A Long Handled Comb Helps Coif Hair!

“Love Begins By Taking Care Of The Closest Ones—The Ones At Home.”—Mother Teresa

In my experience, sometimes the people closest to us, who know they need help, may also be the ones least likely to ask for it. Also true are the people closest to us, who don’t recognize they need help, and therefore resist it altogether.

Perhaps a way to help both those who need help but are not sure how to ask for it—and those who shy away from help, is to show them how to do a familiar activity—but in a brand new light!

Let’s take for example, a family member who has recently injured their shoulders and since can’t raise their arms to comb their hair.  Or, a family member who has suffered a stroke with paralysis to their dominant arm and shoulder.  Showing them how to use—let’s say,—a long handled comb might just motivate them enough to try it.

Given this same example of a long handled comb, let’s just make one at home and give it a try. It’s simple to do, so let’s get started. 

To begin you’ll need the following items:

-Comb With Opening In Handle

-Wooden Paint Stir Stick

-Butterfly Nut

-Bolt

-Drill

-Drill Bit

Steps:

-Drill a hole in one end of the paint stick— drill hole to accommodate the size of the bolt you’re using. Insert the bolt through the hole in the paint stick.

-Place comb on top of bolt.

-Put the butterfly nut onto the bolt and tighten lightly. Ta da, you’ve now made your very own long handled comb.

Helpful Hints:

-Above is my hubby demonstrating how to use a long handled comb. The angle of the comb may be adjusted to your needs.

-Make sure your bolt is the correct length to accommodate the thickness of your comb and paint stick.  You might decide to add a washer, if needed.

-Your long handled comb may double as a backscratcher.

-If you prefer to buy one commercially, long handled combs are available through healthcare supply stores.

-These suggestions are merely a prototype—so, feel free to tweak this design to meet your very own unique needs.

Another quote from Mother Teresa that I really like is, “love begins at home—and it’s not how much we do—but how much love we put in that action.” Again, if a loved one is unlikely to ask for help when they need it or if they just don’t realize they need help, adapting an activity and modeling how to use it might just be the key to their newly regained self-efficacy and independence.  To be a role model means to show endless possibilities that were previously unseen and to help show how an everyday activity can be done in a brand new way.

References:

Mother Teresa Quotes. (n.d.). coraevans.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019, from coraevans.com Web site: https://www.coraevans.com/blog/article/10-most-beautiful-mother-teresa-quotes-on-the-family

Mother Teresa Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mother_teresa_158107