When I first became a mother, it was like this whole new world opened up to me. A world I hadn’t even known existed. A world with words like onesies, babyjogger, bedrails, slings and babywipes.
It’s a whole new world. A new, nót so fantastic point of view
My kids are all older now, so I look at that world in my rear view mirror. However as my parents also grow older, there’s a whole new world opening up once again. My mother in law, for example, suffers from Parkinson’s disease. It’s impossible for her to climb the stairs. And she can’t walk anymore. So she needs a wheelchair and a stair lift to get from one room to another.
Similarities between aids for the elderly and baby and toddler products
Some products for the elderly remind me of products for babies and toddlers. Rollators remind me of Baby Walkers. And a wheelchair may be the elderly equivalent of a buggy. For toddlers you’ve got bedrails, and for the elderly you’ve got adjustable sturdy bed rails. As young parents, slings are useful pieces of fabric to carry your baby around in. For the elderly, slings are devices to lift them onto the toilet for example. I must admit, that some of the aids for the elderly are very clever and inventive. But they make me feel a bit sad too.
Is this the circle of life?
Is this the circle of life? You start your life needing all kinds of aids. And at the end of it, you need all kinds of aids again? As a toddler you need a bed rail because you might fall out of bed. And as a grandmother you need a bed rail once again. Luckily some bed rails for the elderly are simply to help them get out of bed. Not to prevent them from falling out. So there’s still hope.
When my kids got older I got rid off all the baby and toddler stuff. But now I’m thinking: maybe I should have kept some of it. Like the bed rails. I may very well be needing them again!
