10 Items That Makes Aging In Place Easier

As a person ages, things change. Your body, your health, your ability do do things, your memory, your financial situation or your daily life. Face it! Everything changes! Actually your life changes from day one but when you get to a certain age life starts changing fast. My own life started changing as soon as I reached the magic age of fifty. If I had to pinpoint when I started noticing the aging process it was that year. It is not bad or something to get upset about. Just the life cycle. It will happen to everyone soon enough. 

Since moving to my apartment six years ago I have embraced my own aging process. Accepted it and tried to make it easier which I could not do in my previous home. I hear people worrying about not being able to age in place in their present homes. They are scared to make the change and don't know what to do about it. I am fortunate to have made the change and moved into an apartment set up for that purpose. I call it "disabled friendly" and it is.

Ten Items I Use:

There are still aids you can use wherever you live to help you do whatever you need to do. This is a list of ten items I have found that help me almost daily. There are many more than these but for me these are the ones I use now. 

1. Back Scratcher

A back scratcher with a long handle can be used for more than scratching. It is handy for rubbing a pain in your feet or elsewhere. I carry mine on my walker so I have immediate access to it. 

2. Picker Upper

The picker upper I have belonged to my mother and when I brought it home after she had died I kept it for sentimental reasons. Now I use it for things I cannot reach. It is very handy for me now.

3. Shoe Horn

I have a shoe horn with a long handle and I use it daily for putting my shoes on. I cannot reach my feet easily and this shoe horn is a necessary for putting my shoes on. 

4. Eye Glass Cleaner

I have to clean my glasses every morning. They get spotted up and for my safety I need to know where I am going. I have a spray cleaner and an eye glass cloth used for that purpose that the eye doctor gave me. Life is easier when you can see clearly. Don't want to fall!

5. Jar Opener

I cannot tell you how valuable I find the jar opener. I get frustrated with not being as strong as I used to be. I definitely need this tool to open jars. 

6. Cups with Lids

I drink a lot of water and electrolytes so have a cup near me most of the day. I have noticed that I spill things more often than I used to. Don't know if that is an aging thing or what but having cups with lids helps. I have not found a coffee cup I like with a lid since I prefer ceramic coffee cups not steel or plastic.

7. Tray Table

I confess......I eat in front of my computer. Since my table is set up for my computer equipment that was the only place to eat. Now I have an adjustable tray table that is light and easy to move around my apartment. I move it to my computer chair and face away from the computer when I am eating. I like it better for eating my meals. 

8. Portable Table

The portable table is a lot larger than the tray table. It folds up flat to fit behind a door. I can set it up in a minute. Mostly I use it for projects I am working on. Or if I am hosting a coffee hour with my friends in my apartment. I could put a table cloth over it and serve a meal on it if I chose to do so.

9. Walkers 

I actually own four walkers. Two rollator types, with wheels and a seat. One stationary one that has four legs. The stationary one is handy inside my apartment not so much for walking, but I can lean on it while doing something. Also good for getting out of a chair or bed. The ones with wheels I use for walking all the time now. The fourth one is designed for going up and down stairs. 

10. Toilet Seat Riser

The toilet seat riser is for anyone that has a low positioned toilet. I had a new toilet put in a couple of years ago and the maintenance man should have known better than getting a low one for a disabled person. I was so disappointed but had to live with it. So I ordered the seat riser and it works for me. I have other items that help make my life easier but that will have to be another blog post. 

Copyright © 2024 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2024  Kathleen G. Lupole

Make Your Apartment Safer With More Space

 

As people age, the realization of not owning a lot of unnecessary clutter and stuff becomes apparent. I know this because I have been downsizing for a number of years now. Other people are always talking about getting rid of their stuff. Stuff that you do not use often, if at all. The fact is that one day you might end up having to move to a smaller place and your stuff cannot go with you. If you are attached to certain items but know you will not use them again then there is no reason to keep them. I would rather see my things go to someone who really wants or needs them than to a landfill. 

Many older people might be moving into a senior community due to being disabled. If that is true, you really do not want to fill it up with clutter and things you will never use again. Just get rid of them. Living in an apartment you soon discover that free space is at a premium. If you fill it up then you have no room for things that may be more important some time in the future. Like walkers, wheelchairs, mobility power chairs or scooters, exercise equipment, large recliners, foot stools, tray tables, hospital beds, etc. I know the thought of that is the last thing you want on your mind but it is important to consider. If you live a long life it is a very real possibility. 

 

I have a large collections of knickknacks, framed photographs, little decorative items that take up space. Space which I need for the things I use daily. I need open spaces in my apartment due to my mobility issues with walking. I find in order to make things easier I need to get rid of more things now. Cluttered tables, shelves, floor space, dressers, etc. hinder you now. Things I said I would never do, I do now. I wanted an easier life and now I have it. I still need to make some changes. Changes to my apartment so it is easy to maintain and live in. 

Open space to use a walker or wheelchair is important!

Cleaning around clutter is time consuming. I do not have a lot of clutter as I got rid of so much stuff already. I cannot stand for long periods of time to be cleaning off shelves, dressers, tables or counters. This week I have started tackling this problem. Boxing up things I need to donate to someone who will use them. I have to do a job like this little by little. Otherwise I would be giving up on it and never make any progress. 

One area that I know from having taken care of others myself is that clutter that accumulates around your recliner or bed. That is because you spend a lot of time there and have the things you really use nearby. For me it is my glitter gel pens. I have many, many colors. That makes for a lot of pens around my recliner as I like to color in adult coloring books while I watch my television.

 

If you don't want to get rid of certain things, like the gel pens, organize them. Put them in something that will hold them but you can move them quickly if need be. I repurposed plastic food containers and glass jars to contain the gel pens according to color. Then the containers are in two large plastic containers that I bought meat in. This way I have them nearby but can pick them up and set them somewhere else easily. 

Copyright © 2021 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2021  Kathleen G. Lupole

My Thoughts This Morning On My Way To The Store

TOPS' Parking Lot Entrance

I will admit that when I first got my mobility chair (which I call "Jazzy" throughout this blog) I was intimidated about driving it into the elevator let alone down the street. I would watch out my window when my neighbors would take off on their chairs and scooters with envy. Right up the ramp and out the driveway. I kept wondering how they could just get out there and take off bebopping along at a pretty fast speed. It took me awhile to master it. Once you do, it is such a feeling of freedom! Every time I check the weather in the morning it is with that thought in my mind. Can I take a ride with "Jazzy" or it going to rain? 

Today I needed to buy bacon for me and kale for Rabbit. So off I went! It was a beautiful day and lots of people were out. Some people had their masks on walking down the streets and many did not. I wear it in my apartment building's public areas. Once I am off the ramp, off comes the mask. It overheats me. Especially in the hot weather. I am not really near another person the whole way to the store. Before I go into the store I put my mask on. I have to remove my glasses to put it on or else it fogs up my glasses. Another thing I learned is once you have the mask on, keep your lips tight and breathe only through your nose. Then my glasses do not get fogged up. 

In our stores here in NY state we have to wear masks when shopping in our stores. Do I like it? No, not really. Do I think it is really useful? No, not really. I only do it because it is the law right now. One thing I do find useful about wearing the mask is that I can't smell perfume or cigarette smoke. My personal opinion is that I need to breathe to live. The mask blocks my air. Does my mask protect the other people? Only if I have the virus, which I don't. So I would change that rule to make people stay home if they have it. Wouldn't they anyway, because they are sick?

Everybody is always telling me to stay at home. Stay inside. Use an online shopping service for grocery shopping. I tell them they should stay at home if they want but I am not. I like to buy my own groceries at the store. I buy mostly produce, dairy and meat. I am kinda picky about that stuff. Not to mention that I am not going to pay extra for having it delivered if I can get it myself. The "experts" have told us for years that it is not good to isolate yourself when you are older. Luckily, I don't feel isolated living here. Some people who live alone need that day to get out. I buy online also but only the items I have a hard time finding. Not fresh foods. I am also an ingredient list reader and have to check every food I buy to make sure it doesn't have any bad stuff in it.

Fire Dept

The small city I live in, Norwich, NY, has a lot of history. The history has been preserved and I am glad it has been, I moved to this area, but not this city, in 1999 and I didn't know anything about it. As I learned more by research and going to various places to see the history for myself, I fell in love with it even more. Now I think what if that history had been destroyed or altered in some way? It reminds me when working on my family tree that sometimes a child brought up in a family with no legal adoption, could completely alter a whole family line. Sometimes they did that. A couple who had more mouths to feed than they could afford would give a child to their childless friends or relative. Forever altering an ancestor line. Nobody ever knows unless there is a written record of it somewhere. Destroying historical statues and buildings will never destroy the history. But people would have to research it in some way. 

Just my thoughts on my ride to and from the store today. 

Copyright © 2020 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2020  Kathleen G. Lupole

Updated 2021

Appreciating My Luxurious Bathroom

A bathroom is important!

A bathroom is something most people take for granted now. Running water. Electricity. The pump to run the water to your kitchen and bathroom. The pipes to bring it to each room. A water heater to give you an option of a hot shower or hot dishwater. How nice! There are people around the world who live without that convenience. I am sure most of my readers knew that. Poorer countries might not have that in everyone's homes. In the United States though, there are a good amount of people living without those things. I used to be one of them. If I had not moved last year, I would still be living without it and other conveniences as well.

A shower is a luxury when you have lived without!

That first night in my apartment, when I took my first shower, I cried. Yes, I really did! It was such a luxury for me! To feel the hot water spray on me, made me feel so clean. I am thankful that I had this opportunity to move on and live a normal life after almost 20 years. I live in a studio or efficiency apartment now, which means it is one room living. Very small! Yet this bathroom is the biggest bathroom I have ever had. Even when I lived in a big house. It is set up for the disabled and believe me that has made my life so much easier. I can do so much more for myself now. I don't even feel disabled or crippled which is the way I thought of myself before.

Shower chair is a must have!

One of the first things I bought was a shower chair. I knew I was going to need it and I certainly did. I know I could not have stood for the whole shower. It makes it easier to wash and condition my hair. I can even take my time doing it because I am sitting down. I would recommend this to anyone with a big shower that has room for it. Even if you are not disabled, it is very handy and you can sit on it while you dry your feet, legs and arms. This chair was not very expensive. I purchased it on Amazon for about $69. or so. I can't remember exactly. But it is worth every cent!

Freestanding shelf holds a lot within easy reach!

My shower has plenty of room for my soap, shampoos, conditioners, facial cleanser and whatever else I want. I choose to use a freestanding shelf in the corner because it is easier for me to reach it when sitting in the chair. My shoulders give me a hard time when I have to reach up for anything. So it was better for me to have the shampoo and soap in the corner on the floor. I love it. If I can't reach something, I can always move the chair closer.

3 grab bars give you something to hold onto.

An apartment for the disabled is designed with fall prevention in mind. That is the most important thing and especially in the bathroom. I think more people fall in there than anywhere else. You can see in my photos that I have three very sturdy grab bars. They are solid. I can pull myself up on one if I need to. The only bad thing in the whole bathroom is the marble threshold from the shower to the room. If it is wet it will get very slippery. I have always been aware of it and never step on it. Nor do I ever take hold of the towel bar. That is not solid and I do not want to pull it out of the wall either.

Adding color to the bathroom is easy!

I ordered my shower curtain from eBay when I was certain in my mind that I would be moving to this apartment. I kept it in the box it came in and dreamt about how it was going to look. It was not that much money so I didn't expect it to be exceptional, just functional. Well, this shower curtain made my day when I put it up! I loved it then and I still love it now. Sometimes I think I should order a second one in case anything happens to this one. I love colorful rooms and this makes my bathroom special. I love going in to take a shower or get ready to go out in front of my mirror. Living with color makes me happy! And living with running water and a luxurious shower makes me even happier! My bathroom may not look luxurious to you, but to me, it definitely is!

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole