Some years ago, I read an article about simplifying housework, or finding ways to do less without guilt. For example, hide messes in the oven, or throw toys in a bin when a guest was coming over. Or better yet, just leave the dirty dishes in the sink and welcome your friend in the house anyway! Another work saver was spot cleaning the floor when spilling in one area rather than wash the whole floor.
This is a struggle for alot of us who are too hard on ourselves or do too much! Enter a sore back, chronic pain or just normal aging and we have a choice to make. Keep hurting or try a new cleaning tool, doing things differently or get help from someone else.
Or let a few things go.
Stop working when you’re tired or sore.
Take a break. Read a book. Take a bath….
I’ve had to learn to do things differently and to do a whole lot less than I used to. Letting go of perfect and just being “good enough”. As we hear in healthy circles, I am a human “being”, not a human “doing”.
swiffer mop or similar
I do use a swiffer to wash my floor, and often I spot clean a mess on the floor. I use my foot (and clean shoes) to wipe up small spot rather than stoop and twist to reach the floor. My other “go to ” trick is to sit on a low foot stool (Rubbermaid or other) to do chores including gardening, or wiping something up without stooping or twisting.
This robot vacuum does a GREAT job, unlike the early models.
It’s been on sale regularly. This is the best price point ever at $149.(1/25- price dropped again to $143.)👍
I highly recommend this to save your back from the soreness that regular vacuuming can cause. This does a decent job on floors and carpets, and seamlessly moves between them. (Hint: DO pull up curtains and electrical cords before using Roomba).
Aging in place is the “new normal” for many of us over age 65, or with challenging conditions. It’s often more cost effective to add small upgrades for safety and accessibility than to pay the high price of moving. But they can also look stylish while being functional.
Pull out drawers in the kitchen are great, especially for heavier Dutch ovens and glass/ Pyrex bowls. Available at home stores everywhere, and easy to retrofit. My Delta pull out faucet is a real hand saver to fill pans, coffee pots, water pitchers, you name it. Many brands are available, I just find Delta to hold up better than some. Finally, visitors to our house comment the most about out super LED lighted switch and outlet plates by Snap power. They’re adjustable (lo-hi or off), easy to install by an average handy person, and made in the USA. There are cheaper models at the home stores, not made in the US. They don’t hold up or have the features that SnapPower has.
Wishing you the best as you age gently in your own home.
Best of the Best Easy Open Container , even frozen: about $1 each, BPA free. Found everywhere, including Menards in the Midwest, Target, Walmart.
07/27/26- 08/23/26 Costco Snapware Pyrex 18 piece glass food storage, with easy to remove BPA free lids. $19.99 in warehouse. Online, much more
Target’s UP AND UP brand now carries a Twist and Store product that is BPA free. Useful sizes include 2-3/4 cup, and smaller 1/2 cup size perfect for sauces and salad dressings “on the go”. I like the measurements imbedded in the clear container walls allowing mixing within the container. Targets smaller 1/2 cup is the only brand I can find that has an easy twist to open feature in the smallest size for sauces and salad dressings.
It’s the little things around the house that can be frustrating, especially most “tight seal” food containers that are impossible to open when frozen. I don’t like to have to ask someone else to open tight containers although asking for help is something I am working on. (I like to be independent). These food storage containers are ingenious. The twist and turn containers have a great seal, hold up nicely in the top rack of a dishwasher and can be easily opened even when filled with frozen food. And of course, putting food into a sliding loc or double seal ziploc works great too and saves freezer space.
It’s lilac season in central Minnesota, a very brief time of riotous color and fragrance! It’s just another reason to celebrate spring and be outside. And eventually to get around to some of that yard and patio cleanup, hopefully without hurting afterwards.
I don’t need to tell you that some of the worst “back- killers” are bending, garden work and vacuuming. Here are my latest back savings tools that are reasonably priced, basic, and allow you to do your stuff without hurting.
Oxo Good Grip Upright Sweep Set. I got mine at T J Maxx. $19-29. Shark Performance Ultralight Corded vacuum, a lightweight workhorse. Rubbermaid flat top step stool ( for inside or out) Black and Decker leaf/patio blower Model LB700, only 4#. About $30. (don’t forget your hearing protection) Yard cart (lightweight) Suncast brand $39 at Walmart, and Amazon. Less at Sam’s club, seasonally. Very “senior friendly”.
If you have tender points from arthritis, fibromyalgia or other chronic conditions, I highly recommend a hydromassage. (And I’m not an employee of any health club or company, so this is not a sponsored post).
It is just totally bliss. As you can see, the table applies external flowing water at a pressure you can change at any point. You are fully clothed on a soft, cushy table.
This has been one of my favorite ways to release tender points without “kick back” the next day, as sometimes happens from deep tissue hands-on massage. My wonderful husband gifted me with a membership at the facility locally where I can enjoy this gift. Calgon, take me away! (You will only understand that if you are over age 65.)
We had an epic, long winter in the upper Midwest, the snowiest year ever. Finally it appears to be spring, although perennials are about a month behind most years.
Do you want to keep gardening, without aches and pains afterwards? I hope some of these ideas help you…
Our 80 + year old neighbor Dick, used the term “Smart Gardening” while recycling his Wall Street Journal newspapers under leaf mulch. (economist humor) He seldom has to weed, and has a good sized garden patch. Smart indeed.
I tried it and found that 4 layers of newspaper (according to master gardeners), under leaf mulch kept weeds away for me more than landscape fabric. (think “paper mache”, as the paper gets dense and stays in place all year ).
And remember all those boxes from Amazon during the long winter? They work super, cut up around my raspberries, and around raised beds. Use leaf mulch to keep them in place. I am frugal and like the idea of recycling all that cardboard and newspaper to good purpose.
My other favorite garden hacks are my low rubbermaid stool (easy on the back) and raised beds.
The Nelson battery operated hose timer waters the garden early and as often as needed. It has a “pause” feature when rain is expected. I found this the easiest garden timer to program, and it allows us freedom to come and go without babysitting the garden.
My all time favorite garden gloves are from Pioneer Woman, and available at Walmart. The goatskin palm is sturdy and grips well. Men’s goatskin gloves are available at all home stores. My husband uses his all the time, and they only seem to get better with age.
So, why not just move to a one level patio home or condominium?
Those of us who have priced patio homes or one level living have been dismayed that the cost is higher than our current homes would sell for, meaning adding a new mortgage or liquidating our savings.
The aging population is quickly picking up one level homes or converted “ranch” style homes, so that they rarely come on the market. Alot of people we know are buying homes through realtors or other sources, before the houses hit the MLS.
Active seniors also want to live independently, rather than move to senior apartments or condos. Bad experiences during COVID lockdowns included restrictions on visitors to over 55 settings.
For some of these reasons, making your current home “age friendly” and safer has taken hold. Home improvement centers have been overrun with demand for remodeling and updating since COVID, especially
Bathroom Modifications (Fall prevention)
-Replace jacuzzi tub with walk in shower
Friends are in the process of replacing a large jacuzzi with a walk in shower to make their home more “age friendly”. Options: built in seat, grab bars, or sized to add a shower chair later
Adapt current tub with clip on grab bar, near toilet for dual use. This adaptation was helpful for a beautiful lady with severe arthritis and risk for falls. Low cost clip on grab bar that doesn’t require a handyman $45 Home Depot
Tub Cut out Conversion Kit
My elderly Mom had this conversion done at her senior apartment, that gave her a few more years of independence.
Hobie Passport pedal kayak with ergonomic “fin drive”
I figured that my paddling days were over until I saw a pair of kayakers “pedaling” smoothly near our lake docks a few years ago.
They sat in a recumbent bike-like posture, with a forward and back “gliding” foot pedal action. I was especially drawn to the more stable “sit-on-top” design, with wider beam. It appeared more age friendly than the average sit-in, narrow kayak.
After spying the “Hobie” logo, (a well-known boat brand), I was able to get a few details from the kayakers before they sped quickly past our dock. A few strokes of the “Hobie fin” technology propelled these little kayaks a good distance forward with little apparent effort. Unlike the older “paddlewheel” boat action, the Hobie passport appeared to be a more efficient, comfortable and quieter technology.
Fast forward 4 years later, we own 2 Hobie Passport pedal kayaks (10.5′ size), and have enjoyed countless hours of peaceful, quiet exercise on the lake. Passports are known as a stable craft, used by many to cast for fishing while standing. The silent technology is a boon for spotting loons and other wildlife. My husband adapted a boat lift by decking it over, for painless launching and landing. Although we rate as senior citizens, youngers enjoy this boat just as much as we do.
My favorite lightweight workhorse vacuum. An ergonomic design with multi use tools. Powerful detachable minivac for small jobs.
$149 on sale often at home storesDetachable mini tool that actually “sucks”Ergonomic hand grip, easy to maneuver.Low profile, fits into small spacesOn board tools for crevices or upholstery Fast switch between carpets and wood floors
Finally, a vacuum that’s a dream for my wood floors and carpets with ergonomic features that don’t cause a twinge or ache anywhere. I love the onboard detachable minivac that was a workhorse on my steps, picked up sawdust left on the floor seamlessly and switched back to carpets with a quick touch. This is a corded model, but is so well designed that I rate it as good for fall prevention as it’s super light, and maneuverable. Great lighting in front. At the same time, suction is as good as my larger shark vacuum. Works equally well on floors and carpet with good side pick up along baseboards. Dust cup is easy to use. I like the ergonomic “pistol” grip that’s easy on hands. This model was on sale lately at Costco, but you can find it anywhere.
Not just for seniors, this is a great all around vacuum that lives up to the Shark reputation.
Its winter in Minnesota right now and 4” of new snow is on the ground. its picture perfect right after Christmas, and we need the precipitation after an epic drought year. However, many falls happen, especially in years like this with icy coating on the sidewalks or parking lots. My brother in law in Massachusetts just had a fall going down stone steps out the back door. it was ”black ice”, not visible to the eye. It can happen in a flash.
Tips:
–super good treads on shoes or boots. I like Keen or Merrell brand shoes and boots with great traction for snow and ice.
–yak traks or smaller ”Quick Trax” by Yaktrax,
–good walking stick on snow/ice or uneven ground or rock climbing. I like my Trekker Fx lite walking stick from REI.
-good handrail on front steps.
Problem Spots at home:
Wearing multifocal glasses on steps, especially going down, was the MAIN cause of falls overall inside the home, according to a rehabilitation study. The lenses distort your depth perception and you misstep. I noticed this when getting my bifocals in my 40’s.
-adjust glasses so you can see the steps, either on your head or down on your nose.
Carrying laundry bins or boxes on the steps. This can happen at any age, but I know it nearly happened to me when I had a laundry room downstairs.
-mesh bag drag with clean or dirty laundry , using separate bags.
-use the railing when carrying things up and down
-light up your stairway adequately
-consider moving your laundry room to the main level if you have a history of falls. Stackable laundry units take up minimal space, and have very acceptable capacity.
Ladders or step stools:
My 95 year old mother in law kept using a step stool to reach her yarn supplies on a top step, and several near falls happened. (the step stool went missing one day…) My own Mom had high pantry shelves that were hard to reach with her petite height. I moved supplies down to where she could reach by cleaning out a lower cupboard.
-reorganize most used supplies on a lower shelf, move less needed supplies up higher. Pick up a low shelving unit for additional pantry or craft supplies.
Rug Corners (trip hazard): it’s happened to many of us, yet we really like our rugs, especially in the winter. I just found this product: non-slip, removable rug grippers, for corners, with no sticky residue on floors. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6DW24H7/ref=dp_iou_view_item?ie=UTF8&th=1
Helps:
-use reachers like my new favorite: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWCR5Z4R?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 currently has a 50% off coupon code right below the pricing. Available in blue as well, for a price point of $7.50 each for the best long handled reacher I’ve ever used, as a long time OT. (Pricing August 2023)
This well loved muffin tin was directly over my head and the gripper held tightly and ergonomically.
-adjustable extension poles for washing outside windows and painting siding. I found mine at Home Depot. It worked great attached to a variety of tools, including a squeegee, paint pad and roller.
-extension roof rake for clearing off snow on the front of your roof from the ground. -Use power spraying hose tool for washing high windows from the ground.
–Ask a younger person to do it! Isn’t it hard to ask for help when you’ve always done things yourself? It takes grace to ask a younger neighbor, friend or family member to help out. But they will likely be glad to help.
Arthritis and Aging Home Smarts 