I am a disabled senior citizen who gets around most of the time in a motorized chair. Because of the chair and shoulder problems, I had to store certain frequently used foods in easily reachable containers. I bought plastic 1/2 gallon drink containers, rectangular in shape (rounded corners), with handles. I put them in cabinet above my microwave because these were the most used items. I kept in that cabinet; my coffee, oatmeal, instant potatoes, and instant milk.
I did not decorate the containers because I could see through them easily. I put them on the shelf with the handles towards the front so all I had to do was reach up to grab the handle, and put them back by putting the edge on shelf and pushing them back using the handle. Sure made life a lot easier for me.
I am 70 and arthritic so I have to be creative about storage. I keep my plastic mixing bowls and plastic collanders upside down on the top shelf and I can pull them down when I need them with my trusty salad tongs.
I have arthritis pretty bad. One thing I use is a grabber. I got it at the drug store for around $10.00. It is a heaven send.I think WalMart may have them too.
I am not a senior yet nor disabled but I'm short so I do try to find ways to make it easier for me to get to things w/o always standing on a stool. I find small lazy susans (turntables) added to cabinet shelves can help a lot. One cabinet I put herbs & spices, oil, vinegar, etc on turntables and then I am able to reach by just turning them and bringing the item I want to the front.
Baskets with handles or any sort of a container with a handle does make things easier to grab.
This is a clever solution to a problem a lot of us have as we get older: we start shrinking. I've lost about 3/4" in height in the past 15 years, and that makes things farther away than they used to be. A step stool is not always handy, and standing on your tiptoes isn't safe, so the container with a good handle on a reachable shelf is much more practical. Good idea. Thanks.
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