I’m looking for recommendations re what to buy to replace other tools, etc. for my dotage. What I’ve done is below.
If you have grip issues, replacing old shitty can openers with either very good nice ergonomic hand can openers or an electric can opener can be really, really helpful.
Mugs. Consider lighter ones than heavy ceramic. Ones with ergonomically shaped handles. You do not want to be spilling hot liquids on yourself as you get older.
Glasses with solid bottoms, that don’t topple over with misjudged poor eyesight. Maybe in acrylic instead of glass. I’m retiring flimsy stemware.
Larger ergonomically handled cutlery.
Consider small appliances that can replace stovetop and oven. People forget to turn those off after taking food out of the oven or off the burner. We see this as a real hazard for our cousin, whose wife is getting dementia and is determined to cook.
Tripping hazards. Remove area mats or rugs. No one wants a concussion while cooking.
I recommend you see if you can access or google an occupational therapist or their walk through of a typical home, where they point out all the hazards for seniors. We did this when I had really bad bursitis in my hip. Plus arthritis in my knees. They did a home visit, talked to us and generated a final report, complete with prescriptions for grab bars, etc. All of that was free in Canada. My guess is you have to pay for it in the US?
We don’t use glasses, except for wine; which we rarely drink. We’ve used mugs for decades; I got tired of replacing glasses. But your point is well taken! Also hadn’t considered how heavy they are/aren’t as a consideration. We used pub glasses (dimple mugs) for a long time until I got tired of how big they were…
We have a friend/former neighbor who’s a physical therapist. I could probably pay her a set amount to go through the house. We installed grab bars when DH broke his leg and all of those are still in place…
The heaviness of an object is really dependent on whether a person develops arthritis in their fingers and how bad it is.