I thought the title ment what items would help you preform daily stuff when the OA limits your ability. I'm 56. I have OA + other things (Don't we all). I do not walk with a cane but I have all kinds of little helper ideas.
If you have higher storage areas (top shelves of cupboards or closets) use those only for items that are not breakable and that are very light weight.
Get a Grabber for those hard to reach things. I have a nice grabber that works extremely well. it's called a "Golden Retriver" I use it to reach up and gently drape the folds in the Window scarf. I use it to grab a plastic bag of paper cups or paper plates from the top shelf. I use it to grab paper towels from the highest closet shelf. I love my Grabber.
Step Stools are a dangerous thing. I bought a ladder. A nice WIDE 4-step ladder with a very nice plastic hand grips on the top and sides. the heigth of the 4-step latter allows me enough sides heigth and top to "pull myself up & hang onto" for balance and security. I only step up on the first step (and no higher) but the hand hold grips on the top & sides allow me security. Wide steps allow my feet a secure space to rest on. You don't want those skinny steps regular ladders have.
I have a Quad cane (4 metal feet). I do not need a cane to walk. I do have OA and misaligned knee bones. if I put my leg down and the bones don't manage to go together right I must catch myself with the other leg. So I use the cane in the bathroom. It sets solidly on it's 4 feet on the floor and I can reach my hand out to it and securely balance myself on the cane when I step that first foot over the rim of the tub. You'd be suprised to know how many accidents happen as people step over a tub rim.
When I do housework at any steady pace I wear athletic knee supports and wrist supports. These help my muscles support my joints better and I end up with a lot LESS pain.
I also have a back problem.. but it's not always there. There are rare random mornings when I wake and my back will not lift me off the bed. For that I have an old simple wooden cane hanging backwards over the head board. I can reach it and use it to brace against the floor and get myself up off the bed. On days when I don't need it, it just hangs in back of the headboard there, unoticed.
The grocery stores (all stores) give you plastic or paper sacks and I find these slip right out of my hands. So I have a large cloth shopping bag with handles and I put all the other bags into it to carry into the house. It's the only way I can avoid dropping them. I know one person who has a back problem and she keeps a metal folding wheeled grocery carrier in her trunck. She unfolds it and places her sacks in it and wheels them into the house.
Just some ideas. These are helpers the public does not see you use and you will have more confidence if you can do more things for yourself safely.
It also helps to have older neighbors. Helping someone 20 years older than you makes you feel younger.
