A key component of caregiving is meeting the needs of the person you’re caring for. This is often simple. For example, you might be making sure they get enough food and nutrients, that they exercise well and that medications are managed.
But, the process isn’t always as easy as it seems. Instead, family members often have complex needs, ones that require extra consideration and even specific tools.
To make matters worse, family caregivers are often untrained. You may find that you’re suddenly in the deep end, dealing with needs and challenges that you never even considered previously. I know, as that’s precisely what happened to me.
Finding the right training and support is possible and the links will take you to our guides on those topics. But, sometimes this isn’t enough or simply isn’t viable.
Instead, you need tools that help make your job a little bit easier and safer.
In some cases, you’ll find such tools at local stores or on Amazon. For example, we’ve highlighted some options in the past, including indoor mobility aids, tools for bathing, and medication management systems.
And personally, Amazon would be my first choice for many things – simply because their selection is so vast.
But, they don’t specialize in caregiving. The site will never have everything you need. Many of the products are questionable as well. You have no way to know how they’ll measure up in terms of quality – and you may be disappointed regularly.
Amazon is still fine for many situations. But, there is another resource that we want to highlight, a site called Rehab Mart.
Introducing Rehab Mart
As the name suggests, Rehab Mart focuses on rehabilitation. The site is owned and operated by occupational and physical therapists, so the owners know exactly what they’re doing.
The various products aren’t limited to rehab either. Instead, many are very relevant to caregiving.
After all, many rehab challenges apply to seniors too. For example, one of their categories is Durable Medical Equipment. This includes areas like the following:
- Blood pressure monitors
- Floor scales (including bariatric scales)
- Adult tricycles
- Raised toilet seats
- Toileting aids
- Diabetic skin and foot care
These are only examples. There are many other product areas as well.
If nothing else, the various categories are great ways to see exactly what is available out there. When you’re searching a site like Amazon, you often need a general idea of what you’re looking for first. That’s not the case here. Instead, the items are grouped and it’s easy to see exactly what the products are and how they are used.
Rehab Mart does have some complex and expensive items, including chair lifts and medical furniture.
While those are appealing, they probably won’t be relevant to most caregivers. But, don’t let that put you off. There are many lower priced items as well, including various simple tools that can make life easier and less stressful.
Beyond this, Rehab Mart runs what it calls Caregiver University. This is a blog that discusses the intersection between caregiving and products. It includes discussions on choosing products and the types of items that you might need. That blog is worth checking out – even if you don’t plan to buy from Rehab Mart.
Is Rehab Mart Worth it?
We are an affiliate for Rehab Mart and receive a small amount of money for any purchase you make (it doesn’t affect your costs whatsoever). But, that doesn’t mean we’re biased.
In fact, at Kapok Senior and Caregiver Resources, we’re very careful about the products we promote. We want to only focus on items and services that actually help, not ones that are more trouble than they’re worth. After all, caregiving is challenging enough on its own.
One of the reasons for recommending the company is that the items simply are useful. Many aren’t easy to find elsewhere. It’s also unusual to find such a selection of products that have actually been tested and verified.
Simply browsing the site may give you insight into new tools you could use to support the person you’re caring for. That aspect alone makes the site worth considering.
So, check it out! We’d love to know what you think and whether you have any personal experiences with the company or their products.
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