13 Problems My Dad Had and His Solutions

My dad had diabetes and as he grew older, experienced many problems.  He never complained or stewed about things, but always came up with a way to make things easier on himself.  Below is a list of some of the problems my dad had and how he solved them.

Problem: His eyeglasses fell off when he bent over.
Solution: Wear an elastic band that holds them on.

Problem: Arthritis in fingers so he had a hard time pulling up zippers.
Solution: Attached a paper clip to the zipper to make it easier to hold.

Problem: He kept dropping things because lacked feeling in his finger tips and was hard to bend over due to stiffness.
Solution: He got a grabber gadget and hung it on his walker so he always had it with him if he needed it.

Problem: Hard to climb stairs with groceries after shopping.
Solution: Built a ramp on the back of the house and used a cart.

Problem: Legs weak so hard to get up off the toilet.
Solution: My mom had this same problem so he built a wooden contraption that fit around the toilet that had arms so he could push himself up.

Problem: He'd forget to pay bills sometimes.
Solution: He got a box with slats in it for 31 numbered spaces and put the bills in the numbered slat of the date he wanted to pay it.  (The hitch was that he still had to remember to look at it and to actually put the bills in it.)

Problem: It was difficult getting off the bed.
Solution: He removed the bed and replaced it with a recliner to sleep in!

Problem: Had a whole lot of tools that he wanted easy to grab.
Solution: He attached magnetic strips to the wall and many of his metal tools hung on those.  (Guys coming in the basement were very impressed with his wall of tools.)

Problem: It was too time-consuming to get dressed in morning and undressed at night.
Solution: He slept in his clothes.

Problem: He couldn't always remember if he took his pills or not (had so many).
Solution: He laid the pills out for the week in the little pill holders. Had 4, one for breakfast pills, lunch pills, dinner pills, and bedtime pills.

Problem: Hard to hear on the telephone.
Solution: Purchased a Miracle Phone--worked somewhat.

Problem: His hearing got so bad that his hearing aid didn't help; said it picked up Morse code.
Solution: He quit using them and had people write their message big so he could read it.

Problem: It was hard to tie shoes.
Solution: He got shoes that used velcro instead of laces.