The word "activities of daily living" (ADLs or ADL) is a healthcare term that refers to people's daily self-care activities Physiotherapists and other health professionals often use a person's ability or inability to perform ADLs as a measurement of their functional status, particularly in regard to people post-injury, with disabilities and the elderly. Dementia is a common reason for requiring the assistance of a family caregiver.

#1. What are the basic ADL or living aid equipment devices and categories?

The basic self-care tasks who require aids to daily living include-

1. Walking (ambulating) ability to get around the home or outside.

2. Feeding, ability to get food from a plate into one’s mouth.

3. Dressing and grooming, ability to select clothes, putting them on, and adequately managing one’s personal appearance.

4. Toileting, ability to get to and from the toilet, using it appropriately, and cleaning oneself.

5. Bathing, ability to wash one’s face and body in the bath or shower.

6. Transferring, ability to move from one body position to another. This includes being able to move from a bed to a chair, or into a wheelchair. This can also include the ability to stand up from a bed or chair in order to grasp a walker or other assistive device.

#2. What are the types of Daily Living aids?

The types of ADL aids include - oral care, home accessories, low vision aids, dressing aids, pill organisers, reachers, utensils and cutlery, writing aids and bathing aids. Sehaaonline provides an extensive range of quality mobility and daily living aids in Dubai. Our daily living aids for elderly and disabled can help people to manage their lives in a better way.

#3. What are oral care products?

The oral care products are essential components to help people take care of their teeth and oral hygiene. They help to reduce the chance of tooth decay. It also reduces the likelihood of cavities and resulting fillings. Medical conditions like tooth decay, canker sores, dry mouth, gum disease and oral cancer can be prevented with the help of proper oral care equipment. The products include toothpaste, mouth wash, floss, fluoride products, tooth whiteners, toothbrush, dental picks, oral irrigators, and tongue scrapers.

#4. How do the oral care equipment work?

Toothbrush can be used with toothpastes which are designed for different needs. Some are for gum health, sensitive teeth and for smokers. The ones with anti-bacterial agents, and others help to restore the natural whiteness of the teeth. Dental floss is of different types which include mint-flavoured, coated and ones containing fluoride. You can get floss 'harps' as they have the floss attached to a handle which may make the floss easier to use. Dental picks and sticks make sure you gently get between the teeth and under the gum line. Teeth whiteners use peroxide solutions to bleach the teeth. Over-the-counter products such as whitening strips can be used. Mouthwash helps to reduce plaque and fight gingivitis as they contain fluoride to help fight cavities.

#5. What are home accessories and their benefits?

The home accessories and equipment help in monitoring chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, etc. These include home equipment like walking sticks, carry bags, wheelchairs, ramps, cup holders, shoulder pulleys, tweezers, nail clippers, blood pressure machines and alarms. These daily living product equipment are helpful in emergencies, to monitor diabetes, cancer, asthma, and encourage patients for a healthy lifestyle. The living aid equipment also provides confidence and safety to an individual and eliminates the need for expensive medical procedures.

#6. What are Low vision aids?

The low vision aids help visually impaired observers or readers in order to make their vision more effective. These are categorised in low vision magnifier, low vision aids for reading, stand magnifier low vision, low vision reading devices and other low vision equipment. People with glaucoma, eye cancer, albinism, brain injury, and disorders like retinitis pigmentosa can benefit from the low vision daily living equipment.

#7. What are dressing aids?

When it comes to putting on clothing, stockings, and shoes, dressing aids can help individuals with restricted flexibility or mobility. The Zip pull is designed to make grasping the zip a lot easier. When a zing ring is difficult to reach, it can be replaced with a Velcro fastening. Shoe Horns are long-headed that assist you put your shoes on without leaning over. Sock aid makes it easier to put socks on and reduces the amount of bending required. The aids are generally made of flexible plastic that are bent into a gutter shape. Button hook can be used to do up buttons by pushing the hook through the buttonhole, looping over the button and pulling it back through the hole.

#8. Who can use the dressing aids?

People with medical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, dyspraxia, sciatica, osteoporosis, cerebral palsy, and osteoarthritis can use the daily living dressing products. These also help to recover from surgeries, back pains and leg injuries. Usually people with compromised mobility and age related factors use the dressing aids for the elderly.

#9. What are pill organisers?

To follow a medication or a medicine regime it is important to keep the daily reminder pills in the 7 days pill organiser. These organisers can perform other functions like crushing or splitting tablets to help you take your dose as prescribed. They also protect your medicines or pills from UV rays and moisture that can alter the chemical composition of the tablet and their benefits. There are 5 types of pill organizers available at Sehaaonline- Tablet organiser, Pill Crusher, Pill Puncher, Pill Reminder, and Pill Splitter.

#10. What are reaching tools?

Bending, climbing, kneeling, and crawling are all impossible for some people due to disability or old age. It's also difficult to move things and kneel while trying to pick or reach something. A hand grabber tool saves the day in this situation. Bone discomfort, joint pain, and pregnancy are some of the other health issues that may necessitate the use of the pick-up and reaching equipment. After all, reaching anything via bending, crawling, climbing, or kneeling may cause more harm than benefit and that is when one requires reachers for daily living.

#11. Why do people require cutlery and utensils medical equipment?

Shaky hands can make it difficult to eat in some circumstances, such as arthritis and Parkinson's disease. People with poor fine motor skills may find it difficult to feed themselves. In other cases, the cause is a disability, particularly during the time when muscles and limbs are weak. Last but not least, old age brings with it issues related to weakness. As a result, it's possible to become so weak that hand-to-mouth feeding becomes a challenge. These special utensils for elderly, disabled, and arthritis work in various ways. The weighted utensils will stabilize shaky hands because the tremors can make it hard to eat. If the health condition affects hand-to-mouth feeding and fine motor skills, curved utensils make it easy to easy despite such limitations. Grip aids, on the other hand, will assist you in grasping the utensils.

#12. Why do people require writing aids?

Writing aids like typing, magnifiers, pencil aids, arthritis pen, and handwriting aids are mainly used by people with dysgraphia. When it comes to children, the cause is yet unknown. Adults, on the other hand, may experience this as a result of damage to the parietal lobe of the brain. Specific writing disorder, writing disability, and writing disorder are some of the other terms used to describe writing challenges. Other medical disorders, such as autism and arthritis, also make it difficult to write. This is because of things like weak limbs and hand tremors.

#13. What are bathing aids?

Bathing aids for disabled and seniors include commode chairs, shower chairs, and shower commode chairs. These mobility daily living aids help elderly, disabled, patients with high and thigh problems, or patients who find it difficult to sit properly due to any reason. They help people to shower properly without fearing any slip or fall.

#14. Can the ADL equipment help without assistance?

With the help of proper learning and assistance, disabled and elderly people can learn how to use medical equipment for daily living. Function according to the functional manual and hence it is important to take guidance before the usages.