{"id":10163,"date":"2015-03-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.philips.com\/resources\/blog\/2015\/03\/adapting-household-items-to-make-life-easier.html"},"modified":"2024-01-17T15:11:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T19:11:40","slug":"adapting-household-items-to-make-life-easier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/adapting-household-items-to-make-life-easier\/","title":{"rendered":"Adapting Household Items to Make Life Easier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Seniors know that successful aging means adapting to change. Many senior citizens employ\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/SB10001424127887323415304578368591622892684?mg=reno64-wsj&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424127887323415304578368591622892684.html#project=IVHackprint&amp;articleTabs=interactive%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">creative strategies<\/a> to customize their surroundings to address changes in their lives. If you\u2019re looking to embrace a DIY lifestyle to accomplish more each day, these tips will get you started:<\/p>\n<h2>Nutrition<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re a chef, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/recipes-for-tasty-low-sodium-healthy-food\/\">cooking enthusiast<\/a>, or just looking for a quick snack, there are many ways in which you can adapt your kitchen to accommodate your personal needs. Here are just a few:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cut a tennis ball in half to use as a gripper to open jars.<\/li>\n<li>Slide washers onto utensil handle to add weight and make them easier to use.<\/li>\n<li>Use a pizza cutter to safely chop foods such as bread and leafy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/eat-the-rainbow-recipes-for-delicious-vegetables\/\">vegetables<\/a>. Scissors also work well when you\u2019re cutting the ends off asparagus, green beans, or scallions.<\/li>\n<li>Place rubber bands around glasses to help make them easier to grip.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Housework<\/h2>\n<p>A clean home helps maintain good health, but if you\u2019re overexerting yourself to reach high shelves, clean low corners, or perform other household tasks, you may be putting yourself at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/how-to-help-a-senior-overcome-a-fear-of-falling\/\">risk of a fall<\/a>. These tips can make it easier for you to accomplish tasks at\u00a0home:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Attach a vacuum cleaner tube to a floor clamp (available at most hardware stores), turn on your vacuum, and sweep dirt and dust toward it. The stationary suction will serve as an active dustpan.<\/li>\n<li>Wrap foam tubing around door knobs to help you grip and turn them more easily.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/benefits-of-pets-for-seniors\/\">pet<\/a>: If you train a dog to fetch certain items, carry small bags, or help you transport commonly used items, you won\u2019t have to exert yourself quite as much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Other Areas<\/h2>\n<p>Think of the many small (and large) things you do on a typical day. Senior citizens are continually developing innovative ways to make these things easier. Here are just a few examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For easier dressing<\/b>, attach key rings to zippers. This makes them easier to grasp.<\/li>\n<li><b>For easier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/gardening-for-seniors-better-health\/\">gardening<\/a>,<\/b>\u00a0use stout garden beds raised to your preferred height to prevent knee strain.<\/li>\n<li><b>For<\/b>\u00a0<b>hard-to-reach<\/b>\u00a0<b>objects,<\/b>\u00a0a bamboo back scratcher can be converted into a grabber and multipurpose tool.<\/li>\n<li><b>For ease of grip,<\/b>\u00a0sponges and rubber bands can be added to almost everything from remote controls to pens.<\/li>\n<li><b>For Monopoly players,<\/b>\u00a0rattling dice placed in flat, plastic containers make them easier to roll and throw.<\/li>\n<li><b>For computer users who can\u2019t use their hands,<\/b>\u00a0a wireless mouse can be attached to a T-shaped block of wood to fit between the toes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Add your creative ideas to this\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.wheelchairnetwork.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ever-growing list<\/a>\u00a0of adaptations. Once you start embracing a DIY philosophy, you\u2019ll find adapting to\u00a0life changes\u00a0to be easier than ever before.<\/p>\n<p><i>Aging in place can take some creativity \u2014 not to mention a strong support network. Even if your loved ones\u00a0live far away, with a medical alert device, you and your family can rest assured that help is always just a button push away. Learn more about how a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/medical-alert-systems\/\">medical alert system<\/a>\u00a0can help seniors live independently.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seniors know that successful aging means adapting to change. Many senior citizens employ\u00a0creative strategies to customize their surroundings to address changes in their lives. If you\u2019re looking to embrace a DIY lifestyle to accomplish more each day, these tips will get you started: Nutrition Whether you\u2019re a chef, a cooking enthusiast, or just looking for<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/adapting-household-items-to-make-life-easier\/\"> Read more >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Adapting Household Items to Make Life Easier | Lifeline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Embrace a DIY lifestyle to accomplish more each day. Use these tips and tricks to help you get started around the house.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/adapting-household-items-to-make-life-easier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Adapting Household Items to Make Life Easier\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Embrace a DIY lifestyle to accomplish more each day. 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