Together · 15 min · For caregivers
Glasses, hearing aids and the walking stick
A weekly once-over of the small things an older person depends on: clean lenses, a working battery, a firm rubber tip.
An older person often depends on a few small objects: glasses, a hearing aid, a stick or frame, perhaps a watch they read the time on. When these are smeared, flat or worn, the world gets smaller without anyone noticing. A weekly once-over, done together, keeps them working.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Choose a regular moment each week, such as the Sunday visit or call, and gather the things they rely on: glasses, hearing aids, stick or frame, any magnifier or alarm pendant.
Clean the glasses with warm water and a soft cloth, check the arms are not loose, and ask whether they can still read the newspaper and the medicine labels with them.
For hearing aids, check the battery or charge, look for wax on the part that goes in the ear, and clean it the way the hearing service showed you. Ask whether the sound has changed.
Turn the stick or frame upside down and look at the rubber tips: if they are worn smooth or cracked, replace them. Check that the handle of the stick comes to their wrist when they stand straight with arms by their sides, and that frame brakes work.
The reason
Why it helps
Small faults build up slowly: a smeared lens, a flat battery, a stick tip worn flat on wet ground. Each one makes a day a little harder or less safe, and most are fixed in minutes. Doing it as a weekly habit means nothing waits until something goes wrong, and it is a natural way to ask how their eyes, ears and walking are going.
A gentle variation
If you care from a distance, ask them to hold each item up to the camera on a video call, or ask a neighbour or care worker to do the once-over with them. Keep spare batteries and stick tips in one labelled box so they are easy to find.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
Do it with them rather than for them: they clean the glasses while you look at the stick. Ask about the things they use the glasses or hearing aid for most, and what they would miss if those stopped working.
Try it today
Today, clean an older relative's glasses with a soft cloth and check the rubber tip on their walking stick.
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