Sometimes the best stuff is the simple stuff. What good stuff has helped you, your parents or your family to live life a little better, to cope a little easier? Send us your best finds and can’t-live-without helpful tools, or share techniques that helped you stay in touch with long distance parents or keep their medical information organized.

Raised Toilet Seat
"Who in their right mind knows how many kinds of raised toilet seats there are? Well, I do now! My Dad’s legs were getting weak and he was having trouble standing up off the toilet. So, we’ve now road-tested [so to speak] five different brands, and we liked one of the cheaper models best. It has NO grab bars, a good thing if the toilet is situated in a narrow opening between the wall and the sink, and NO knobs to catch clothing. It literally just sits on top of the china bowl, held in place by four non-skid strips. You’d think it would slip and slide around, but it doesn’t. Plus, the simple design makes it much easier to pick up and clean, too!"

TV Amplifier
"Save your money! We’ve tried two different kinds of TV amplifiers so my parents’ loud TV wouldn’t annoy the neighbors. They’re expensive, cumbersome, have pretty crummy tone and vocal quality overall, and at the end of the day, my parents just didn’t feel like learning the controls or wearing the head sets. A complete waste of money."

Reacher
"My short little Mom moved into a new condo with lots of cabinets. Make that lots of really high cabinets. She loves the storage but hates having to drag a stool around the kitchen. After trying out two types of reachers, there is no comparison. The trigger reacher that also has a little metal magnet on it is superb! It can pick up something as light and thin as a piece of tissue, and as heavy as a towel. Plus the trigger mechanism is easy to operate. We also tried one where you pulled the handles together and that was a disaster."

Plastic Bag Caddy
"It’s the little things in life, right? One of our favorite and most practical gifts is a plastic bag holder. It’s basically a fabric cylinder with elastic around the opening at either end. You just stuff those plastic grocery bags in and pull them out one as a time as needed. It’s lightweight. Stores anywhere. And holds a ton of bags in minimum space. No more bags multiplying in the middle of the night."

Quirkle
"Refine your visual perception! This tactile wooden block game combines the logic and strategy of Set with the creative multi-maneuver game play of Scrabble. Easy-to-learn rules mean you'll be creating columns and rows of matching colors and shapes in no time! Look for opportunities to score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces and matches both shapes and colors."

Keep Your Brain Alive

"Improve your coordination! Ever tried brushing your teeth with the opposite hand? How about taking a new route to work? This book by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. & Manning Rubin contains 83 Neurobic exercises to help prevent memory loss and increase brain activity. These "simple" exercises help stimulate the production of nutrients that grow brain cells to keep the brain young and strong. These fun exercises can be done anywhere, anytime, making them perfect for improving your memory while on the go."

Tangle Therapy
"Improve your coordination! This innovative hand-held therapeutic device is comprised of a system of 20 rotating interconnecting links that can be twisted, turned, bent, coiled and shaped into an endless amount of shapes. Covered in a soft, tactile, ergonomic material, the tangle features a bumpy texture that will provide added stimulation. This doctor-recommended design has a calming, soothing effect that engages the mind, body, and soul."