Some Ideas

Something I wrote a little over a year ago. Bits of information I picked up along the way. Please disregard the grammatical or punctuation errors.

I hope it helps!

Some of these tips you may not need but they are included just in case you should need them. Yes, life may be a bit different or “tougher” than what you were used to but there is always a way to make it work. “We have to stumble and crawl before we can walk.”

General

• Get a Theraband put on your bed frame or an area that you frequent
• Tap lights for quick and easy illumination in low lit areas (on night stand, in closet, ect)
• Must change your diet to the more “healthier” option. You may be less active now and thus burn less calories
• Give yourself more time for most things (30 min is now 45-60 min)
• More than fifty percent of your brain is made up of water, so stay hydrated
• Nutrition shakes are handy to have available, grab and go
• Protein supplement shakes help rebuild and replace vital chemicals used during physical activity
• Physical activity not only increases the amount of oxygen to the brain, it helps release a larger amount of endorphins and helps keep joints and muscles in working order
• Physical activity is like adding oil to a rusty hinge.

Medication

• Put morning medication and a bottle of liquid by your bed or in a visible location for those mornings you just need more sleep
• Carry your noon or p.m. meds with you, you never know where you’ll be
• Set alarm for your meds so you never miss them
• Know how to read and order med refills

Morning/Evening Routine

• Use an electric toothbrush and floss (floss sticks), keep that smile pearly white. Just because your appearance may be different then it was or you move around in a certain way now doesn't mean you should let yourself go. Don’t forget the mouthwash!
• Brush your teeth in the shower when possible, may save you some time
• Use aerosol deodorant. The store may not have the most popular brands, but it is better then the alternative
• For the men, buy and use an electric razor, may save a few minutes needed elsewhere
• Have a fog-less mirror in the shower (attach via suction cups)
• Utilize a shower bench for stability
• Also use a shower wand and have a shower wand holder easily accessible
• Use a “puff ball” and an extender (for your back) when in the shower to ensure every square inch and nook and cranny is cleaned
• A shower caddy is a great product to use to keep your essentials (shampoo, a tooth brush, puff ball, ect) all in one easy to find location
• Try to find a shampoo with conditioner in it. This will save the space of the caddy and help shave off a couple seconds
• Move some of your morning routine to the night if time allows, this may save you valuable minutes in the morning
• Put your clothes (shoes, socks, pants, poss. jacket and/or sweatshirt included) out the night before, best to check the weather forecast too
• Out of sight may = out of mind, Put something needed or required for tomorrow (forms, paperwork,ect) out on the coffee table or in plain sight

Electronic

• Have a way to move and store/share documents from a computer to a media device. This will stop you from having to carry around a hard copy (printout, ect) all day.
• A multi media/mini storage device is a great thing to carry around. It can save all your important data while being used as a compensatory device.Apple’s iPhone comes “out of the box” w/ several very useful features such as:
• Camera-pics of things or people you need/want to remember (parking spot)
• ipod-hours of entertainment
• Weather Forecast-lets you know what to expect each week
• Calender-can save meetings, appointments, birthdays, ect and set reminders
• Maps w/ GPS-always know where at and where your going
• Clock-set certain alarms (meds, meetings)
• Notes-self explanatory
• Contacts-Save all of the contact information you need (can save each contact “cards” with a person’s picture to easily identify them, you can also construct categories that you can use to group people)
• Internet-what can’t you use this for?, Wait...don’t answer that.
• Commonly found phone features (text, email, bluetooth, ect)
• Applications can also be downloaded from the internet/iTunes;
• Darkroom-Help you take a more steady picture
• Weatherbug-Know the most current weather conditions
• WiFinder-Fnd-All the hotspots that area within your range
• MobileNews-Get the latest stories and you can send or save them too
• Countdown-Helps you remember the important dates and how much time you have remaining or how much time has passed since one has occurred
• iTalk-Voice recorder that lets you take verbal notes on the go
• iProcrstinate-A task manager, set categories and your “To Do” list
• Games such as “IQ Boost” and “Brain Tuner” to enhance your mental strength or simply improve your already existing capabilities, don’t forget Uno or Monopoly...just for fun.
• Air Sharing-Xfer electronic documents from your computer to you iphone (eg: exercises, menus, manuals, ect)
• Around Me/Where-Find business you need
• Grocery IQ-Keep your list up to date and with you
• Faces Lite-Can’t remember a person’s name but remember their pic you took to help you remember? Easily link their photo to their contact info to make your info easier to sift through.
• Save all emails (important ones) in a digital folder for easy retrieval, place a shortcut on your computer's desktop so the folder is just one click away and easy to find.
• On your computer, make “bookmarks” for your most commonly visited websites
• Bluetooth communication device-gives you an extra hand while your on the phone

Closing note: You learned things once before, you can re-learn them.

**My Ryan disclaimer - I have no official medical background and the above information was either noted to work in certain cases or it was passed to me by a medical professional**