking the pressure off of your legs and knee joints. Consider getting a wedge pillow for head and neck support that can help with spine alignment.
Easy Back Scrubbers
Scrubbing your back doesn’t have to be difficult when you find the right kind of back scrubber for help with personal hygiene. Many designs have long poles and brushes. Flat scrubbers have a handle at both ends with the scrubber in the middle for easy pulling back and forth.
Tub and Shower Stool
It may be easier to sit down in the tub or shower, taking the pressure off of knee and ankle joints. Durable bathtub stools make for a convenient seat where you can relax and feel safe as you cleanse your body.
Mobility Aids:
Arthritis mobility aids can help you maintain independence when moving from place to place indoors and while out and about.
Cane Stool
Go out for a walk, or to events, and enjoy the support of a walking cane and a portable seat with the cleverly designed cane stool.
Heavy-Duty Rollator
Zip around town and get your shopping done with the assistance of a rollator that has a comfortable seat and a storage compartment.