Open & Close Cereal/Bread One-handed

Opening and refolding the plastic bag inside a cereal box is a two-handed task.  I would have to use my teeth and my sound hand.  Instead I take the bag out off the box, cut one side open (see arrow), and pour the cereal into a container.  Each morning my sound hand flips open the lid and pours.

To open a loaf of bread, I pull off the plastic tag and use the pointy end of a bottle opener to rip open the inner plastic liner.  

To close, I fold the open end of the bag under the loaf (see arrow) and slide the loaf inside a bread container made by Rubbermaid.  When I turn the container upright, the weight of the bread keeps the folded end shut.  The next day my thumb flips the lid off, I put the container on its side, and slide the bread out.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

Downsizing Begins

After my visit to an independent living center in Michigan, the reality of downsizing became real. After I drew my furniture on a grid it became clear that the one bedroom apartment I can afford is too small for my beloved oak furniture.  For example, it took me two days to empty my desk and find a tiny alternative.  I am testing the efficiency of my new arrangement instead of waiting to figure it out as I unpack in a new environment.  It is better to find out now what I really need and what I can live without.  I took photos to help me remember the complicated new configuration.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

From 200 pound monstrosity to   

   

My old night stand

Lucky Shoes

I never win lotteries or raffles so I was stunned when I had good luck finding a discontinued shoe I bought repeatedly for 18 years.  My brace man trimmed my leg brace to fit the shoe shown below.  Buying the same shoe over and over meant I never had to try on shoes to see if they fit.  On a lark, I went to the shoe store I have been using for 18 years and asked if they had this shoe stashed in the back even though it is no longer made.  I was stunned when the salesman walked out of the back room swinging 2 boxes with a grin on his face.  They were not only size 6 double wide, they were the beige color that goes with everything.  He was glad to sell them and I was thrilled to delay wondering if my brace would fit a new shoe. homeafterastroke.blogspot

Equipment that is WalMart Cheap

As an OT I shopped in expensive medical catalogs.  Now I use a cheap over-the-door plastic hook to hang a terry-cloth bathrobe on a towel bar.  Another plastic hook keeps the head of the shower hose off the floor of my tub when I am finished showering.

If I did not have non-slip shelf liner under the pill container it would start slipping away from me as soon as I reached in to get a pill.  I am glad non-slip shelf liner comes in neutral colors that do not clash with my decor because I have small pieces of it all over my house. 
                                                      homeafterstroke.blogspot.com