Truemobility have a solution called elephant feet as seen in the image and they are available in two sizes, the 4″ set and also a 5.5″ set.

What they do is allow you to raise a chair or a bed if there are legs in place and they add those extra few inches so that what you choose to add them to is now slightly higher making it easier for you to get into bed or positioned in your chair and also useful when you are ready to exist either of those.

They are made from plastic, with the 4″ set priced at £15.50 and the 5.5″ set priced at £18.00

With various types available, some designed specifically for when there is a carer attending, while others are self propelled if the layout of the room where the shower is allows for this.

They are made to be as comfortable as possible while still being suitable for exposure to water and if made well they should show little to no signs of corrosion over time if the frame of the chair does not become damaged.

Combination shower and commode chairs usually have castors because in most cases it is expected that the user will require assistance so overall the chair makes it convenient for both the user and the carer.

Some chairs of this type may be very basic looking and how comfortable it may be can be different from some of the other chairs available, while others, although more expensive will be designed for as much comfort as possible.

First and foremost is the importance of the chair’s main purpose, and beyond that the comfort and design needed will be dependant on how much someone is willing to spend as well as the individual needs of the user.

The frames of these dual shower/commode chairs are often coated in plastic to protect the steel frame, making it safe and ideal for exposure to water and steam while in the shower.

Overall these shower/commode chair combos are ideal and make for a more comfortable shower time for the user as well as being helpful to the carer.

And many people with disabilities will know, sometimes the transference from one thing to another is where some of the real challenge can be, and this is where transfer boards really lend themselves well to different situations.

The good thing about a transfer board is that it doesn’t require assistance if you prefer or dont need an assisted transfer, so when a person is alone, as long as the tranfer board is reachable, they have the means to move themselves from where they currently are, that could be from bed, seating, a wheelchair etc.

Most bariatric transfer boards will support around 40 – 45 stone in bodyweight, so you know that you can move between mobility aids and home furniture safely and with peice of mind.

Transfer boards, including bariatric versions are still lightweight because extra weight of the board is not necessary for the board itself to be strong, it is down to how it is made and the materials and manufacturing process used to ensure its strength.

A door frame ramp can be perfect for bridging the threshold and making it much easier for you to get over what may be a small obstacle but is still an obstacle nonetheless and one that becomes a lot easier to deal with, using a ramp like this.

The ramp does not need to be fitted as a permanent fixture so it can be removed at any time but is safe, lightweight and slip-resistant, also being only one piece, it does not require any kind or assembling, extending or anything like that, simply put into place it provides a bridge over the threshold area, capable of supporting a weight up to around 40 stone and can simply be removed and stored when not needed.

When walking too, maybe with crutches, a walking stick or a frame it can be easier for you with a door frame ramp in place to pass through these areas with less worry of tripping and encountering difficulties.

Preparation and planning can become a part of some peoples routine and this is of course just to deal with everyday life.

Grooming is something that many people prefer to do themselves, and being able to deal with some basic grooming like hair brushing and drying,  the clipping of finger and toenails and other similar tasks is much easier if you have a little assistance from the right tools.

Because a set of standard nail clippers may be difficult to hold and even more difficult to press down on hard enough this could create a frustrating situation, as a result there have been various developments of nail clippers over the years where they dont need to be held by one hand and are  attached to a flat base and sometimes have suction cups on the bottom to stop the clippers and the base attachment from sliding, keeping them firmly in place, the user is able to slide the nail into the clipping area and with less effort they can press down on the clippers as normal.

Because there is no need to grip onto the nail clippers, which requires part of your effort just to hold them steadily enough, it means that you are only left with the need to press down with one or two fingers of your free hand while you deal with the nail clipping of your other hand.

For people that have difficulting trying to hold a hair dryer for any length of time you can purchase a stand that you can place your hair dryer into, it will support it securely and you can adjust the stand and move it to various angles so that it can point towards your hair and allow drying of you hair without the need to hold the dryer.

Brushing and combing hair can equally be as challenging and for this grooming task you can find brushes and combs that have extra long handles on them, they are also often shaped in a way that makes the job easier for you, requiring less stretching and lifting of your arms but still giving you the freedom and pleasure of dealing with your hair yourself.

After all, everyone has a preference for how they want their hair and their overall appearance to look, and sometimes you cant beat giving it your own personal touch, done your way, and with these grooming aids and others available, you can enjoy the grooming process, not feel restricted or dependant on someone doing it for you (your ability allowing of course) and then show off your fancy hairdo and everything to the world. 

A ceiling track hoist lift can be invaluable in these situations and is one of the safest methods for moving a person over a short distance where the individual still needs to be comfortable and with any distress kept to an absolute minimum.

They are suitable for children and adults and are capable of lifting quite a high weight capacity too.

A ceiling track hoist can really show it’s advantage though when the track fitted to the ceiling extends into different rooms and through a hallway for example, this can really make the process of moving someone from one room to another a whole lot easier, at the same time being very safe and comfortable.

Everything from getting a person to the toilet, into a bath, into or out of bed, even getting someone back up after they have had a fall can all be done a lot easier with a ceiling track hoist lift.

A handset controls the movement of the hoist lift, usually performed by an assistant, maybe  a family member or a carer and may have speed control included that can be programmed , as well as other features which are dependant on the model that you purchase.

Although not a cheap mobility aid, as even some of the accessories can cost close to and above £100, a hoist lift will definately make a huge difference to the persons life and is the sort of aid that makes not only the user but family too wonder how they got by without one.

We all have different positions that we like to sleep in and those positions can vary from people curling themselves up, to lying on their stomach and any other way that they seem to like, but although many of these positions can feel comfortable for the person and help them to drop off at night, they can often find that the next day they are experiencing tension in muscles, especially in the neck and shoulders, sometimes even in the chest or an uncomfortable feeling in their back and even headaches that they wake up with.

Of course for a person with disabilities and for those without disabilities too, there can be all sorts of reasons for people waking up with tension, aches and pains and there could be a long term health problem that the individual has learned to live with from day to day, but if you find that you are getting tension and stiffness and pain where you feel you should not be experiencing  it then it may be down to the position that you are sleeping in.

A lot of the problems mentioned above can be eradicated or at least minimised by sleeping on your back if your body and health allows you to.

The one challenge with sleeping on your back, unless you have never had difficulty sleeping on your back is to actually get your body used to it, for a lot of people there is a strong urge to roll onto their side as they feel themselves getting sleepy or as soon as they get into bed they may instantly move onto their side and this can take a little bit of practice to change.

You may feel that you cant get to sleep while lying with your back flat against the mattress or that it takes longer for you to get to sleep in this position, but it can be worth the perserverance and if you are determined enough and sleeping on your back does not introduce any new problems for you then the benefits that you will begin to experience can really make a difference, not only to the quality of your sleep but how you feel when you wake up the next morning and throughout the following day.

Ideally the position you are aiming for is your back flat on the mattress, your legs straight and your arms down at your sides, or if you prefer, maybe your arms resting on your stomach or something like that, you want to have your shoulders relaxed and your pillows not too high, because if the pillows are too high they can force your chin downwards which puts stress on the muscles in your neck, especially at the back, as well as the back of your head and it prevents you from being able to relax the muscles properly.

If you feel that your neck is not supported enough them you can consider providing extra support in that area by rolling a face cloth and placing it so that it will support the back of your neck or anything similar that will support this area, though it should not be pressing into the back of your neck, it’s only there to stop your chin from pushing down and putting strain on those muscles at the back of your head and neck.

While trying to sleep in this position, you may find that you have naturally rolled into your side again throughout the night, tucked yourself up, got your one arm wrapped inwards underneath your neck maybe and totally not in the position that you went to sleep in.

This is natural though and will take some time, patience and practice, especially if you have been sleeping in a less than ideal position your whole life, in most people there is a noticeable descrease in the amount of tension and pains experienced and most people will get much relief from this when they get used to sleeping on their back.

You may find that after trying it for a while that you are just not able to sleep in this position and if you begin to lose sleep then i would definately not recommend forcing yourself to sleep on your back, but if it does work for you and you dont mind sticking with it until it becomes natural for you then theres a great chance that you will see much improvement in how you feel when you wake up each day and how you feel overall.

Good luck with it. 

Effort has been made over the years to design containers to be especially suitable for people with disabilities, not only to make situations more manageable but also for safety, the last thing that you need is a hot drink spilled down you.

Some of the drinks products and containers that you can find to aid you include cups with grooves around them to give you areas to place your fingers and helping you to get a better grip around the container.

There are also angled cups, basically these still have a flat base so that they can be placed on a surface like any other type of cup but with the difference that the containing area is angled so it requires much less tilting of your head to actually drink from the cup, especially as you’re nearing the end of the drink.

Two handled cups and mugs are common and very useful too, being able to take hold of a cup more firmly with both hands gives you piece of mind and can feel better in general, even for a person without mobility needs.

Some of the cups and mugs that you can buy have container lids and spouts if needed.

The cups dont all need to be plastic containers either, you can find two handled china cups if you prefer to use this type.

All of these various mobility drinks containers are aimed at making it easier and safer for you and greatly reducing effort in your situation so that you can enjoy your favourite drinks throughout the day, hot or cold and not have to contend with the challenges that can occur from trying to use standard cups and mugs that dont always lend themselves very well to people with mobility needs.

Certain disabilities may make it more difficult for you to be in a comfortable position, so adjustable aids can often be the preference as you need to be able to get something positioned at an angle and height that is just right for you.

As an aid, often people will be looking for a leg rest with less soft cushioning, still padded but the ability to adjust the height is important, and because a user may not always require the same height, that also gives the person the need to adjust the leg rest as required.

On castor wheels they are easy to move around into position when you need to use the leg rest, if you find that one day is completely different from the next for you, with regards to the type of elevation that you need then you have the easy option of adjusting the height, rather than being stuck with the same height and not getting the desired relief for your legs and feet.

It also means that it wont matter what type of chair that you are seated in because the adjustable leg rest can be suited to any position and height that you are in at the time.

Being adjustable contributes to being comfortable.

A lifting cushion provides support for the person as they lift from the seat, the cushion has hydraulics that enables it to support around 80% of the users weight so as they begin to get up, their backside is still supported and makes it much easier, safer and overall more reassuring.

The lifting cushion is not permanently fitted so it means that it can be taken anywhere and placed on most types of seats.

Lifting cushions start at around £120, they have washable covers and are comfortable for the user, usually with memory foam.

They can be adjusted to suit the users bodyweight so that as the person begins to move upwards the lifting cushion supports accordingly.