The items in this section have one thing in common: they are of no use as long as everything is fine, and they change the day when getting up becomes an effort. Here is what each one does, what it holds, and where you should not count on it.
The night trip
Getting up at three in the morning in the dark, feeling for the light switch, following a corridor you think you know: it is the moment of the day when you are least sure of yourself.
The motion-sensor LED night lights (24,90 € for two) come on by themselves as soon as movement passes within five metres, and switch off thirty seconds later. They are cordless and stick on — no drilling, no electrician. Two places first: the foot of the bed, and the top of the stairs.
Getting out of bed
The bed handle (64,90 €) slides under the mattress and straps to the bed base — four metres of strap, tool-free assembly, steel and aluminium, removable. It adjusts from 45 to 55 cm in height and holds up to 60 kg of pull.
That figure matters: it is a handle you pull on to sit yourself up, not a bar you hang your whole weight from. If you need to hang from it, you need equipment fixed to the wall and fitted by a professional.
The bathroom
The suction grab bar (21,90 €) goes up in ten seconds, without drilling, with a locking lever on each side and a non-slip rubber surface.
Read this before buying it. A suction cup holds on tiling that is smooth, clean and dry, with no grout line under the cup. It is there to steady you and to help you balance — it is not there to catch you if you fall. Check the fixing indicator every time you use it, and reposition it if the indicator has moved. For a bar you need to be able to count on in all circumstances, there is only one answer: screwed into the wall.
Outside, and on the stairs
The extendable cane (39,90 €) adjusts to six heights between 80 and 93 cm, holds up to 70 kg, and rests on four non-slip feet — it stands up on its own when you let go of it, which a straight cane does not. A 0,5 W LED lights the ground ahead, and an 80 dB alarm sounds on demand.
The right height, without having to think about it: standing, arms by your sides, the handle should reach the crease of your wrist.
Medication
The electronic pill box (29,90 €) fits in a pocket (6,5 × 6,5 × 2 cm), has four compartments and lets you set five alarms a day, audible and vibrating. CR2032 battery included. It reminds you of the time; it does not fill the compartments for you, and that is a job to do once a week, always on the same day.
Moving furniture without hurting yourself
The carrying straps (29,90 € for a set of five) shift the weight onto the shoulders and the legs instead of the back, and four pads with 360° swivel wheels let you push a heavy load instead of carrying it. Up to 200 kg. It is the item you buy after moving a washing machine on your own once.
What no object replaces
Rugs that slip, a badly lit staircase, a cable running across the corridor: those are the ones to deal with first, and it costs nothing. Only then come the objects.
And if the question is a home to adapt for the long term — bathroom, stairs, bed height — it is thought through with someone who does it for a living and who comes to see the place. Our articles are comfort items and everyday-help items; none of them is a medical device.
Several at once
The Independence pack brings several of these items together for less than their separate total. As everywhere else on the site, you have 14 days to change your mind, with no need to explain yourself.
See the whole Everyday help section · Find my object, by situation