Gadget Junkies and Helper Tools - Best Tips and Tools

RA changes the way that we do things. Household tasks

and even our morning routines take longer, are more

challenging as time goes by. Everything from cooking to

being on the job is challenging. I know that people in

my RA exercise class were discussing things that they use

in the kitchen like jar openers and easy grip utensils with

big handles or cups with bigger handles. Do you have any

special tips for someone who's just been diagnosed? What

is your favorite helper that you would hate to be without?

It can be anything from a card holder and shuffle for playing

cards - maybe that IS my favorite since I love to play cards

with my kids.

[olive2709]

My Daughter has a extra wide fish slice to help her lift things in and out of oven. I have weakness on left side of body and my best bye is morphy richards intellisteam expensive at £75 but no more lifting of veg pans and everything is ready at same time

[nomoreheels]

I've lots of things from the Oxo Good Grips range, their canisters especially are excellently designed as they take no effort to open & they bounce if dropped! My favourite & most useful thing is so basic, a very grippy washing up glove, it opens all bottles, jars & drinks caps so easily. I have many other things which have been bought for me by well meaning friends & relatives but many are useless, you need to try before you buy really.

[Jeanabelle60 in reply to nomoreheels]

Thanks Heels, going to have a look at the OXO range. My granddaughter and her partner are setting up their first home and they are getting a drawer full of usless utensiles that I can't use anymore.......as usual Heels always has something usefull on offer, thanks luv. XX

[nomoreheels in reply to Jeanabelle60]

Perfect timing then Jean! They are excellent certainly as far as grip is concerned though I've been selective in what I've chosen & where possible tried them out before I've bought but the most helpful have been a measuring jug with the measurements you can read from above instead of having to crouch down or lift it with the weight of liquid in, I've lots of the canisters small ones right up to ones big enough to get a bag of flour in, both the salt & pepper mill (if you've got Morrisons over there they sell them the cheapest I've ever found at nearly half the price of anywhere else, I've bought those as gifts too), a squeegee thingy for windows, not bought any utensils as h does the cooking but there's not much they don't do in the way of spoons, spatulas, fish slice etc. but he who does bought himself the potato ricer which makes lovely lump free mash. I've got my eye on one or two things for baking but need to wait for what I've got to give up the ghost first! There is one thing that's eluded me, a fly swat. I've seen them on ebay a while ago but only shipped from the US & the postage outweighs the swat so I've put grippy silicone stuff round the handle of a bog standard one, it does the job even if it does look a bit Heath Robinson!

Happy shopping x

[Jeanabelle60 in reply to nomoreheels]

This has really got me thinking.....my arms are slightly deformed, due to a few years of not going to see about pain in them.....anyhow because of this I'm not able to lift my arms up any further than the top of my shoulder. This means that scratching, washing, applying lotions/skin washes etc, etc to my back from my waist to the back of my neck impossible.......would love to hear from anyone who has found a remedy for this. I've bought the long thingies with loops at each end but all I can do with them is my bum and down the back of my legs...........sorry, I know the image that this might be putting in some peoples minds but TBH I've got to the point that I don't really care, get over yourself as the young ones say !! XXX

[nomoreheels in reply to Jeanabelle60]

There are some shower creams that are promoted as having body lotion in them, not sure how good they are as I've not tried them & my h & I shower together, he does my back & I do his except I get more for my money because he does my legs too! There you go, you need a chap to do it for you, what better! I've not found anything that works otherwise, tried brushes & sponges on sticks but can't grip them, neither do I have that reach, of course you could find a back scratcher useful for those hard to reach itches but that doesn't solve applying body lotion & showering does it? Just a thought, you know how they apply self tan, is there anything accessory wise which could do the job when showering & moisturising? Might be worth asking around.

Back to utensils etc one thing I forgot to mention because it's not Oxo GG is a plastic mixing bowl with a non slip base, bought mine in Carrefour a while ago but I think it's Oxo that does one too. It's really good because it doesn't move round the counter top when I'm mixing cake ingredients with the electric whisk. That said I made some choc chip cookies on Friday & the butter wasn't soft enough, I redecorated the kitchen, all under the cupboards, everywhere.

[Jeanabelle60 in reply to nomoreheels]

Perfect remedy Heels......I'll just step out and get that gorgous specimine of Irish manhood Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark) to call over when he has a minute and scrub me back for me..........now that is an imagine I for one want to hold on to! When I had a man in my life taking a shower together was always the best of craic (translation: good fun!).

[nomoreheels in reply to Jeanabelle60]

Oh I know what craic Is, Irish weddings & all that, my BF's sister married a Dubliner (I know it's over the border but equally as capable of great craic!) & I approve of Aidan Turner for you, I'm sure he'd be up to the job mmm. Don't know if he's ever played him but he'd make a great Heathcliff too.

[RAinK]

My worst problem at the moment is hips, (+ knees, ankles, feet), so my best gadget at the moment is a perch stool, so I can sit down while washing up, ironing, putting something in microwave, having a wee break, etc, etc. In second place is my grabber as not only does it pick things off the floor, raise bag handles up to my grasp, but I can turn plugs on & off at the wall. Anyone got any good gardening tools or gadgets?

[nomoreheels in reply to RAinK]

Rachet secateurs I find invaluable RAinK. I have some excellent ones from Aldi with really grippy inserts on the handles. Good really grippy gardening gloves as well, it's easy to get a scratch or be pricked by a thorn & it be around for weeks without them. I have mostly pots planted up now because it's easier & raised beds too are so much better.

[RAinK in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you. I'll have a look for those secateurs.

[nomoreheels in reply to RAinK]

They're not regular stock RAinK, they're one of the special buys they do, you know the Sunday & Thursday offers in the brochure released regularly. They've not been in the gardening offers they've had so far this year & have been every other year, so it would be worth looking out for. I bought a pair last year to keep as a spare so would imagine they'll be coming in any time soon, they're about 5.99 I think.

[RAinK in reply to nomoreheels]

Ah ha, thank you. My best mate regularly goes to Aldi so I've asked her to grab me a pair, (or 2), if / when she sees them. Mind you she has OA so that might be 3 pairs 😀. Thank you

[nomoreheels in reply to RAinK]

Perfect. If I notice them in the brochure I'll drop you a pm ok?

[RAinK in reply to nomoreheels]

Thanks. 😀

[nomoreheels in reply to RAinK]

RAinK the ratchet secateurs (they call them Ratchet Pruner) are on sale in Aldi from Mon 6th April, 4.99 each. We've also had the Telescopic Tree Lopper (on the same page) which my h found very easy to use to get processionary caterpillar nests out of our pine trees, it has a detachable saw too for thicker branches.

[RAinK in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you nomoreheels. Me & my best mate will be down there Mon. We've been looking for tree loppers, so that's perfect. Happy Easter, RAinK

[nomoreheels in reply to RAinK]

You're welcome. Happy Easter. x

[Azabat]

Does my husband count?

[Ali_H]

I should hope so Azabat!!!

My best tip came from my physiology and that was put things like pasta etc in a chip frying basket in your saucepan so that when it's cooked you can lift it out and not worry about the weight of the hot water which can be emptied when cooler cup by cup or by someone else.

Ali

[Jeanabelle60 in reply to Ali_H]

Brill idea Ali, thanks.

[ZAbbott]

Best tool: a ring-pull can opener (looks like a hook - ring pull cans are more expensive but it means I can get to the contents! This was bought by a well meaning friend and much appreciated!). (Also, a paddling pool for my over-heating feet in summer!).

Best tips: 1, use a deep flat bottomed seive/colander/chip fryer pan inside saucepans when cooking, when it's done you need only lift out the cooked food, and can leave the dangerous boiling water until its cooled. 2, put plastic bags into your wash/laundry basket, and as you put clothes in, sort them as you go (whites, brights, darks,delicates) then you only ever need to pick up the one load at a time, and the long task of sorting clothes is already done. Xx

[Nurseratchette]

Electric tin open

[Jeanabelle60]

I don't know who it was but a few years ago I was told about a great wee gadget that makes me a mug of coffee in the morning. It is made by Morphy Richards andd to me it looks like a big red mushroom. I don't have to lift a kettle, that can be heavy even when empty, for just one cup of coffee. I just fill one mug and pour it into the 'mushroom', I then put my coffee into the empty mug, push a button and hay presto a mug of boiling hot coffee......same proccedure for tea......wouldn't be without it......I must have boosted that sales as I have lead others to buy the same gadget.

[nomoreheels in reply to Jeanabelle60]

What a great idea! Must look one of those up. We bought a quite expensive Bosch which has different temp settings which is useful for herb teas especially but the main reason we bought it was because it has a handle which is as grippy as the Oxo range but it's really heavy if you need to fill it more than a couple of cups for something like stock or packet custard, not my problem but I know my h struggles as times, I can hearing him muttering under his breath.

[Sailaway]

I love my kitchen knife, the handle is 90 degrees to the blade so you hold it like a saw, & a lot easier to use - it was provided by the Occupational Therapist. My small bed rail has made a huge difference, I can't turn over without having something to hold onto, and it's useful to grip on when I'm getting dressed (and trying to balance) - again provided by the OT.