Archive for October, 2011

Tools For Coping with Arthritis of the Fingers

One of the great challenges of living with arthritis in fingers and hands is the difficulty carrying out seemingly simple everyday tasks. Lack of mobility in the fingers and hands can turn the most mundane action into a major chore for people that suffer from arthritis of the fingers and hands. Obviously opening a jar can be a Herculean task. But even things like simple turning motions can cause problems.
Luckily, inventors and technology seem to be working around the clock to develop and improve products to make life easier and increase accessibility within our home and in public places. Here are a few devices that are readily available which could help improve how you cope with arthritis of the fingers.

Helpful Gadgets for Living with Arthritis

Dragon Naturally Speaking reduces the need to type.

Speech Recognition Software – You may have seen demonstrations in the past of speech recognition software. I remember the first time I saw it demonstrated it was clumsy and seemed to make a lot of mistakes. But as computers and software have improved, speech recognition software has made tremendous improvements in usability and accuracy. Products like Dragon Naturally Speaking are easy to use and can be utilized in a number of applications on your home PC. You simply speak into the microphone and the text appears. The software requires initial calibration and a minimal amount of “training” to learn your accent. But once that is done, you are off to the races. You can “type” by speaking and with a bit of training, it can even carry out commands such as opening a new internet browser window. I have a thick Texas accent, but after I set up the program, I’ve found that it handles it very well. There a few words it has trouble with from time to time. But overall, it really saves me a lot of finger pain. In fact I wrote parts of this article using Dragon Naturally Speaking.

Open Jars with an Automatic Jar Opener

Automatic Can and Jar Openers – I don’t know many people that don’t have an automatic can opener any more. In fact, I bet a lot of younger people wouldn’t even know how to use a manual can opener. But I’m constantly surprised how few people have bought automatic jar openers. Both automatic devices help to decrease the strain that you exert on your collateral ligaments that support the finger an thumb joints. Arthritic fingers and decreased overall strength make it very difficult to open a jar with your bare hands.
Book Holders – Arthritis in the fingers can make it very difficult to hold books for extended periods of time. Reading is a joy that could be robbed from you just by something as simple as not being able to grasp your book for any length of time. Book Holders can allow you to read longer and without the pain associated with holding the book.

Electronic Readers – It was initially difficult for me to come over to the idea of giving up my paper books and magazines for a cold impersonal electronic reader. But once I saw a friend’s and saw how I could zoom any page (which helps these old eyes!) I was hooked. They are also easy to place on a book holder. Initially, they were pretty pricey. You can spend a lot on an iPad or take advantage of some of the lower priced offerings from Amazon like the Kindle Fire.

The Full Color Amazon Kindle Fire

Automatic Faucets and Toilets – I generally see these devices in public buildings and businesses. But there is no reason why they can’t be installed in the home. Originally developed to improve sanitation, reduce waste and cut down on the possible spread of disease, hands-free faucets and hands-free toilets increase the accessibility of a home. Decreased range of motion in your hands due to arthritis can make twisting and pushing motions difficult and painful. Hands-free toilets and Hands-free Faucets eliminate the pushing and twisting motions and make personal hygiene easier for arthritis sufferers.

Let the Sensor Turn on the Faucet

Touch Free Trash Cans – Did you know that they make touch free trashcans? All you have to do is move your hand within range and the trash can lid opens and you can drop your trash in.

"No Touch" Ease of Use

Robot Vacuum Cleaners – A robot vacuum cleaner may seem like something out of the Jetsons. But devices like the Roomba (which I LOVE!) are a great way to tidy up without the hand strain associated with running a vacuum cleaner or sweeping with a broom. Our Roomba roams around the house and cleans both hardwood and carpet floors. We still have a broom and traditional vacuum, but I find that we use them much less since we’ve had the robot vacuum cleaner in our lives.

The Roomba works on both carpet and smooth floors

These are just a few devices that can make living with arthritis of the fingers or arthritis of the hands easier. They range from the simple (the book holder) to the complex (robot vacuum cleaner) but they all help us maintain a quality of life. Hands Free Devices are a great tool in our arsenal for overcoming arthritis.