Getting older means a lot of things these days, but thanks to new technology, it doesn’t have to mean giving up the things we love. New gadgets are available to help combat declines in mobility and make the modern world more accessible for the older crowd.
Thanks to products like these, losing your independence due to mobility issues may not be as big of a problem. Here are 19 of these awesome gadgets and how they can help seniors keep their lives as normal as possible throughout the aging process.
Hamilton Beach Open Ease Automatic Jar Opener
Let’s face it, even when we’re young, getting a jar open can be tough. Getting older can mean the loss of that raw power, but it doesn’t have to mean going without jelly, pickles, and other tasty jarred goods.
This easy to use jar opener has two buttons, one to open the jar and one to release the lid so you can put it on again. It comes with an instructional video but is fairly simple to use even without it.
Garden Rocker
Gardening is a favorite pastime by the young and old, but as you get older, aching joints can make it harder to get down among the weeds. A garden seat can make getting up and down easier, and options like the Garden Rocker seat allow an excellent range of motion before you have to get up and move.
Roomba
Staying tidy is important for everyone and keeping the floors clean is no different. Unfortunately, bending over to sweep up piles of dust, pushing heavy vacuums around, and risking a slip on freshly mopped floors can take a toll on any senior. Fortunately, there are a number of cleaning robots that can sweep, mop, and even vacuum for you.
These robots, like the Roomba, can help seniors save their valuable time as well as their sore joints from all the work of keeping the floors clean.
Hair Dryer Holder
Keeping up your looks can mean a lot as you get older, but that can get harder as time goes on. A hair dryer holder can take the heavy lifting out of doing your hair, so you can dry your hair without the pain of holding a heavy dryer over your head for 20 to 30 minutes.
Magnifier Desk Lamp
When you love to read, failing eyes can be almost as depressing as being unable to walk. No matter how good an audiobook is, it simply can’t match the feeling of pages between your fingers. Fortunately, these magnifier desk lamps can turn tiny print into a much more readable size and come in floor models, so you can still use them in the comfort of your easy chair.
Long Reach Toilet Aid
There are some indignities no adult human wants to do and asking for help in the bathroom is one of those. A long reach toilet aid is an ergonomic stick that lengthens the reach of your hand. Simply apply toilet paper to the end, extending your reach and make cleaning after a bathroom visit much easier.
Combination Cane and Chair
Spending time with family can be vital to extending the life of seniors, but being included in events can be just as hard on them. A walk down to the beach with the grand kids can leave you feeling exhausted and in need of a break, but chairs aren’t available everywhere you go.
With a combination cane and chair, the walking cane that helps support your travel can also provide that much-needed break by turning into a chair. This can not only make that beach trip easier but other events such as parties and festivals as well.
Grabbing Tool
Bending over gets harder and harder as you get older, and the risk of losing your balance also climbs. Picking up that piece of trash can turn into an ordeal for many seniors, but it doesn’t have to. Grabbing tools can make picking up the random sock on the floor or other tasks so much easier by allowing you to grab something off the ground without having to bend over. This is not only easier on joints but can help seniors avoid risky falls.
Electronic Grocery List Organizer
Let’s face it, even if you’re young and don’t suffer from memory loss, remembering what you went to the store for in the first place can be difficult. We’ve all told ourselves we need a bag of lettuce for dinner but came home with absolutely everything but the lettuce. Add on to that the memory loss associated with age and going to the store can become a frustrating experience.
Fortunately, these easy to use grocery list organizers can make things easier. They allow you to vocally add items to the list as you think of them, and when you are ready to print, they automatically sort your list and print it by category. This makes shopping so much easier and helps keep you from forgetting that it’s salad night.
Anti-Tremor Cutlery
Hands that tremble aren’t something you typically think about until you’re faced with the dilemma of trying to get a jiggling fork into your mouth. Not only is it harder to eat when your hands don’t move the way you want them to, but it can also turn social events like dinner out with the family into a potentially embarrassing situation.
Anti-tremor cutlery makes eating for people who can’t control their hands easier. These spoons, knives, and forks automatically compensate for trembling, reducing the tremor of the spoon being held by as much as 70 percent. This can be a true gift sent from heaven for a senior with shaky hands and a definite must for anyone suffering from Parkinson’s or other diseases associated with tremors.
Automatic Pill Dispenser
Getting older often means becoming more forgetful. This can be dangerous if the problem is forgetting to take your pills, or even worse, forgetting you’ve taken them and taking too many. Simple mistakes like these can have catastrophic effects, including liver and kidney failure from accidental overdoses, or heart problems from not taking the correct medication on time.
An automatic pill dispenser helps prevent these mistakes from occurring and can be potentially lifesaving.
Simplified Radio
As wonderful as technology can be, sometimes simple is best. If age has made the task of finding a great radio station too difficult for your older loved one, a simplified radio or mp3 player can help bring music back into their lives. Once the initial set up is done, all you have to do to make a simplified radio work is to press one button to turn it on, and the same one to turn it off again. It can make listening so much easier for those who may not be able to handle thousands of buttons and knobs.
Key Finder
Even when you’re in your youth, a lost set of keys can send your blood pressure skyrocketing. When you’re older, these frustrating moments come a lot more frequently and can make the simple act of getting ready for the day a miserable experience.
Key finders like the Tile could be the solution if these problems crop up often. These key chains are simple to attach to almost anything including cell phones, wallets (if you’re creative enough), and of course, keys. Leave the finder in a set location, and when you can’t find your lost item, push the color-coded button to make the lost item start beeping.
A must-have for anyone, but especially those with memory issues.
The Negg – Egg Peeling Made Easy
Grandma may be proud of her super-secret deviled egg recipe, but when stiff joints or shaky hands don’t allow peeling anymore, it can be a sad end to her potluck pride. Staying in the kitchen can be as simple as a new invention that makes peeling hard-boiled eggs a breeze.
All you have to do is add a little water to the Negg, followed by the hard-boiled eggs, and shake it! The shells peel off thanks to the bumps on the inside of the Negg, leaving you with perfectly peeled eggs and almost no effort.
Buddy: Companion Robot
As you get older, the truth can sometimes really hit hard that owning a pet may mean leaving a burden on your family when it inevitably outlives you. A house can feel empty when it is just you and your significant other, or worse, no one at all.
While a companion robot may not be able to snuggle you at night, it can provide much-needed movement and a way to connect with the outside world. Buddy is designed to entertain, educate, and assist those with disabilities, the elderly, or the very young. It can help make video calls, keep track of your calendar, and even serve as an alarm clock.
These helpful bots can both help keep track of activity and provide companionship for the elderly.
A Joint Friendly Ice Cream Scoop
Ice cream lovers will rejoice with an ice cream scoop that allows you to push the scoop to get your ice cream instead of pulling it. While this might seem like a small improvement, it can make a world of difference for aching and tired joints that don’t respond well to the pulling. Pushing allows you to let you put your whole body behind the push too, making up for potentially weaker arms.
One-Handed Bottle Openers
If one arm doesn’t work well, which could be the result of a stroke or other issue, there is still hope for opening your evening bottle of brew. A one-handed bottle opener allows you to quickly and easily open a bottle using just one hand. Not only is this much easier than a regular bottle opener, it can make opening bottles fun and entertaining when guests are over instead of using another tool to help maintain independence.
Counter-Top Herb Garden
If moving into an assisted living facility or apartment has curbed your elderly family member’s gardening abilities, a counter-top herb garden could be the fix they need to get back into something they love. The click and grow kitchen herb garden utilizes pods much like a Keurig machine that can simply be popped into the base. The garden itself is easy to take care of. You simply add water and plug in the base, which handles the rest.
For those on a fixed income, the small counter-top bases require very little energy, only four to five dollars’ worth every year, making it both economical and fun.
Activity and Sleep Tracker
These trackers not only encourage you to stay active, but they also may help your doctor spot early problems you might not notice. Fitbit’s can track everything from how far you typically go in a day to how many times a night you wake up. Some activity trackers even have silent alarm systems, so you can wake yourself up, but not your partner.
They can also compare your fitness or other goals for the day to what you actually achieved. This can be encouraging if you achieved or exceeded your goals or give you the feedback you need in order to do better the next day.
These trackers aren’t for everyone. They shouldn’t be used by someone who has a pacemaker or other type of implant. It’s best to consult your doctor before getting one, just in case.
Getting older doesn’t have to mean losing your independence. You can stay active and mobile thanks to the gadgets in the world.
And at Cad Crowd, we have many designers who are experienced creating gadgets and other products that have made it to market. If you’re looking to create your own gadget, get a free quote!
