Caregiver Hacks

Posted: August 8, 2018, 10:06AM

Caregiving can be challenging, and sometimes it takes some ingenuity to solve the problems that we encounter! But often, we can make an adaptation or a fix with easy-to find-items or items that we already have in our homes. Here are some ideas for 'caregiving hacks' which are crafty ways to re-engineer or re-purpose household items to solve problems.

Keys, keys, keys! Keys to the car. Keys to Dad's car. Keys to my house. Keys to Dad's apartment and a code fob to get in the secured entry. Keys to my safe deposit box. Keys to Dad's safe deposit box. And so it goes! Think about color coding your keys with nail polish! Paint a different color on the keys to identify the one(s) you need!

Does your loved one find it difficult to grip certain items? Get some inexpensive foam hair rollers (you may even find these at a yard sale!) and deconstuct the roller. Push the foam over hard-to-grip narrow objects such as utensils, pens & pencils, or toothbrushes.

Cups and glasses can be hard to hold. Put 4 or 5 rubber bands around the glass to make it easier to hold.

Is holding a washcloth and getting it soapy a problem? Take a stocking, a sock or make a washcloth mitt and put a piece of soap inside.

There are several 'caregiver hacks' that can make your life less challenging and they can save money!

Check out AARP's CareConnection, The Caregiver Space, or Guideposts (go to Friends and Family, then Caregiving) for more ideas. As one of my former colleagues always advised - Try the less expensive fix first. Go for the 'dime solution' instead of the 'dollar solution'.