As I recently mentioned here on my blog, in recent years I have come to struggle more and more frequently with impaired mobility as my chronic health conditions have worsened.
One thing that I have promised myself going forwards is that I am going to stop resisting the help that is available to me as someone with mobility issues. Life can be difficult enough as someone with chronic illnesses, so when there are services and products available designed to make life easier and enable people to have more independence and more pain-free living - I should be utilising them.
Thankfully there are many services and products on the market these days which are designed to improve the every day quality of life for people with mobility issues and remove the difficulties and pain that can go hand in hand with certain tasks.
Here are some of the products that I've been looking at lately, which I think are particularly innovative and could be very beneficial either for myself or for other people with limited mobility.
Electric Adjustable Beds
These beds allow you to raise and lower your mattress at the touch of a button, which can be very beneficial - particularly for those who spend a lot of time in bed as laying in a horizontal position for prolonged periods can put pressure on the body and lead to bed sores, as well as painful joints. Adjustable beds can help with improving circulation, reducing pain, regaining independence...and of course, improving quality of sleep - which is one of the most important aspects of health and wellbeing for anybody.
Riser Recliners
These chairs allow the user to get into or rise from a sitting position with the aid of a chair that lowers with them. This again can help people to find comfortable positions, reduce pain and pressure sores, and can aid standing and sitting for those who may otherwise struggle.
An Electric Sofa Bed
As well as electric sofas and recliners, I was really impressed to see a motorised sofa bed available from The Mobility Furniture Company.
This sofa bed uses a powered motor to transform from sofa to sofa bed, and back again - making the process so much more accessible for those with reduced mobility or issues such as arthritis or limb differences which may make the usually arduous task of pulling out a sofa bed manually very difficult.
You don't even need to remove the cushions!
Shower Stools
Using a shower chair or bath chair helps to increase safety by decreasing the chance of you falling - this is done by providing a secure area in a slippery shower or bath. Shower Chairs and Bath chairs are especially useful for those that are in wheelchairs, the elderly, or anyone who finds excessive movement painful or difficult. They are also often used by those who experience pain standing for prolonged periods, or who are likely to become fatigued by prolonged periods of standing such as those suffering with ME, fibromyalgia and POTS.
Grabber
A grabber, also known as a reacher, is a handheld device designed to allow the user to retrieve items from the floor or other places out of their reach. This may be due to an inability to bend down in a pain free manner, or due to other restrictions such as limited movement or limb differences. They can also be useful for people with reduced hand strength or grip ability.
I hope that some of the products will be useful to those of you with reduced mobility. Do feel free to recommend any products that have been of particular use to you, too.
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