I am becoming more and more cynical and curmudgeonly as I age. Primarily it has to do with "the public out there." Rude drivers, obnoxious people, outrageous prices on products, lack of respect . . . the list goes on. We're breeding a society of "gimmee" people. Gimmee this. Gimmee that.
Last week I went to the pharmacy, looking for a device that helps old people pull on their socks. I don't consider myself old, but I do have a bad hip, and while I can cross my left leg over my right knee to put on a sock, I can't do that with my right leg. It's been that way all my life, but as I've aged, it's gotten so bad that it's very painful trying to put a sock on my right foot.
So I paid $18 for a cheap sock aid that is next to worthless. I went back and looked at their other sock aids. They had one other brand, at an utterly ridiculous $32. We're not talking rocket science, folks. A sock aid is basically just a tube with straps attached. The top of the tube is open. You slide your sock onto the tube, stick your foot into the opening, and pull up on the straps. It pulls the sock onto your foot and slides free from the sock.
No way was I going to pay $32 for a piece of plastic with straps. So I made my own. I took an old plastic 2-cup measuring cup and cut off the bottom, sliced off the handle and upper part of the tube, made a slit on either side for the straps, and voila! It cost me nothing--I had all the materials. And because it's rigid plastic, I can wipe off the hand lotion that I often use on my dry feet. That's my homemade sock aid, below.
The sock aid I'd bought isn't rigid plastic, so putting a sock on it is an exercise in frustration. And because it's lined with cloth (whose bright idea was that?), lotion gets all over the lining. So now I have a perfectly decent sock aid, and retailers who charge a fortune for an item that probably cost 5 cents to make, can go suck someone's toe!
6 comments:
Now get out there and sell it for 29.99, but wait, there's more!
We'll double your offer and throw in a free pair of socks, and if you order now we'll send someone round to pull your socks up for you at no extra charge!
Batteries sold separately.
ROFLOL! You have the spirit of an entrepreneur. Or perhaps a hustler.
But wait, there's more (version #2): Order within the next 30 minutes and we'll throw in a grandmother to darn your socks and nag when you leave them on the floor.
You shouldn't consider yourself old because it depends on the life perception you have, for example I'm a 60 years old man and I consider my soul so young.
Fabulous I was going to purchase one of those devices for my dad but now I've seen this post im off to make one. He will be even more pleased to know I spent no money making it! (He's a 76yr old Shetland Islander!)
There are many types of sock aides and some have a specific purpose (such the version with the lining). A consult with an occupational therapist would help you choose assistive devices that specifically meet your need and save a lot of time and money.
I just made one using the bottom of an old detergent bottle (plastic) and an old extension cord..........lol
Thanks for the idea, I needed something to help my mom out and was not about to pay for it
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