New sink and vanity might help prevent falls...

Today I noticed that my brother is leaning on a small bathroom sink for support and I worry it's risky.  He's probably 190-210 pounds and the sink is a 40's hunk of heavy vintage porcelain that's attached to the wall with a couple of large screws.   Mom's house is pretty old and the sink wavers just a little bit when I attempt to wiggle it. Given my brothers health issues, he'll likely lean on it often and with a lot of weight.  So - it's time to replace the sink with a vanity and lighter porcelain that will support his weight.

So - we'll add that to our "safety list":  remove old sinks and those with pedestals that might topple when leaned on.  The idea of a heavy porcelain sink falling onto my brother or my elderly Mom is just horrific!

how can i make the bathroom safer for mom? safer bathrooms for elderly 

Shoes and clothes actually MADE for mom!!

Finding clothes and shoes - especially SHOES!! - for Mom has become really difficult.   Often I have to run to several different places getting one item at each store.  I finally found a catalog called National, that has all kinds of comfy and practical shoes for Mom as well as clothes she finds attractive.  She has arthritis in both feet but one is worse and  made wider by bunions. To fit her well, I'd have to buy two different size shoes.  National has shoes with velcro closures that also open really wide to get off and on easily.   This enables her to get her own shoes off and on - THAT makes her feel more capable -  anything that makes her feel capable is terrific!

I find their clothing rather conservative but they have a variety of suits, house coats and easy-dressing tops and pants. National also has stuff that I might consider "old lady" products - old fashioned girdles, plain white garter belts, large size bras that close in front, sleeping caps and shawls with pockets!  While I wouldn't wear these (not yet), I can see where these would be helpful to my mom or to women with her limitations.
Where can in find tops for dowagers hump? shoes for arthritic feet, shoes for wide feet, easy on shoes,  easy off shoes. clothes for old ladies, house coats for old ladies, robes for old ladies

Sliding shelf makes storing and sorting canned foods easier

My husband just installed a handy device for my brother - a sliding shelf inside a kitchen cabinet.    My brother is not doing too well, is over weight and suffers from emphysema.   He has a very deep kitchen cupboard where he keeps all kinds of canned goods and miscellaneous stuff.  Visiting last week I noticed that it was chock full of canned goods so I went through it.   I found multiple cans of the same few items - canned spinach, beans, soups - with expiration dates as far back as 2007.  We sorted the food into really expired, recently expired, about to expire and okay.   The first two categories went to the dump and the "about to expire and okay" went back in the cupboard.   Then I tackled the CAUSE of the build up.... My brother is too fat and too weak to dig into the back of the cupboard. Rather than find what's there, he just buys more.

To make his search easier my husband installed a shallow drawer on slides. The drawer sits on the shelf and has a drawer pull so he can it out to see what's there.   This way he doesn't have to bend down low or reach into the back to find canned goods.  We were worried about the weight of the drawer and slider mechanism but they weighed far less than the 40 or so 15-20 ounce cans of food that we tossed away.   I also reorganized the cupboard so that little-used items are on the bottom shelf - trays, a blender, baking pans, electric fry pan, etc....   My brother will never use these things again so they went to the bottom and the food and few items he'll use went on the higher shelf and sliding drawers where it's easier to reach. 

A simple pole helps Mom be more independent.

NOTE:  This was originally posted with title that's a bit cheeky (it referred to "pole dan cin') but I got all kinds of nasty automated comments advertising porn sites so I changed the title and reposted.   It really erks me that I'm trying to do something beneficial and those rotten bastards mess it up.

Mom's ALF installed a great new device for her.  It means that she can be more independent and I have something to tease her about.   They put in a "pole"  next to her chair.   The center of it has a rubberized "sleeve" that gives her something to grip as she rises from her chair.  She still has good arm strength so can pull herself up to her feet, then she takes a small step or two and, still hanging on, pivots into her wheelchair.  It means she's able to get herself into and out of her wheel chair without help.  She feels better since she doesn't have to call for help as often and I worry less about her falling. 

The pole itself works like a giant tension rod between the floor and ceiling.  There is a flared sort of stand on the floor and a larger piece at the top where the pole meets the ceiling.

Here's a photo of the "stand" where the pole meets the floor.  It's relatively flat and not wide so Mom won't trip over it: (The news paper looks pretty messy but it's mom's favorite past time )

Here's the top of the pole, where it meets the ceiling:

I tried to find some brand name on the pole but could not.   There is a label about a distributors name but it's in the United Kingdom.   If anyone is interested in finding one of these for their home, I'd suggest asking a physical therapist or a pharmacy that also sells wheelchairs shower chairs, handholds for the bathroom and other "safety" products.   I'll try to find out more from the ALF and will share it here as I can.

Source for helpful stuff

 As I help Mom, one of the things that frustrates me most is that that I can't easily find products to aid people weakened by arthritis.   I want a credible outlet with reasonable prices for things that will make daily things easier and help her live as independently as possible.   I FINALLY found a great source with prices that I think are reasonable.   They have an online store AND will send a catalog.  Here it is:

www.goldenviolin.com

Happy shopping!