The Seasons team scours product shelves, online reviews, real user experiences, expert recommendations and industry feedback to bring you the best products to help with your caregiving life.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to try at least one of these new products in the new year. Sometimes it’s one simple change that makes the biggest difference.
Here are our readers’ favorite products this year:
Three-wheel bike
What sounds more fun than an adult tricycle? These three-wheelers are about way more than enjoyment, however. Biking is an incredible way to stay in shape throughout your lifetime, but a loss of balance or muscle can make the activity a fall hazard. Three-wheel bikes are the answer, and this is one of our readers’ favorites:
Pill cutters
Almost nothing was more popular this year than a high-quality pill cutter. Here are two our readers couldn’t get enough of:
Cronometer meal tracker
Seasons expert Jen Hernandez recommended using meal-tracking app Cronometer to a reader looking for guidance after her dad’s recent diabetes diagnosis.
Sheet-protecting bed pads
Laundry is and will forever be a regular part of caregiving life. Incontinence, while not inevitable, often presents a whole new set of smells and stains that can leave you flummoxed in the laundry room. These pads are one way to make caregiving life a little easier:
Sock helper
How could something so simple make such a big impact? As much as many caregivers cherish their important roles, it’s safe to say they’d be OK with not being called upon for helping with everything. This sock aid is just one way older adults can maintain their independence for longer:
Blood pressure monitor
Anything that means one less trip to the doctor’s office is a welcome addition to a caregiver’s day. This blood pressure monitor is easy to use and gives an accurate reading with the push of a button and just 30 seconds of your time.
Grabber/reacher tool
Another small item with a big impact is this multipurpose grabber tool. We could all use an extra arm sometimes—or maybe just a few more inches of reach. This tool brings more of your older adult’s world within reach so they don’t have to interrupt whatever you’re doing to grab something they can get on their own.
Medical alert call button
Is there anything more haunting than those, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercials? It’s a loved one’s worst nightmare that their parent, friend, grandparent or other loved one might fall when they’re alone. Far away from their phone and unable to get themselves back to their feet, how will they get help? This medical alert button can put caregivers’ minds at ease, making it a popular addition to Seasons’ readers’ shopping carts this year:
Soothing moisturizer
Cetaphil is a leading brand in skin care for a reason. This product’s soothing combination of shea butter, colloidal oatmeal and ceramide gives aging, dry skin the exact moisture it needs so caregivers can know their older loved ones are feeling good.
Rinse-free body wash
Trying to help an unwilling participant bathe is not a pleasant experience for anyone. Even perfectly healthy people can slip and fall in the shower or bath, and a bathroom – full of hard, wet, slippery surfaces – is the worst place to come crashing down. Thankfully, this no-rinse body wash helps caregivers keep their loved ones fresh and ready for visits from family and friends.
Wiping aid
Another tool to make a trip to the bathroom less hazardous is this toilet-time wiping aid. We take so many things for granted until we begin caregiving and see how a limited range of motion can affect our daily lives. This tool is another way for older loved ones to maintain more independence for longer:
Power lift assist recliner
One of the most popular products we’ve told you about is this Red Barrel Studio power lift assist recliner from Wayfair. It’s got limitless position variations so your senior loved one can find that perfect sweet spot to rest. Best of all, it takes the pressure off when it’s time to stand, which takes the burden off caregivers who can suffer from back strain.
Mushroom gummies
Yes, you read that right. Health and wellness brand Fungies is transforming the gummy market with their Lion’s mane, cordyceps and reishi mushroom gummies. Easy to chew and offering a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, these gummies are a popular new find with the caregiver crowd:
From the practical to the unique, your favorite products this year have shown that your wallets lie close to your hearts—with your aging loved ones. You prioritize their health, well-being and happiness, and for that, you are to be applauded. However, your loved ones need a healthy caregiver to stay healthy themselves, so make sure you make time for yourself in 2023.