Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to the
Senior Safety Advice Podcast. I'm so glad you're
here with me today. Today's topic is going to
be about simplifying storage for seniors with
arthritis. Now, this question comes up a lot.
I actually get more emails about this than I
really thought I would. Now, arthritis, of course,
you know, if you have it, it doesn't just affect
how you move. definitely can affect how you lift.
It affects how you reach, how you grip, how long
you can stand, fiddling with something before
your hands or your hips or your ankles even say,
nope, that's it, we're done. So here's the thing
that surprises I think a lot of people. Most
of the pain doesn't actually come from big tasks.
Now, This is true, I think, for people who don't
have arthritis or maybe have a slight little
bit of arthritis. But for anyone who is suffering
with arthritis, you know that most of the pain
doesn't come from big tasks. It comes from those
little everyday things that you do. Everything
from opening the floors or reaching into shelves,
digging through cabinets, twisting lids, if you
can even get that thing open. bending and stretching
just to get what you need, just to do what it
is that you want to do. And that's when frustration
normally sneaks in. Or it's worse when someone
starts avoiding things that they enjoy because
of anticipating the pain that it's going to produce.
So today I want to walk you through how storage
can make your life a little easier if you're
suffering with the pain of arthritis. It's not
fancy. It's not expensive. It's just something,
some tips that can be kinder to your hands that
are, because most seniors with arthritis have
it in their hands. Of course, it's also, it can
also be in your hips and your knees and your
ankles, pretty much any joint. My mom -in -law
suffered with arthritis in her neck. She had
a very difficult time with that and it was quite
painful. So what I've noticed over the years
is this, when storage works better in your home,
life is easier and it's actually calmer. People
move more confidently, at least I do, I move
more confidently because I know where everything
is because it's put away in a particular spot
and there's a spot for it. And that really is
part of the game of storage. And pain, doesn't
run the show quite as much. I tend to have arthritis
in my hips. So I have to be careful of how I
move and where I put things in order to obtain
them quickly and easily. All right, so I've seen
this over and over again, even with family, not
only myself, but with family and friends. And
sometimes one small change can make a huge difference
in someone's home and in their life. So here's
where this really matters. I want you to think
about the fact that arthritis isn't just about
pain. It's about your energy. Every extra reach
you have to do, every awkward twist or every
heavy draw you have to pull out, it all adds
up. So the goal with storage isn't like anything
else. It isn't perfection. It's reducing the
amount of effort that you're putting out to do
what you need to do. So letting the home work
with you instead of against you. And honestly,
I like the idea of the home working for you.
So let's look into some of the things that I
can think about that can help you with this situation.
I myself, as an occupational therapist and as,
you know, I have many friends and relatives,
I've walked into so many homes where everything
is technically organized, but none of it is actually
usable. Shelves are too high for the person living
there. Drawers are too deep or they're very difficult
to open. Handles on the drawers or closets or
cabinets are tiny and difficult to hold onto.
and nothing slides easily. Or worse, there are
no sliding shelves in any of the cabinets. So
that's usually when I see people or when I hear
people start saying things like, ah, forget it,
I'm just going to leave it there. Or yeah, well,
I don't use that anymore. Or no, it's not worth
the trouble. Let's go out to eat. And that's
the part that really breaks my heart. So let's
talk about what actually helps. One of the biggest
changes is bringing things down to where your
hands naturally fall. If you have to reach above
your shoulder level or bend past your knees,
that's a problem. If you have items above your
shoulder level or below your knee level that
you use often, You want to take those items out
and move them to a more convenient location where
you can reach them. Your best storage zone is
between your waist and your chest. Anything that
you can put in that area without causing clutter.
In other words, I'm not saying to take everything
that you use or things that you use often and
lay them all on a countertop or a desktop. No,
you don't want to create that clutter. If you
have to build shelving above the countertop,
just above it, then do that. I even had one client,
I remember a while ago, where she had the back
wall of her kitchen countertop removed and she
had shelving put inside the wall. And that's
where she put things. It was much easier to get
access to things. So yes, that required some
remodeling. but it certainly was not an entire
kitchen remodel. It was much simpler than that.
So everyday items should live in this location.
Your strength is in your storage zone between
your waist and your chest. Honestly, that's where
your joints are usually the happiest. And I'm
not talking about special holiday items or things
you use once or twice a year. Talking about the
things that you use every single day, that bowl
that you scramble your eggs in, the frying pan
that you use to cook your pork chops or whatever,
anything that you use on a regular basis. I've
noticed that when people move just a few items
lower or higher, their whole routine gets easier
and their demeanor is easier. They're not as
angry at their house because it's working with
them. and for them. Another thing that I see
a lot is very deep cabinets and drawers. Now,
honestly, they look great. They really do, and
they can store a lot. But they can be a nightmare
for someone suffering from arthritis, having
to dig through things and lifting from a low
area, reaching to the very back of something,
like a pantry shelf or a cabinet. That's exhausting,
honestly, and can be quite painful depending
on where your arthritis is. So this is where
shallow drawers and pull -out shelves really
shine. Now, doesn't necessarily have to be a
shallow drawer. It could just be that you divide
the drawer so that the items that you use most
often are in the front and the items you don't
use most often are in the back. So when you open
up that drawer, You can just easily access what
you normally use. You don't have to remodel.
There are very simple slide -out trays everywhere
now, Walmart, container stores, Amazon, that
you can purchase and you can put into your cabinets.
The only thing I can say is make sure that you
measure, double measure, triple measure, and
then make sure that with the measurements you're
getting from the item will fit. Wire baskets
can also be used, although I'm not a fan of wire
baskets because it's too easy for things to slip
out and slip through. I kind of like things that
are solid. If you do have to get something with
a wire basket, maybe you can line it with something
that will keep things from falling out. Now,
the reason that I love sliding shelves is because
when things come to you, You don't have to fight
to access them. And honestly, really, come on,
that's the goal, isn't it? To make our lives
as easy and safe as possible. All right, now
let's talk about handles. And this one can actually
be huge, much more than you would think. There's
some beautiful, beautiful knobs that I've seen
for kitchen cabinets and drawers. in even doorknobs.
I mean, there are some gorgeous ones out there.
But if they're uncomfortable or difficult to
manage with arthritis in your hands, then it
doesn't do anything. It serves no purpose. Tiny
knobs are the worst on arthritic hands. They're
brutal. They require you to pinch and twist.
And that's exactly what usually hurts the most
if you have arthritis in your hands. but what
I've seen work the best are larger curve handles
or loop -style pulls. I just had my kitchen remodeled
and that's what I used, loop -style pulls. It's
basically like a U shape or a very soft U shape
and they're very easy to put your hands through
and just pull the cabinet or the drawer. Sometimes
you can even wrap your whole hand around it or
even use your forearm. If it's a hook, You can
use your forearm if you need to. Depending on
what level of rheumatoid arthritis you have,
you may not be able to use your hand at all.
You may have to use your elbow or forearm to
pull that. So in that case, you would want something
you can hook onto. The other handles are the
doorknobs. If you have round doorknobs, those
can be very difficult. Now there are covers that
you could put on doorknobs. that make them round
doorknobs that make them easier to turn. But
if you want something a little more aesthetic,
I would recommend to get the lever style doorknobs.
Those are much easier to use. And again, you
can use your elbow to push down to open up a
door. You don't always need to use your hand.
That one change, changing the knobs are in your
home. It can just be a little bit at a time,
doesn't have to be every single door or cabinet
all at once. But if you can do that and finally
get them all done, you will find that your home
will be working with you and not against you.
Another thing that many people and families especially
don't always realize is that storage height matters
differently when pain flares up. On a good day,
you might be able to manage reaching up or reaching
down. On a bad day, even the sinful tasks feel
almost impossible, if not totally impossible.
That's why I always suggest planning storage
on your worst days, not your best ones. So if
you're having a really bad day, that's when you
know how far you can reach up, how far you can
reach down what's comfortable. And make a note
of that. That way you know where you really need
to move things to. Lowering shelves, reducing
how much you store and spacing things out more.
All of that helps to conserve your energy. And
here's something that you probably will be familiar
with and you've probably seen it and probably
have heard it a hundred times, but I have seen
it in almost every home that I would go into
to do a home assessment. People keep way too
many things. There are too many duplicates, 32
measurement cups, too many just -in -case items.
Well, in case this breaks, you need this one.
I need a wooden one, a metal one, a brass one,
whatever. All that extra stuff, of course, is
going to make storage harder because it takes
up all that space. When drawers are packed tight,
when shelves are packed tight, It's very difficult
to work through all of that stuff. And of course,
it's very difficult to organize all that stuff.
So simplifying your storage always begins with
decluttering, with getting rid of as many things
as you possibly can. One thing you can do, a
little trick, is you can take out a lot of things.
Let's say you have five measuring cups. Take
out three. put them away, maybe in the garage,
in the back of your car, somewhere, put them
away. And after two, three months, if you find
that you did just fine with two measuring cups,
then you know that you can give the other three
away. This is like a little test, a little beta
experiment to see what you really need and don't
need. And be honest with yourself, don't you?
All right. So the fewer items that you store
away, the more space is between them. And that
alone can make it so much easier to grab things,
to find things. So I've watched people actually
sigh with relief when they just open the drawer
that finally glides easily, that they can access
something easily. It just makes the process of
whatever it is that they're doing, whether it's
cooking or a craft project or whatever, so much
easier. Now the next thing I want to talk about
are labels. And that might sound small, but I
think it matters. I have labels on a lot of my
jars for coffee and sugar and flour and that
kind of thing. But when your hands hurt, searching
can be exhausting. So having clear labels and
open bins and see -through containers, they can
save a lot of time and energy. You can see exactly
where things are. And what I like about the see
-through containers is you can see how much you
have left of whatever it is, you know, rice or
detergent or whatever, so that you know that
you have to put it on the shopping list again
and again. You don't have to open 10 things just
to find the one thing that you want. And I've
seen this help, not just seniors, not just older
adults, but caregivers too, you know, not only
families. But caregivers, if you have a caregiver,
somebody, a professional caregiver coming in
to help you, everyone wins when everything is
organized and stored away properly. So another
thing that makes a difference if you're suffering
with arthritis is using gravity instead of grip.
Instead of lifting things, try containers that
flip open. Instead of twisting caps, Try push
button or slide open designs. Instead of stacking
things, try side -by -side storage if you have
the space. Every little reduction in effort adds
up. And honestly, that's how people stay independent
longer. You're not giving in. You're adapting
your home to what you can easily do. It's a smart
thing and it allows you to stay at home longer
and more independent. So all of this brings me
to something very important. Simplifying storage
is not just about making things look, you know,
generic or what's the word, septic, you know,
it's not that. It's about dignity. It's about
comfort. It's about ease. I've worked with so
many people who said, I don't want my house to
look old. And I get that. Nobody wants that.
But the good news is that most of these changes
are very subtle. They blend right in. My home
is more of a modern country look. So having labels
on things is very much a modern country look.
You know, having glass jars on open shelves at
eye level with labels with You know, things like
flour and rice and sugar and coffee and whatever.
All of that blends in with my decor. And these
days you can find so many ways to blend in with
your decor that also are useful and practical.
The payoff is really, is really huge. I mean,
less pain, less frustration, more confidence.
I've seen people start cooking again and crafting
again and doing the things that they thought
were behind them because it was just too difficult
to do, too annoying to do. And all because they
stopped thinking about how can they make the
place work for them versus using the place as
they always have. So if you take one thing from
today, let it be this. Your home should support
you whatever it is that you are dealing with
be it arthritis any kind of arthritis or recovering
from hip surgery or a stroke Don't challenge
don't let the home challenge you turn the home
into your asset Not something that just because
you've done something the same way for the last
50 60 years doesn't mean you have to keep doing
that You just have to be a bit more flexible
to change so that you can continue to do it again.
You don't have to do everything at once. Start
with one drawer, one cabinet, one shelf. See
how it feels. Again, look at your environment
on your worst day and see what would make it
easier and jot it down. Make a note of it so
that you know how to rebuild that environment
for you. Comfort actually can build that momentum.
When you start with one thing, it's easy to go
to the next. And when life feels easier for you,
generally people tend to thrive. Well, that's
all I have for you today. I hope that it was
useful. I want to thank you again for being here
with me. If today's episode gave you some useful
insights or new ideas, then share it with someone
who might find it helpful as well. You can discover
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