Have you noticed that, as you get older, buttonholes seem to shrink, and the floor moves further away when trying to clip your toenails or tie your shoelaces? Everyday tasks are not as easy as they used to be. But with these clever tips, doing daily life will once again be a breeze!
1. Reach further
If you’ve reached your limits with trying to get hold of items left or dropped on the floor, it may be time to invest in a reacher, also known as a grabber. This nifty tool can pick up anything from coins to trash and can also be used to reach items at the back of cabinets or closets.
2. Soften the edges
As you get older, your skin bruises more easily and the bruises take longer to heal. Avoid nasty bumps by using corner guards on furniture with sharp corners.
3. Get a grip
Place rubber bands around slippery glassware for a sturdier grip.
4. Feeling is believing
If your eyesight isn’t that great, you may want to consider adding raised stickers to often-used remote control buttons. You can also paint the stickers with brightly coloured nail polish to make them extra-easy to find.
5. A slippery issue
If you use a bar of soap in the shower, you can make it less slippery by putting it in the foot of pantyhose, then cut off and knot the pantyhose. Even easier is simply investing in liquid soap, preferably in a wall-mounted dispenser. Grab-rails are also a must in the shower.
6. Hooked on this idea
If you have trouble doing up your buttons, you can make your own buttonhook by attaching a paperclip to a piece of cork. Commercial buttonhooks are also for sale.
7. In a jam?
Struggling to open that pesky jam jar? Try putting on a pair of rubber gloves for a better grip. If it still won’t budge, it may be wise to invest in a jar opener.
8. Colour is the key!
Getting your keys all mixed up? Colour code them with nail polish. You can use the same nail polish to colour code the locks too, so that you know the pink key goes into the pink lock.
9. Don’t let life trip you up
Tape loose rugs to the floor with rug tape to avoid tripping or slipping. Keep extension cords out of the way by taping them to the wall or using a floor cord management kit.
10. Zip it up
Attach a key ring to your zipper to make it easier to pull up and down.
We hope you find these hacks useful and would love to hear your own ideas!
