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Liv'n Large, Liv'n Easy, Big Time Leslie Frigon, Dynamic Living,
special to AgeVenture News Service 06-19-03

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If your weight is twenty percent higher than normal for your gender, age, and height ... you fall in the category known as "clinically obese". People who are big struggle to maintain their independence. The ability to handle the everyday tasks that most people take for granted often seem impossible for big people. Well, don't sweat the small stuff. Help is on the way. There are now a variety of products designed to assist those who experience difficulties executing the activities of daily living.

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Getting through life's daily chores can be like a math puzzle. Short or tall, performing some daily tasks can be problematic. Add in disease, age or the resulting impairment of an accident and the difficulty increases. When extra weight is added into the equation, the challenge multiplies. "There are many daily living aids that are indispensable to people who are big," says Andrea Tannenbaum, President of Dynamic-Living.com, an on-line Internet store with hundreds of products that promote a convenient, comfortable and safe home environment.

Do you have trouble reaching the back of your head or the bottom of your foot? "There are long handled combs and brushes, back scrubbers and lotion applicators to help reach those difficult areas," notes Ms. Tannenbaum. The sponge on a stick, the hand held shower and the Bottom Buddy provide additional options for maintaining hygiene in places that are hard to reach.

If bending over or crouching is tricky for you, dropping something on the floor becomes an obstacle to deal with. Reachers with rubber-tipped grips will let you pick up something as small as a dime without having to bend over. "Voice activation may be able to save you the trouble of reaching at all"," suggests Ms. Tannenbaum. "Voice activated switches let you turn lights or small appliances on or off by giving the appropriate verbal command."

Sometimes weight capacity is an issue for a product that is weight bearing. The staff at Dynamic Living has identified products that are specifically designed for people who are 300 pounds or more.

Products that will assist with standing and sitting include:

• Superpole Heavy Duty (capacity of 450 pounds)
  a simple yet elegant floor to ceiling pole that provides sturdy and safe assistance for standing, as well as getting out of bed, out of a chair - anywhere you need it!
• Uplift Seat Assist (capacity of 350 pounds)
  a self-powered lifting cushion that provides that extra lift needed to help you get in and out of any armchair on your own.
• Pride Lift Chair (capacity of 450 pounds)
  Each recliner is built on a sturdy frame with a powerful (but quiet) motor. With a single push button control, you can command the chair to recline, sit up, raise or lower you.

"Most commonly available scales have a weight capacity of 250 pounds," observes Ms. Tannenbaum. These scales can handle much more:

• Eye-Level Digital Physcian's Scale (capacity of 400 pounds)
  the same kind of accuracy available in a doctor's office.
• Waist High Bariatric Scale (capacity of 600 pounds)
  brings the results to a level that is easier to read than at your feet.
• Wheelchair Scale (capacity of 800 pounds)
  has a platform that you can roll the wheelchair onto.
• Bariatric Scale with Flip-Up Seat (capacity of 800 pounds)
  lets you sit while being weighed. These products will help you move from here to there:
• Oversized Rollator (capacity of 400 pounds)
  has a seat and width that is generously sized.
• Beasy Transfer Boards (capacity of 400 pounds)
  provide assistance when moving from a seat to a wheelchair or vice versa.
  
  Make bathing safer with seats in the tub or shower:
• Bathtub Transfer Seat or Fold Down Shower Seat (capacity of 420 pounds)
  secured to the wall, these fold down seats provide ample room for hand placement and positioning for safe transferring to and from a wheelchair.
• Bath Chair with Sliding Seat (capacity of 450 pounds)
  the chair spans across the rim of the tub or shower (half is inside, half is outside). The bather sits on the chair on the outside of the tub and then slides the seat into the tub.

"People who are generously sized can have more independence and perform routine daily tasks with ease when they have the right tools and aids to work with," says Ms. Tannenbaum. Look for versions of the products that are specifically designed to handle a higher weight capacity. While these items may be a little more difficult to find, the assistance they can provide will make it worth the effort.

Dynamic-Living.com is an on-line store with hundreds of products that promote a convenient, comfortable and safe home environment. These products support a variety of needs, including decreased mobility, vision, hearing and memory, prolonging a person's ability to live at home independently. The staff at Dynamic-Living.com also locates products in response to specific individual needs. The store can be accessed at www.dynamic-living.com
Image credit: Dynamic Living

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