Calling other disabled people - What is the best gadgets etc. you have ever bought.

[PeppermintParty]

Inspired by another thread about the best thing you have bought in 2023, I thought it would be good to chat with other disabled people about the best things you have bought to make your life easier.

Mine is my mobility scooter. I was reading on the other thread about no rinse shower caps. I had never heard of them and it made me think about what other things other disabled people had bought to make their life easier.

Was thinking about getting an electric potato peeler and something to pick things up from the floor, but there are probably loads of other stuff I haven't even considered, so would love to hear from other disabled mumsnetters.

You're not waffling! That was exactly the information I was after!

Tineco FLOOR ONE S5

Amazing. Life changing. It hoovers and mops in one go and is light as anything to use. It even cleans itself for me afterwards!

So many great ideas! I came on to say my grabber as well. And my cushion with a hole in the middle that allows me to carry out sone seated tasks like driving.

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy I have cruches like that, also in red! They have been described by many as the Rolls Royce of crutches!

@Keepingongoing the reading stand sounds great, I'm going to look into it!

@IntheSnowySnowyMountains
I’m glad you like the look of the reading stand! You might need a hand assembling it - there’s just one part of the operation where you need more than 2 hands - but it’s very quick to assemble, and once done, it’s really sturdy.

Anyone got any gadgets for chopping veg? Had a real battle with some stubborn parsnips today while prepping dinner, and the veg took me ages as I can't do the "slice things while holding them" thing for fear of cutting my hand...

I've scraped a layer of skin off my finger from the pressure needed to press through some of the veg - if that makes sense?

I'm afraid in the end my solution was to give up with fresh veg and buy pre-chopped frozen. And modify my diet around what was available.

I held out for a long time and it made me miserable to change my diet. But in the end it came under "pick your battles", and this was one I decided to stop fighting.

My solution too, but not only frozen, you can get fresh pre-prepared. I buy carrot batons from Asda for example.

But if you can peel safely (or don't mind some veg skin-on), it might be useful to investigate food processors which have slicing attachments.

I haven't tried any, but perhaps someone else has.

@LollipopViolet would an onion holder work, or is it using the knife that's a problem too?

You can get vegetable choppers and mandolins on amazon

Has anyone come across a dining chair with castors? My Mother is elderly and has limited strength, and finds it difficult to pull her chair in to the table to eat (she likes to eat at the dining table with family, so I'm not looking for a table to fit over a comfy chair). I could try to fit castors to one of the set of dining chairs, but the legs are a bit thin.

@SpikyHatePotato - would a simple, no arms typists chair be worth looking at? I'm sure you could get a cheap second hand one to test it out, although casters are awful on carpets. What flooring does she have?

EDIT - it's actually less than I was expecting
https://www.amazon.co.uk/costoffs-Computer-Ergonomic-without-Turquoise/dp/B09Y8RP6Y2/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=office%2Bchair%2Bwithout%2Barms&qid=1704024389&sr=8-7&th=1

@SpikyHatePotato if you for casters to the existing chair it will probably make it too high to comfortably fit the table. Also be aware that wheeled chairs can ‘run away’ when sitting on them and shoot backwards. Causing the person to end up on the floor.

I would try furniture coasters (cups/glides )like those used under heavy furniture first. They are slim and don’t have a tendency to slide too fast. But you may find you need to experiment with which shape is best for the legs style of the chair so that they stay attached to the chair leg even when picked up and used as a normal chair iyswim. (We had a similar problem with fil )

Just for example 20PCS Furniture Sliders and Gliders, Round Shaped Self -Adhesive Chair Leg Sliders Floor Protector Pads for Moving Furniture Movers Carpet Gliders Glides https://amzn.eu/d/4iwph6K

Keeping furniture coasters attached could be another job for Sugru (I seem to be recommending this all over MN at the moment):

https://sugru.com

Making adaptations and fixing disability kit for which spare parts are expensive or not available are core raisons d'être for Sugru. It's like plasticine to handle, but sets to be silicone rubber - with excellent adhesion so also works as glue on most (not all ) surfaces.

Another option could be dining chairs with skis on the feet, which look just the ticket but are jolly expensive: https://www.felgains.com/care-products/glida-dining-chair-with-skids/

Perhaps you could find cheaper, or use as inspiration to modify your mum's existing chairs.

More expensive again (eye-watering so) are all-singing, all-dancing Vela chairs, apparently with castors that can be locked easily by the seated person:
https://www.vela.eu/vela-chair?utm_term=vela%20chair

TBH, the Vela sounds very over-engineered for your mum's current needs. An ordinary cheapo office chair with arms removed and lockable castors might do the trick AS LONG AS she always has someone to lock and unlock the castors for her.

I'm sure I saw another partial solution to this dining chair problem recently.

Perhaps it was the swivel cushion for car seat mentioned previously. Though of course that wouldn't solve the problem of pulling the chair in to the table.

I have read this thread with interest. My husband has Parkinsons and Dementia and we have a few of the things mentioned.
The one thing I was interested in is putting a motor on his manual wheel chair as I was having problems pushing it for the last bit of our homeward journey which is a slight hill so now he only gets taken out very occasionally and an almost brand new light weight wheel chair sits in the hall.
Has any one had this done, is it successful and how much did it cost. Thank you.

My local mobility shop's comment on wheelchair powerdrives of the trad between-the-rear-wheels type was that "the carers don't like them". I never did find out why, but something to do with the amount of faff. That doesn't mean you'll feel the same, of course.

That was about this sort of design:
https://www.somersetstairlifts.co.uk/product/ssm-powerstroll-wheelchair-motor/

I haven't spoken to anyone who has used an on-wheel drive, so I'm afraid I can't review them. What I did notice about the Todo drive is that it costs about the same as my Dashi lightweight folding powerchair from the same manufacturer, ie best part of £3,000. https://wessexhealthcare.co.uk/shop/powered-wheelchairs/power-add-ons-for-manual-wheelchairs/to-do-power-assist/

https://dashrehab.co.uk/powerchairs/

There's a lot of "it depends" in this situation.

One factor is how much your DH weighs. Is a lightweight wheelchair going to be adequate for him – now and into the future as he becomes less mobile? If so, and if funds allowed, I'd just get a lightweight folding powerchair now.

If he weighs too much for this, then there will be questions about whether to get a powerdrive for current/future manual chairs that suit him, or whether to get a more substantial powerchair which you can't hope to lift and which may need to be ramped into the house and basically have its own parking space within the house.

Obviously the tighter money is, the more narrowly you have to consider for how many years you anticipate him getting the benefit of any particular piece of kit.

If he were to move into residential care at some point, the building would almost certainly be wheelchair friendly even for a larger powerchair (typically cheaper than the ultra-lightweight types).

I'm so sorry you're in this situation: it's rotten when someone you love has dementia.

Thank you so much for this info. My husband is a light weight, about 9.5 stone and bought the wheel chair for a holiday last year, used it then and last Christmas in a hotel so about 10 days use. He has become almost immobile now so took him out in the chair and I couldn't manage the last hill home so thought about the powerdrive but no company will tell me the price of anything without a visit which I don't want.
Think your suggestion of a light weight power chair might be the way to go and sell this one so will look it up.
Thank you so much for all you help.
Think I will lower the tone of our area and get a Madge from Benidorm double buggy and put him in the back.😁😂

Oh that's great, he'll have more choice if he's light. I weigh about the same, and the ultra lightweight chair does me well.

My storage space means I prefer an x-fold, but there are also z-folds (ie folds like a deckchair). I'm sure you know what I mean if you already have a folding chair.

Nothing beats a trip to a mobility shop to try things out properly, and my local says not all makes are equal. But it's very worthwhile to google "folding lightweight wheelchair" to get an idea of choice and prices.

My grabber, something for opening jars & bottles, a folding bar stool to perch on in the kitchen, my bright teal crutches.

I have just watched videos of these chairs and can I ask one question - it seems they are operated by the user but my husband would be incapable of remembering what to do - can I just start it and direct it like I would his manual chair. Will go into Ableworld after the holiday and ask for a demo. Thanks again.

For my chair there is a choice about where to fit the controller – on the armrest for the occupant, or on the handlebar for an attendee.

Not a gadget as such, but I grate a block of cheese using my food processor and store it in the fridge to use through the week.
I've also got an old fashioned little marble slab with a cheese wire which is easy for my arthritic hands.
My OT gave me a little rubber thingy that slides onto normal pens to make them easier to use.

That's clever, does the cheese dry out when stored as grated?
I always find pre-grated packaged cheese quite dry