Daily activities become increasingly challenging with aging. Simple tasks such as opening a jar or bottle and getting in and out of the car become harder without assistance. Assistive technologies are helpful devices and tools to help older adults in their daily activities and keep them independent and functioning.
Assistive Devices for Elderly
The assistive devices are crucial for seniors living alone without family or professional caregivers to keep them safe and independent. From overcoming mobility issues to safely using bathrooms and preventing falls, there are many products for seniors to help them get things done without relying on others.
Read More: 20 Best Gadgets for Seniors
Here are 10 must-have assistive devices for elderly to make their life easier.
1. EZ Off Jar Opener
One hand jar and bottle opener that is an essential kitchen assistive product for older adults. This jar opener provides assistance for weak hands to open lids easily.
- Supports All Lid Sizes: It can open all sizes of lids, from a plastic water bottle to a giant tub of spaghetti sauce. The EZ Off arthritis jar opener’s narrow to wide V-shaped mouth can grab any lid size.
- Easy to Install: Under cabinet mounted option that hides under kitchen cabinet, cupboards and counters and provides easy access and no storage space is used. It comes pre-attached with peel-and-stick adhesive and 3 screws.
- Strong and Non-slip: The jar opener comes with strong metal teeth to clutch any size lid for a firm grip. Requires less strength to open the lid.
EZ Off Jar Opener is best seller manual jar and bottle opener due to its easy installation and high quality. It makes the perfect kitchen gadget gift for seniors with Arthritis.
2. Electric Jar Opener
Kitchenmuh’s electric jar opener opens jars with the touch of a button. It is the easiest way to open jars for seniors with Arthritis and weak hands.
It requires no manual labor and fits any size of can at the push of a button. 360 degrees auto rotation and high torque power open jar and bottle lids easily. The electric jar opener is a lifesaver product for seniors with Arthritis.
3. RMS Graber/ Reacher
Seniors have a hard time picking up items from hard-to-reach places and awkward movements and postures can inflame back muscles and joints and cause pain.
Grabbers or Reachers are assistive devices for elderly that increase the range of a person’s reach when grabbing items from hard-to-reach places. They enable older adults to easily pick stuff from the floor without having to bend and reduce the potential of falls. RMS Grabber and Reacher comes with:
- 32 “ Length: Increase your reach by 32 inches to grab items from the floor, top shelf, trash can, behind furniture and other hard-to-reach places
- Rotating Jaw: It rotates and locks at 90 degrees for vertical and horizontal grabs. It is made up of soft rubber that makes picking up smaller items with ease and prevent items from slipping and dropping.
- Durability: The material is of high quality. The shaft is rust-proof lightweight aluminum and the cable is made from steel.
It is a great tool to have around the house for indoor and outdoor use. A must-have assistive product for elderly, disabled and people with mobility issues.
4. Magnifier with LEDs
It can become harder for seniors to read prescriptions and fine details in newspapers and maps as they age. Vision impairment is also an issue in old age and low-vision individuals tend to rely on others for daily life activities.
MagniPros 4x large magnifying glass is the perfect assistive device for older adults who love to read. It comes with great features that make it the best magnifier that the elderly can have.
- 4x Magnification: 4x is the ideal power for reading fine print, recommended by optometrists.
- Seniors-friendly Design: The rectangular design stimulates the way we naturally read, from left to right. The magnifying glass covers a large area so you do not have to move your hand around all the time. It is made up of optical grade acrylic which is scratch-resistant, lightweight and shatterproof as compared to glass.
- Dimmable LEDs: 10 anti-glare and dimmable LEDs evenly lit viewing area. LEDs are powered by 3 AAA batteries and last more than 100,000 hours.
The handle is ergonomically designed which is comfortable to hold and grip for longer reading sessions. This portable and durable magnifier is one of the best-selling assistive devices for elderly with vision impairment.
5. Floor to Ceiling Pole
The floor-to-ceiling security pole provides safety and stability for elderly when sitting or standing, stepping out of bathtub ledges, getting in and out of bed and more. It can be used in the bathroom, living room or bedroom to prevent falls and assist older adults. The main features include:
- Adjustable: Adjust the pole between the floor and ceiling. The included rubber pads protect the floor and ceiling from any damage.
- Multifunction: It can be used in bathrooms as a grab bar or chair standing rail. It has a ladder-like design that allows to stand up with natural hand-over-hand movement.
- Easy to Assemble: It requires no drilling. It comes with the needed equipment to install and is ready to use in minutes.
The security pole supports up to 300 pounds and can be used in many areas like next to the toilet or shower, at the side of the bed or around a chair or sofa. It enables the elderly to get out of bed and use the bathroom without relying on others.
6. Grab Bars
A bathroom can be a dangerous place for the elderly because of its wet surface and small spaces. Recent studies show up to 80% of falls among seniors occur in bathrooms and most of them are during getting in and out of the bathtub or showers and standing up after using the toilet.
The grab bar is one of the best bathroom assistive devices for elderly to keep them safe in bathrooms. These easy-to-install and use bathroom grab bars can be installed beside the bathtub, in the shower area and near the toilet to help seniors move around without falling.
- Secure: Suction cups with locking latches and color indicators to indicate that bars are properly fixed.
- Portable and Compact: You can take them with you during travel and easily install them wherever you need them.
These grab bars must only be used on a flat surface such as glass, non-textured ceramics and marble etc.
7. Toilet Safety Rail
Toilet safety rail is one of the assistive devices to prevent falls of the elderly while using the toilet. Medline’s Guardia toilet safety rail comes with an adjustable height that accommodates standard or elevated toilets.
It provides support while raising or lowering from the toilet and is an ideal assistive device for older adults with mobility and stability issues. It has closed-cell foam armrests that are comfortable to hold and provided a good grip.
8. Vehicle Support Grab Bar
It can be challenging to get in the car seat and come out of the car for older adults. This vehicle support grab bar is one of the assistive devices to prevent falls in elderly when sitting and coming out of the vehicle.
- Prevent Falls: The HandyBar provides seniors stability and balance
- Compatibility: Compatible with most vehicles and fits parallel to your car.
- Portable: It is lightweight and portable and can be stored in the door compartment of your car or purse to carry around.
This is an ideal product for the elderly, disabled or anyone with mobility issues and in need of assistance when getting in and out of the car. It is a heavy-duty product that supports up to 350 pounds.
9. Echo Show 8 – Alexa Assistive Device
Amazon’s Echo Show is an Alexa device and arguably one of the best assistive devices for elderly to keep them informed, entertained and connected via simple voice commands. It makes life easier for seniors by updating them with weather forecasts, news updates, alarms and reminders for medication, connecting with family and friends and more.
- Video Calling : The 13 MP camera with auto framing to keep you centered and 8” HD screen are ideal for video calls.
- Entertainment: Enjoy TV shows and movies, listen to podcasts and play games like Trivia or ask Alexa to tell you a joke.
- Be Informed: Check the latest news and weather updates. Know the latest scores of your favorite sports.
- Ask for Assistance from Family and Friends: You can ask Alexa to contact your family or friends in case of an emergency. “Ask My Buddy” is a skill to connect with loved ones if you need help.
Echo Show can be helpful in many ways for the elderly and makes a great gift item for seniors. Family members can “drop in” on elderly loved ones to see and talk to them via two-way communication and video.
A must-have assistive gadget for seniors living alone, to remain connected, informed, and entertained. If you are gifting an Echo Show to senior loved ones, help them with setting up the Echo Show.
10. Eufy Robot Vacuum
Cleaning floors can be a challenging task and laborious for seniors. Daily cleaning requires energy and effort from older adults. The Robot Vacuums can make cleaning your floors and carpets automated.
Eufy by Anker is one of the best assistive devices to keep your house clean. It has many useful features including:
- Super Cleaning: This slim robot operates quietly and has a suction power of 100 pa to deeply clean your carpets and floors.
- Smart Gadget: It comes with an anti-scratch tempered glass top for protection. It has infrared sensors to avoid obstacles and drop sensing tech to avoid falls from stairs and other high places.
It can clean for 100 minutes straight on one charge and can assist the elderly with daily cleaning.
All of the above products and assistive devices for elderly can be very useful for seniors to keep them safe and make their lives easier.