I am still mobile but am challenged by sit/stand, picking stuff up from the floor, and stairs/curbs.

Things that work for me:

Around the house I use taller seating that normal - a standard kitchen chair + dense 4” cushion, “booster seat” on the toilet, tall office chair for desk work, and I placed a platform under the lazy-boy. I also have reach-and-grab gizmos at the ready in my bedroom and kitchen.

Probably the only non-obvious one is the platform under the recliner. It is a simple design with ¾” plywood on top of lumber to build it up (I had ready access to some 1 by, but anything stable will do. The platform also has 2 - 2x4 blocks fixed in place under the front corners of the recliner to arrest forward tilt when rising. I have the seat cushion at 21” inches now but will probably add some height soon. A more professional job would have the chair fixed to the platform but I haven’t had problems with the chair just sitting on the platform. Due to lumber I had around the platform is deeper than needed. This probably contributes to the stability. Pretty much by accident I added a toe kick (vertical support is back a bit from the front edge of the platform) which has proved useful. Try at your own risk!

I know there are power recliners out there but I like the more rapid access/egress of a regular recliner, plus the platform allows the rocker feature to work. Plus I get the up/down exercise – use it or lose it! Plus it was cheap!

I haven’t tried this but it may work for some – add “bed elevators” under a couch. The home stores like Bed Bath and Beyond have a wide selection. Questions would be: can they be used with the legs of your couch and is it stable (some may also ask if it is ugly but that isn’t a problem for me). I suppose a platform would work too – a front toe kick would be critical – and would look nicer.

I use bed elevators under one end of my bed to give me a tilted sleeping surface – 27” down to 24”. I have a standard metal frame with rug castors at the foot. At the head I have removed the castors and added the bed elevators. The tilt has helped me a lot; I can’t sleep on the flat any more without breathing or digestion problems (I’m overweight too so that doesn’t help).

I have a mini-van, power lift, and power chair I use out and about. See post under Mobility Aids for details.

Bob has done a wonderful job of putting down his thoughts and experiences.

I use a power-lift recliner only because I found it difficult to get our of my LazyBoy. I put 2x4s under each leg and it worked for years, but near the end I was finding it more difficult to get out of the chair. The power recliner works great, but I have one complaint. It is not as comfortable as the LazyBoy.

I also use bed elevators but on all four posts and they make entry and exiting from the bed easy. I highly recommend them. I also have problems sleeping on a flat bed, so I purchased a foam wedge that raises my head about six inches. It has worked wonderfully for several years now. The wedges can be purchased from almost any hospital supplie store and comes in several heights.

We bought a bar-height table for the kitchen nook and three bar stools with backs. It is a perfect height.

For the dinning room chairs, I have an up-lift seat that works great. It provides just enough lift to get my knees at about a 100 degree angle for easier rising.

Finally, we bought a small aluminum ramp (3x3) that fits on the pedistal of the front door. With the ramp, I can easily use the front porch (with the wheel chair or just walking).