Gift giving is or can be an act of empathy. Many people know others who are in pain from joint or back or other injuries or just they are in contact with relatives and friends who have chronic back, shoulder or other pain. Almost everyone over 50 has some sort of complaint with their joints or appendages. It’s almost to be expected. Giving a gift of relief is a wonderful way to say you care about someone on any occasion.
http://www.rsihelp.com/compcurr_991123.shtml describes Repetitive Strain Injury, which affects many people. If you have friends who work at computer stations all day or who are in jobs which force them to perform repetitive tasks over and over, they may have aches and pains that can be eliminated or eased by an ergonomic gift. The site has a few selections which are under $50-arm rests, cervical pillows and phone stands are a few samples. There are informative links on the right hand which will give you some ideas about what is involved in RSI.
http://www.ergoblog.com/ergonomics_accessories/index.html is another site which suggests products like footrests and cushions. Most of the products on the site concentrate on seated work problems like those that would affect office workers. Like the previous site, there are not a whole lot of items, but the ones they list and give links for are affordable and might catch your fancy. The one I thought was very interesting was a lap held keyboard platform especially focusing on commuters. If you know someone who spends a lot of time commuting by plane or train, this item might just delight him or her.
http://www.ergonomicszone.com/s/ergonomic describes itself as a “starting place for the best in ergonomics.” Here you can target specific devices like chairs, tables, foot rests, and the like. Then you can go to the links to find what you want. For example, clicking on Ergonomic Products will take you to a page of links that are more specific. I particularly liked the first link for neck problems and next one just for carpal tunnel syndrome. I can’t stress how many products are available for specific ailments or aches on the first site listed here: http://www.arc4life.com/. The ergonomic pillow claims to improve posture and relieve neck and back pain. How many people would appreciate that for just around the $50 range? This site is worth saving just for future reference since you can use the links on the left to target very definite areas of the body that are giving someone (or yourself!) trouble. Many of their products are well under $100-very affordable for a gift that can offer years of relief to a loved one.
I was surprised to find many ergonomic offerings related to cutlery and gardening. Findgift.com is a wonderful resource for finding all sorts of unusual gifts. http://www.findgift.com/Categories/Exercise-Wellness/Ergonomic/ reveals garden trowels, a portable Tempur material stadium seat, and even some vacuum cleaners! There are a lot of ergonomic cutlery items listed, which surprised me.
My favorite site of all, however, is one which specifically targets http://www.activeforever.com/mothers-day-gifts.asp. A great site for really practical items you might give to your mother or an older person you love. It has a variety of comfort and stress relief products to help older people in their daily routines. Plus, it has a menu on the sides for lots of categories for specific work areas or problems. A truly useful site for finding a gift for someone with special problems. They even have a toll-free phone number you can call if you have trouble finding what you want 800-377-8033.They give 39 items for hobbies and crafts, including a needle threader! If you know of someone who has a particular condition like Parkinson’s or arthritis, they make it easy to navigate around and find suggestions of items to choose in the areas of safety, mobility aids, exercise and more. One of the items I found most intriguing was prism glasses which enable a person to read a book resting on their chest while lying flat on their backs in bed. What an ingenious invention and perfect for bed-ridden people who may be recouperating from a serious operation or an elderly reader who finds it difficult to read prone in bed.
My last two sources are specifically for products that relieve back pain. http://www.backsaver.com/ and
http://www.relaxtheback.com/locator/pg_locator.cfm show you products for work, exercise, home, office and sleep. Relax the Back has franchise stores all over the country. The site has some very useful educational links on particular back problems, including herniated disc, Sciatica, pinched nerve and Scoliosis. Look for one of their stores in your area and go into the shop to look around in person.
There are so many gifts that you can pick to relieve someone’s pain or make their life easier and these gifts will really be appreciated long after the wrapper is torn off and thrown away.
