Products, gadgets, and ideas that help me...and some that don't

White Crane · August 2023

Over the years, the kids have given us/me several things they thought might help. Some did; others were tossed aside. I got to thinking about this and came up with a list of some things I do and some products I use that are very helpful.

In the car I keep an extra hat and pair of sunglasses for DH. So many times he won't take a hat and ends up needing one. I also keep a small blanket on the back seat that he can easily reach when he gets chilly. In the trunk there is a fold up lawn chair. This has come in handy so many times! In my purse, there is always at least one protein bar or granola bar in case he needs something to munch on.

One of our sons installed a doorbell camera last year and that has really been helpful. It alerts me whenever the door is opened. This same son recently arranged to have a new dead bolt lock installed on our front door so DH could't lock me out of the house...he had started putting the night lock on when I went outside.

I bought an air tag and key holder and put it on DH's house key. I can track it should DH wander off.

One of our sons gifted me with a robot vacuum and that has been very, very helpful. Another son bought me a handheld vac and that has been extremely helpful for cleaning up messes. I also bought a three step folding step stool/ladder that has turned out to be a godsend. Sometimes DH sits in a low recliner in the back room and cannot get up from it. I put the step ladder in front of him and he holds onto it and can pull himself up. Another great gift was a Roku. It lets me stream nature and bird films and documentaries that DH enjoys watching for hours.

In the bathroom, cleansing sponges called Scrubzz make it easy to give him a nice sponge bath without any hassle. He will let me do this even when he won't take a shower...which is most of the time. I have him sit on the shower chair and it doesn't take much time to get him clean and fresh. In the bedroom, I have encased the mattress in a waterproof mattress protector in case of accidents.

A gift of a dementia clock that tells the day, time of day, time, and date has not been very helpful. He doesn't look at it and continually asks me what time and what day it is. Likewise, a fidget cube that he got for Christmas went into a drawer never to be seen again. The same with worry balls with chimes and adult coloring books and colored pencils.

These are some things I thought about this morning. I hope some of it helps. Oh, and last but not least, my secret weapon...ice cream! Ice cream can sooth a variety of ills.

Brenda