I think I lost the floor in about 2003. I remember the moment. I had dropped a sock to the floor and was reaching down to pick it up. Suddenly it seemed as if the sock were miles and miles away, just out of my grasp. My fingertips struggled to make contact. I knew at that moment that anything that hit the floor was now out of my world entirely.
Luckily I'm not that much of a dropsy kind of person so Joe didn't really notice for about a year that I was having him pick up things for me. "Hey, when was the last time you picked something off the floor?" "Um, maybe 16 or 17 months ago." "Oh." That ended the discussion of that.
But today we went shopping for something I need for the bathroom in the new apartment, a tub grip. It's something we realized we would need after only a couple of days in the new place. We knew they had them stocked at the Home Health Care store here in Barrie (where I'm back teaching for two days) and we headed straight there after work. While there I noticed the floor. I looked up and saw these brightly coloured 'reaches' and made my way over to them.
They had a lavender one as a sample and I found that I could pick up a set of keys from the floor. I spent a bit of time picking up a variety of things in the store and then said, "This is cool."
Joe said simply and quietly, "Very cool."
They had two colours, a drab green and a vibrant yellow. I picked as you can see the vibrant yellow one. Once I got it here to the hotel, I pulled it out and picked up pills from across the way, I kept throwing things onto the floor and retreiving them, I got yelled at when I picked up the hem of Joe's bathrobe and peeked. This thing is awesome. It's kind of like a light saber for crippled guys.
This is the kind of thing that I think the poor non-disabled need to discover. You can use it for so many things, drop something behing the fridge or beside the stove - well this is the ticket.
I am now waiting for the day that a light goes out.
Because it only takes one disabled guy to change a lightbulb.
No joke.
Okay...just had to laugh at you peeking under Joe's robe. After all this time don't you...um....KNOW what's there! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have my mum's old reaching tool ... I mostly use it for retrieving socks and whatnot that fall between the washer and the wall. But my daughter has used it when she was laid up with owies. Yours looks like a much better model!
ReplyDeleteandrea
Very cool! May the force(ps) be with you, lol.
ReplyDeleteI NEED this!
ReplyDeleteI haven't reached the floor in years.
Ha ha ha!! I could totally use one of those for Piper clean-up. Or, on Christmas Day, I could literally lie around and still get the crumpled wrap picked up!
ReplyDeletePS: I'm liking the picture thing you're doing.
Hey Dave, required piece of equipment when one has their knees replaced. A little hint I learned from my new "senior" friends...by putting a magnet (or duct tape works too!) on the end it is really easy to pick up money...yours and others. So when you're at the mall..... Chris
ReplyDeleteWe use one to pick up and dispose of the gifts of small dead rodents the cats leave at our door.
ReplyDeleteThat does look better than mine, like it would pick up more. Brand?
ReplyDeleteYou are so )(*&(@# funny! I was totally seeing you throwing everything down on the floor. And Joe's robe, hilarious! You sound like me, and Joe sounds like well...my Joe. LOL
ReplyDeleteLots of great things out there to make life easier. Have you discovered the "sock-putter-on'er" yet? A great lil' piece of equipment that enables you to put your own socks on. I had it given to me along with the "grabber" after a hip replacement surgery. It was pretty cool to be able to get myself fully dressed while recovering. You could call any health care store I'm sure or any OT would be able to get one for you.
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