How to Assist the Elderly with Mobility Issues

Mobility is a relative condition. If you are elderly and confined to a bed, you are well aware that it's almost a vacation to be able to get up and move around the house or apartment by yourself. Make some breakfast or coffee without the assistance of your spouse or caregiver? Yes, you would love to do it. If you're not bed-ridden but do find yourself spending most of your days indoors, mobility means going out of the house on one's own or with assistance, to the library, a senior center, grocery store, theater, or over to see the grandkids.

In days past, people who had arthritis, injuries, or any condition that limited their mobility just had to deal with it. No longer. With great new smart mobility aids, you can get around, up, down, in, and out--as well as anyone else!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mobility Aids for the Car
• Mobility Aids for the Bed
• Mobility Aids for Around the House

1. The first step in achieving greater mobility involves simply getting out of your bed. First things first. For those confined to the bed, moving off the bed often feels like the biggest task of the day. Even if you're not usually bed-ridden, you'll know that lying horizontally for a long period makes it that much harder to get up.
   
   There are several different classes of mobility aids to assist you in getting off the bed:
   
   Extra-wide and extra-sturdy handles or canes to grip while moving off.
   Flat transfer boards to help you slide easy off of uneven surfaces.
   Transfer discs--like lazy susans for people--to help you pivot in place with minimal hip and leg discomfort.
   Transfer slings and gait belts, to help your spouse or caregiver shift you.

2. The second mobility problem to be addressed by the elderly person is the difficulty of trying to get up from their chair or the couch. The sofa or chair can be a welcome respite from pain and discomfort associated with walking and moving. However, should you attempt to move off the sofa or chair, it suddenly feels like you're being gripped by a giant hand. Furniture always seems too low, too unstable. Furniture doesn't have anything to grab onto. How about some furniture mobility assistance?
   
   Risers to give a little extra boost to your chair.
   Big couch canes to give you the sturdy grip that couches don't have.
   Flat, solid transfer boards to slide from place to place.

3. Once out of the house, realize that getting into and out of the car can be made easier by assistive devices for the elderly. Ever noticed just how low car seats are? And just at the point when you need something to grip, there isn't anything. Manufacturers of mobility aids for the elderly know your plight, and have designed mobility aids just for the car:
   
   There are swivel seat cushions to make that painful twist off the seat much more comfortable.
   Looking for that bar to grip onto? Transfer bars with soft handles help you help yourself out of the car.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't give up on mobility just because it is more difficult than it used to be!
• Your willingness to try new things is crucial to remaining mobile.
• Ask for help when you need it.

Resources

• Mobility Aids and Accessories for the Elderly
• Mobility Aids Articles and Information for the Elderly
• Sitting, Standing, and Transfer Aids to Increase Mobility for the Elderly
• Walker Accessories for the Elderly