Easier living can be just a gadget away
Demonstration centre showcases aids for when daily tasks get a bit harder
The kitchen cupboard goes up and down, the oven door all but disappears. The bathroom basin swings in and out. They could be facilities at Hogworts School but they are part of Easie Living’s demonstration centre in Palmerston North.
The adult bedroom, child’s bedroom, kitchen and bathroom showcase how modifications can be made to your home so you can live independently for longer.
There’s a lazy Susan in a corner cupboard, a hoist that can be retrofitted to lift someone into bed, a shower bed and a range of toilet rails.
Easie Living is part of Enable New Zealand, which in turn is a division of MidCentral District Health Board. Enable supports disabled people and their wha¯nau to live everyday lives in their communities.
The demonstration centre shows people what is available and what their future might look like, Enable business development manager Andrea Crutchley says. It is full of nifty gadgets and tips and tricks. “It’s all just little things you can do that make living independently easier.”
Easie Living is primarily a retail store selling everything from mobility scooters to walking sticks and continence products.
It also has a sensory space anyone can book free for an hour to calm and soothe the senses through touch, sound and light. The space is suitable for people with dementia and autism. It is used by schools and playcentres and as a result schools have developed their own sensory spaces.
Visitors can experience the switching board, weighted blankets, musical cushions and bubble towers, and decide what works for them before buying.
Crutchley would love for someone to develop a community space with all the senses catered for, similar to The Southern Centre. The Christchurch City Council facility provides a multi-sensory environment for people of all ages and abilities.
Easie Living also provides a disability information and advisory service. It runs free talks on topics as diverse as enduring power of attorney, heart health and personal budgets. For those without internet access there is a kiosk to use Firstport, a website that brings together facts about disability funding, equipment, and where to find support.
There is also a mobile van with a condensed version of the store that visits retirement villages, community
groups and service clubs. Groups are also welcome to visit the centre.
Crutchley says she and her team
are proud to be involved in the lives of people with disabilities. Being able to help people gives them a buzz. Sometimes customers share intimate
details — staff take that seriously and try to give the best advice they can.
“It’s quite an honour to be serving the aged and disability community.”