Arthritis: Making Everyday Activities Easier

Arthritis can make everyday tasks harder to do.

Little things, like opening a jar or combing your hair, become much bigger.

But you can bring things back down to size.

So let's take a walk around the house and look at things that can help you.

Start the day with sock pullers and long-handled shoe horns.

Velcro can replace small buttons or snaps, or even shoelaces.

These things can make getting dressed easier.

Grab bars can make getting around the bathroom--and using it--easier and safer.

And large or padded handles can make toothbrushes and combs easier to hold.

The idea of bigger handles also works in the kitchen for things like silverware and pots and pans.

And for opening bottles, cans, and jars ... use a no-slip grip or electric opener.

Keep the things you use most on lower shelves so they're easier to get.

A reacher can help you grab items on higher shelves ... or pick things up off the floor.

Higher chairs or seat cushions can make getting in and out of chairs easier.

And try a remote with big buttons, or a pen with a grip band.

If doorknobs are hard to grip, try using a cover.

Or you can replace round knobs with the kind of handle that pushes down.

And the best part is that all of these things are ... well ... easy to get ahold of!

You can find them--and other ideas--online, in catalogs, and at medical supply stores or home improvement stores.

Give these little things a try.

They'll make living with arthritis easier. And that's a big deal.