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Adaptive Living

Products can make things simpler

Maintaining an independent quality of life is occasionally aided by adaptive living products. There are a variety of products available to make life a little simpler. Many of the products are helpful for those who experience tremor.

• Compression hosiery help with restless leg.
• Utensils, such as weighted silverware and personal care products, can be helpful as they provide additional weight to help stabilize movement.
• A laser cane projects a bright red line across your path. The laser beam provides a safe, obstacle-free visual cue, which can enable Parkinson’s patients and others to break “freezing” episodes and increase stride length. The laser beam line appears when you place the cane down and disappears when you lift the cane. The Laser Walking Cane is useful for patients with: Parkinson's disease, ALS, abnormal gait patterns and stroke rehabilitation.
• U-Step walker
• Wheelchairs
• Adaptive clothing includes slip-on shoes, elasticized trousers and skirts and Velcro fastening which can all help to ease the burden if symptoms such as rigidity or tremors make dressing difficult.
• Visit YouCan Toocan for more ideas and recommendations.
• Denver companies that provide adaptive supplies and installation can be found here.

A huge range of gadgets and daily living aids are available - from wide handled cutlery and grab rails in the bedroom and bathroom to anti-slip surfaces, raised toilet seats, flat handle flushes and stair lifts.

A few simple adjustments around the house can make a big difference but sometimes the most obvious things get overlooked. High back chairs with arm rests make it easier to get up and sit down. It’s important to have plenty of space to move about in, so place furniture well apart and keep extension cords and clutter out of the way to avoid banging into things and tripping up.

If speech is a problem, an Edu-Com Scanning Device is a handy tool which points to words and pictures to enable a person to communicate. And if the symptoms of the disease make handwriting difficult, a personal computer is useful for a variety of tasks including letter writing and organizing finances.

The majority of people living with Parkinson’s disease may never need a wheelchair or a scooter but they can still be useful for getting out and about. Likewise, walking sticks or a walking tripod on wheels can aid balance and provide support.

In an ideal world physiotherapy and occupational departments and social services should have a vast amount of these aids at their disposable. But they don’t. In many countries these departments are often overstretched financially and in some cases do not have the level and sophistication of equipment needed. And even if they’re well equipped there’s often a long waiting list.

Obviously any person with Parkinson’s wants the best possible range of aids and equipment to make life easier. Unfortunately, if you haven’t got pots of money or first class medical insurance, in many countries, it falls mainly on charities to provide the kind of daily living aids described here.

• Weighted utensils, bowls, & pens
• Velcro clothing and apparel
• Cooking aids
• Aids for low or impaired vision