Products To Make Life Easier For Older Adults

With the over 70s having to stay at home currently during lockdown without any outside help, we thought it would be useful to round up the best products to make life easier for older adults. As well as helping seniors to stay safe at home, these independent living products for older adults also give peace of mind to you, their family.

The gadgets and assistive devices that we’ve selected are easy to install and use, are inexpensive and available to buy online. We’ve also road tested these useful products for everyday life with some of our senior clients previously too, so we know that they really do make life easier and the home safer.

We’ve split these must-have elderly gadgets out by room (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room), so you can easily see what a difference they can make around the home.

Here’s to helping our older parents and elderly loved ones stay safe and well whilst at home over the coming months.

If you’re looking for gift inspiration then read our article on the best gifts for older parents. From dementia friendly gifts to presents to help your loved ones stay active and warm outside, we cover all gift giving bases!

1. Helping Seniors Stay Safe In The Bedroom

Motion Sensor Lights Can Reduce Falls At Night

Auraglow Super Bright Plug In Motion Sensor Hallway Living Aid

Seniors often fall over at night, mainly due to your older loved one rushing to the toilet in the dark. This clever indoor motion sensor light fits into a free plug socket and will automatically illuminate when someone passes within five metres. The light stays on for 30 seconds, and it only operates in darkness to save on electricity.

Ideal if sharing a room with someone and your parent doesn’t want to wake them by turning on the main light, or to light up the corridor. It should help to reduce the risk of falls at night, making the home safer for seniors. Especially important during lockdown when we can’t see them.

Clip On Eye Care Reading Light

Omeril 9 LED Clip On Light Book

These lights make reading a book or seeing a laptop screen easier at night without straining your eyes. We like this version because it has an adjustable brightness level (touch sensitive) and is easy to charge via a USB portal. It’s an everyday product that can transform a senior’s quality of life.

Adaptive Clothing Makes Getting Dressed Easier

If you’ve ever wanted to find clothing that makes getting dressed easier for your elderly mum or dad then the answer is ADAPTIVE CLOTHING! We’re impressed with the quality and style of clothes from The Able Label. They use hidden fastenings to make clothing, accessories, nightwear and loungewear for men and women. They also have washable incontinence underwear and front fastening bras. We especially love this 100% cotton floral blouse which looks smart and on-trend. It has a centre front velcro fastening and is machine washable.

Helping Do Zips Up

Aidapt Blue Plastic Handle Button Hook Zipper

This small but mighty gadget can help people with conditions such as arthritis, severe hypermobility in their hands and multiple sclerosis to get dressed more easily. Just latch this on to the zip and do it up. It means you’re not limited on what you can wear, and helps promote independence – a great product for the elderly.

Using A Sock Aid

Sock Aid

We’re big fans of sock aids. Another inexpensive must-have aid that promotes independent dressing, they help people put on socks as they don’t have to lean down. And with us all likely living in socks and slippers currently, it’s a useful gadget to own. Find out how to use a sock aid here.

Hearing loss is common as we get older. If your parent is turning the volume up, you might be interested in our article on devices that help hear the TV more clearly.

2. Products That Promote Independence In The Kitchen

Take The Weight Off Feet With A Perching Stool

Aidapt Malling Perching Stool with Padded Arms and Padded Back

Another useful product for everyday life. A perching stool is a good solution for someone who struggles to stand for too long but wants to cook as it takes the pressure off their feet. This is especially important for someone living alone but still wants to stay independent and keep cooking. We like this perching stool as it has a padded angled seat and adjustable legs. There are also side mounted bars for extra stability and safety.

Easy Open Jar Opener

Latest Jar Opener and Bottle Opener with Silicone Jar Gripper

We’re all using up the ingredients in our cupboards – and that means starting to find those jars that have been at the back for years. Weak hands (for example with arthritis) can struggle to open them, so we like this easy open jar opener. A good product for the elderly, it has eight circular openings so can be used on a variety of lid sizes, and will help them keep cooking solo.

It also comes with a rubber mat which you can use to place the jar on when opening – or for a multitude of other helpful things, such as placing your cup of tea on so it doesn’t slide when using a tray.

Hands Free Tin Opener

Hands Free Can Opener

Another great product for seniors living at home, especially for when we’re raiding our pantries and relying on tins. This electric tin opener helps people with limited movement in their hands (arthritis, carpal tunnel, multiple sclerosis etc) by opening the tins for them with just one touch of the start button. It requires 2 AA batteries which aren’t included.

Arthritis Friendly Kettles

Igenix Cordless Electric Compact Jug Kettle

I know I’m drinking lots of cups of tea at the moment – they’re comforting and warming during self isolation. Cordless kettles have a small cord from the base, but you pick the kettle up to use and pour from, so don’t need to have a long cord traipsing. We especially this kettle with its big handle, making it easier for hands with limited mobility to pick up. A great and inexpensive senior living gadget.

Medication Reminder

Med-Alert Pill Organiser with Alarm

If you’re concerned that your older parents may not remember to take their pills, this assistive device is a good solution. This organiser is split into days of the week and comes with an alarm (which can be switched off if necessary, for example if they wanted to take it out with them once self isolation is over).

There are lots of medication organiser and reminder tools on the market, and depending on how often they need to take medication it is worth investigating the best for them. This is a good entry-level version of an everyday product that makes life easier.

If you’re worried that your parents have accumulated too much stuff, then read our article on helping your senior parents declutter their home. Decluttering can help older adults to stay safe at home (removing clutter can reduce the risk of falls) and also help when preparing to downsize. We’ve also included tips to encourage someone to declutter.

3. Making Life Easier For Seniors In The Living Room

Don’t Trip Over Rugs

Sinnlein Anti Slip Rug Gripper Underlay

Did you know that the majority of falls take place at home, and rugs are a major cause of this? If your parents don’t want to take their rugs up but you are concerned about them falling, then a good cost-effective solution is a rug gripper.

This brand comes in a variety of sizes and essentially sticks the rug to the floor (without harming either). So the corners of the rug won’t come up and the rug won’t slip on the floor when someone walks on it.

Say Goodbye To Nuisance Calls

BT Advanced Cordless Home Phone with 100% Nuisance Call Blocking and Answering Machine

A lot of our older clients experience nuisance calls which can be annoying and scary. Scammers are getting more experienced and seem to have no shame. And during self isolation it is harder to ignore them as we are home all the time.

There are some landline phones on the market which block 100% of nuisance and unwanted phone calls. We really like this everyday BT model. It also comes with three handsets (and charging bases), has an answerphone with 30-minute capacity and can store up to 200 contacts.

Shred Personal Information

Fellowes Powershred Paper Shredder for Home Use with Safety Lock

Lots of people are using self isolation to get on top of personal admin. A shredder can be a good idea if this is the case, so they can get rid of old letters and documentation without a risk of being scammed. This model is basic but a good option for at home senior use – I actually have one myself!

TV Speaker For The Hearing Impaired

Sony Wireless TV Handy Speaker

One of our clients said the Sony Wireless Handy TV Speaker has “transformed her life”. It doesn’t just turn up the volume (as that would just make everything including background noise louder and not really help the situation), but it enhances dialogue so people who are hard of hearing can actually hear.

It’s also wireless so can be moved around – meaning you can place it next to the person with impaired hearing to aid them, but leave other viewers to watch at their preferred level. You can read our review of it here.

Robot Vacuum Gets To Work

Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac

If you’re worried about your parents bending down to vacuum and carrying it around, then a robot vacuum could be a good solution. This model works on all flooring except high pile carpet and cleans continuously for 100 minutes at a go, getting into all crevices.

Charge it and use it. It doesn’t go up or down stairs, and make sure that any pet excrement has been cleared up before using the vacuum. We like this version as it’s a cost-effective model which works well and makes life easier for senior.

4. Staying Safe In The Bathroom

Toilet Frames Offer Added Safety

NRS Healthcare Free Standing Toilet Frame

A toilet frame is a good temporary solution to aid stability when we can’t arrange for grab rails to be fitted. Use it when lowering yourself down and pulling yourself up from the toilet seat.

We like this NRS version (NRS provides equipment to the NHS) which can be moved in and out of place – useful if more than one person is using the toilet. It is height and width adjustable.

Stop Flooding The Bath

TechAffect Water Leak Detector

If your parents take a bath and you’re worried about them potentially forgetting to turn it off, this alarm could be for you. Simply put a battery in, attach it to the bath and if the water reaches a certain level, it will emit a loud (very loud!) alarm. This can be turned off by taking the battery out. A top product to help the elderly stay safe at home.

Get In And Out Of The Bath Safely

NRS Healthcare Slatted Bath Board

Getting in and out of the bath can be harder as we get older – we have less mobility and flexibility, and it can be easy to slip. A removable bath board is an inexpensive way to help people get in and out of the bath safely.

Place it across the top of the bath near where you would get in (it’s held in place with non-slip brackets). Then sit on it and use a stepped approach to lower yourself safely. Reverse for getting out. We like this NRS version – click here to buy it now.

Feel Reassured With A First Aid Kit

90 Piece Premium First Aid Kit Bag

Be prepared and get your parents a first aid kit. We like this version which is complete with bandages, tape roll, sterile eye wash and pads, medical scissors, tweezers, vinyl medical gloves, plasters, cold packs, antiseptic wipes and a foil emergency blanket. It also isn’t over stuffed so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.

Gardening is a great way to stay fit and active but it does get harder as you get older. We’ve compiled our favourite products to make life easier for older gardeners. Or look at our tips for keen gardeners who are getting older, written by our physiotherapist Nancy Farmer and an expert gardener.

Conclusion

We hope your parents find these tried-and-tested products useful and give you peace of mind that they’re safe at home. We’ve got other articles on the topic of independent living and staying safe and well during self isolation. Check them out, and let us know any feedback, or other products you recommend by contacting us here. Thank you!