Do we want a Making Life Easier thread?

[Virginia]

Linda, to get in and out of bed I have a "step to bed assist". I am not sure that is the correct name, but I never get in or out of bed without using this. You hold on to a handle on the side and step on a small platform which can be adjusted then to the floor. I have been using it since December 2021 and would be very much afraid not to use it. It was awful to be afraid of falling when I got out of or into bed. You might want to look into this as it has been a real help to me with both getting in and out of bed.

[agate]

Virginia, wasn't that pictured here at one time? I'll try to dig up the photo when I have a little more time. Or maybe it was a photo of something similar.

[flatcap]

Linda, to get in and out of bed I have a "step to bed assist". I am not sure that is the correct name...

Is this it?



Step2bed (Manufacturer) - Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Step2bed (Amazon) - Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


ETA: Assembly and Sizing (This part is mainly for Linda.)

You can buy the Step2bed fully assembled, so you don't have to put it together yourself.

It also comes in three sizes.

The drop-down menu at the top of the manufacturer's website shows these options.

[agate]

This looks really helpful, Virginia--and it isn't terribly pricey either. You do have to step down off it--that's where I might trip and fall, particularly if I'm just waking up and feeling groggy.

[flatcap]

The manufacturer has refurbished units on their website at 50% off. Scroll down a bit on the Step2bed page, and the listing appears on the right side of the screen. I'm not sure about the platform design, either. I would set it the lowest height if I used the Step2bed.

Linda originally posted about a 'cane-like' device. If it were me, I would go the DIY route (with help): get an actual cane and attach it to the bed frame using two brackets of the type you can get at the hardware store. You could place the brackets anywhere along the frame, and the cane could be set at any angle before tightening everything down. I'm sure it would be sturdy if done right.

[agate]

The lowest height for the one I looked at--the one in your link, flatcap--is 2.5 inches. I'd have to remember that little step was there. My recent bathtub faceplant tells me I'm not apt to keep that kind of thing in mind at times.

I prefer smooth surfaces these days. I can even trip on the little strip that marks a threshold, which might be only 1/8" high.

I dislike this font but there's no way to change it just now. Usually there is a way but not at the moment. Maybe at some later time I can tinker with it.

ETA: Will wonders never cease! The font problem corrected itself or at least that's what I'm seeing.

[flatcap]

Initially, I looked around for something like Linda described that included the word "cane," then I found the Step2bed after reading Virginia's post.

I don't like the idea of the platform on the Step2bed, either. I would think it would be a trip/stumble hazard. However, it seems Virginia doesn't have this problem with hers, so maybe it's not a big deal.


This part is primarily for Linda:

If you search Amazon for Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register..., you will find quite a view devices of this general type. Most do not have a platform.

One feature I would look for on these devices is a safety strap that anchors the device to the bed frame on the offside. In my opinion, such a device would be unsafe to use without one, and it appears some of them come without a strap.


ETA: I went looking again and found this:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

This one comes with a safety strap, and I like the idea that it is supported by a wide board under the mattress instead of tubing.

[Virginia]

Agate, you have mentioned on here that you use step stools to get to things. I can no longer use even a small step stool. However, with this step2bed assist I can take hold of the end that is the higher one with the padding and just step up and over. Having something to hold on to makes all the difference for me. Getting out of bed I put both hands on the padded end and turn sideways and just step down. I just measured and mine is 5 inches off the floor, which seems to be the right height for me. My brother got this for me when I was in the hospital, and it has been a real blessing getting in and out of bed. I was having problems and ended up on the floor several times, so he chose this for me. I really like it. It could be adjusted to be lower, but he had it set where it is and I liked it when I came home and so we have left it there. I would have fallen many times I am afraid if not for this.

[agate]

Virginia, I haven't been on a stepstool in many months. That fall left me so wobbly that a stepstool just doesn't seem like something I should be trying now, though I'm thinking about getting one of those that has a bar to hang onto. I have one with a bar but the rungs are so narrow that I wobble on them.

[flatcap]

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

The name speaks for itself. Works for all kinds substances (Rx's, supplements, etc.).

Useful, if the one you are looking at is on the list. I was looking for a Vitamin D supplement that met my PCP's specs, which he gave in IUs but are often shown in mcgs on product labels.

[agate]

Thank you for the helpful link. I've had this situation with vitamin D too.

[flatcap]

You're welcome, agate.

[clouds z]

NOW I WONDER ABOUT yoga and best position for computer or head...is it normal to wake up and sit in front off computer and peer down at it? i dont use a desk

i did a search here for ergonomics


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[agate]

The material you linked to is really helpful. My monitor screen might be a bit too high according to the advice, and I'll be looking into fixing that.

For years I've had computer glasses that I use only when at the PC. They aren't so very different from my regular (distance/bifocals) glasses but they really help when I'm trying to see details on the monitor screen.

Interesting that a footrest seems to be standard equipment. A very good idea. I use the wheelchair footrests but not everyone is lucky enough to have a wheelchair to sit in, LOL.

[agate]

Everyone else may have known about these shortcuts all their lives but I just recently had an "Aha!" moment.

How to avoid scouring the bathtub--you know, where you're on your knees on the bathroom floor (or in the bathtub itself) reaching and scrubbing with a rag and cleanser:

--When using the bathtub (bathing, showering) I always try to hand-scrub the sides of the tub. If it has a somewhat gritty feel to it, I scrub harder.

--When I think it's about time to be more thorough about tub-cleaning, I mix up a bleach solution--the bottle says 1/3 cup of bleach to a gallon water--and leave it in the tub for the recommended time according to the bottle instructions. After pouring that out, I fill the tub with water to rinse out the bleach entirely while giving a few swipes with a rag here and there as I feel the need.

I'm always amazed that that little bit of effort results in a cleaner-looking tub.

How to mop a floor without really trying:

OK, I've tried a Swiffer-like gadget put out by Mr Clean, with disposable treated cloths, but then I couldn't buy any more refills for those disposable cloths. So that was the end of that bright idea. Next I went in for an O-Cedar mop that has its own water supply stored in a little canister attached to the mop. That was working well (I was crowing about it here some time ago) but since it sprays the water out, I found it wasn't helping the lower edges of any wood cabinets it was near, and so I've used it less and less lately.

I've mentioned that occasional mop-ups can be done with a reacher gadget with a wet paper towel attached to the end of it. But for more serious mopping, I sweep the floor, and then I use an old-style squeegee-type mop. Because it has a special handle for squeezing the water out, I can use it without filling a bucket of water. Since the two floors I need to mop are not large in area, I can get by with just running tap water onto the mop to wet it and occasionally going back to the tap to rinse it out and refresh the water but I don't even need to do that if the floors aren't very dirty.

When I'm done and the floors are dry, I rinse the mop out at the tap and just let it dry.

This is much easier than the old hands-and-knees method. I can't believe I did that rather often back in the day. And it's much easier than hauling a bucket of water around. That was what was really standing in the way of my floor-mopping recently: the water bucket.

It's heavy. It's awkward.

This mop does take a couple of days to dry but it swivels and does a good job in general.