"250 Tips For Making Life With Arthritis Easier" is an official publication of the Arthritis Foundation. The title of the book is self-explanatory and is indicative of the purpose of the book. There are 250 actual, enumerated ideas for making everyday life with arthritis easier offered in the book.
Preserving energy and saving time is important
People living with chronic arthritis find that life becomes more complicated as their disease progresses. Limited range of motion, pain, and fatigue turn simple tasks into a challenge. It often becomes necessary to find new ways to accomplish certain tasks and achieve certain goals. Any idea which preserves energy and saves time is valuable and can help the chronic arthritis patient maintain their independence.
250 practical tips offered
The book offers general, practical advice about understanding and managing your arthritis, joint protection, conserving energy, and coping with change. The importance of being realistic and having a positive attitude is also emphasized. The compiled lists of 250 tips is divided into nine chapters. Ideas are presented for organizing your household business (to-do lists, paperwork), organizing the household itself (closets, storage, helpful household products), household chores (housekeeping, laundry, sewing, shopping), outdoor chores (gardening, yard work), making your home accessible (doorways, locks, faucets, furniture, stairs), arranging your kitchen for maximum efficiency (planning and preparing meals, organizing kitchen supplies), creating a comfortable bedroom (furniture, accessories), making your bathroom safer and accessible (grab bars, shower bench, raised toilet seat), and household safety (fire extinguisher, smoke alarm, fuse box).
Adapt and modify your environment
Though you will not find every tip applicable to you, there is enough practical advice offered which makes the book useful and worth reading. The book is very easy-to-read, simply written, and well-organized. The introduction and subsequent 88 pages will help guide you in adapting and modifying your environment, certain to take some of the challenge out of living with arthritis. The author, Shelley Peterman Schwarz, is a syndicated columnist, author, and professional speaker from Wisconsin. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1979 and her disability motivated her to simplify her life. In consulting with the Arthritis Foundation, she found the same principles applied to people with arthritis.
