Gadgets to Help Your Elderly Loved One Outside

Emily Inkpen Aug 23, 2017 3 min

There are lots of gadgets to help your elderly loved one outside, from walking stick ice picks, to outdoor stair lifts, we look at 8 must-haves for elderly independence.

Getting out and about

Home care isn’t about keeping your loved one inside, it’s about keeping them safe. Research shows that getting out of the house for a change of scene or social interaction helps to slow the negative effects of ageing. For this reason, our carers often take their clients on outings. If you would like your loved one to get out with more confidence, there are some great products that are designed to help.

Portable walking chairs

Designed to allow your loved one to take a breather whenever necessary, portable walking chairs are walking sticks with fold-out stools attached. They’re perfect for queues, watching sporting events, or simply sitting down for a moment between destinations.

Key turner

Clamp your loved one’s front door keys in this specially designed key fob and they can use the handle to turn their key in the lock. This removes the need to clutch and grip small keys, which can be especially difficult for those with arthritis.

Walking stick ice pick

Use of a stick when it’s icy outside can be perilous and may cause your loved one to stay at home, becoming increasingly isolated. This is a particularly common problem for elderly people during the winter months. However, the walking stick ice pick will bite into cold ground and give the stability needed.

Rollators

These have it all, increased stability, a seat, and often storage for items essential for outings. The only drawback is that they can be awkward to take up stairs, so access might be a challenge. However, if outings stay on familiar ground, they can be the perfect solution.

Walking frame

Walking frames occupy the ground somewhere between crutches and rollators. They offer more stable support than crutches, but require lifting between steps.

Crutch pod

Handling crutches is hard enough, let alone adding a handbag to the equation. The crutch pod is a plastic moulded pot that clips onto a crutch, and can be used to carry daily essentials.

Garden kneeling stool

Gardening is hard work, and a specially designed kneeling stool can be used in more than one way. Firstly as a kneeler with handles to help your loved one get back on their feet, and secondly as a handy seat, from which weeding can be done with ease.

Outdoor stair lifts

You may think that stair lifts are only for inside, but think again. If your loved one has steps leading to their front door, or into their garden, you might want to consider fitting a stair lift to help them get out of the house. Being able to get from their front door to street level might make a big difference to their ability to get out and about. Additionally, being able to get to every area of their garden might help them to spend valuable time in the fresh air, as well as encourage them to do some light exercise.

Maintaining independence and mobility goes a long way towards helping your loved one to lead a longer, happier life. As it becomes more difficult for them to move around, just having the confidence to go to the shops, knowing that they’ll be able to unlock the door when they get home, can have a big impact on their wellbeing.

When the time comes, you might decide that a carer will be able to provide the help and supervision needed, in the meantime there are lots of gadgets to help your elderly loved one outside.

At hometouch we provide a platform that helps people like you to find quality, local self-employed carers. Our service is more affordable than regular care agencies, and provides better wages for our carers.