5 Products My Dad Used In His Old Age (Writer's Workshop)

Five products my dad used were a weekly pill box, a magnifying glass, a grabber gadget, a very cool walker and a wheelchair that his favorite cat, Blackie, liked riding on.

Weekly Pill Box --This kept him organized enough to take his pills. He had quite a few to keep track of and with his memory going, sometimes he couldn't remember if he took his pill or not. Don't laugh, I've had this on occasion too. He would put them all in the three weekly pill boxes he used--morning, noon, evening. It was a good system that worked for him.

Magnifying Glass--Since Harry didn't go to the Optometrist regularly, he couldn't see very well so he used a magnifying glass all the time. I must admit, however, that his instructions that came with his diabetes gadget and his watch and clocks had such tiny print that even I couldn't read them without a magnifying Glass. When I was showing him how to use the computer, he needed a magnifying Glass to read everything unless it was 14pt or bigger! He even had a special one for reading books or the paper. It was flat on one side and curved on the other and about 8 inches long so he could just slide it right down the page. Why spend money on eyeglasses when he could see just fine with his magnifying glasses.

The Grabber--Because of his arthritis and lack of feeling in his finger tips, Harry loved this gadget because he could pick up the things he dropped easily without bending over. He kept it right with his walker at all times. My dad had ten of these when he died so I just kept the one and donated the rest to a nursing home.

Walker with a basket on the front--My dad had a great walker that folded up for easy storage. It had wheels on just the front legs so he could roll it along easily but the back legs did not have wheels which provided stability. The best thing about it was a basket like some bikes used to have so he could carry things in it easily.

Wheelchair--When dad's legs got very weak, he would use his wheelchair around the house. I felt bad for him because it seemed everything he did took so long. I'd offer to help him get his breakfast in the morning, but he insisted on doing it himself. He used both the walker with his wheelchair at the same time and would put stuff in the basket to get it from the kitchen to the dining room and back. He actually got quite good at this!

Take a look at this video I made demonstrating how my dad used the grabber with the wheelchair and walker together:


My dad was old when he used these things, but they all made his life easier. He was also very independent thanks to these things and wanted to stay that way. Fortunately, it was not too often that he had to use the wheelchair, but he got accustomed to it and probably used it a bit more than actually necessary. Most days he still was able to climb the stairs to feed and care for his upstairs kitties. They were very good company for him and kept him motivated.


This is in response to Mama Kat's Workshop prompt: What does that tell you about your father? List five products your father used (or uses). Write a longer piece about, at least, one of them.

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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