A picture is worth a thousand words, but a few lines of real text are often helpful when shopping, especially when the item must serve a serious purpose, like elder care aids. Parentgiving’s Julie Davis goes behind the product description of essentials for better living for seniors and offers insights to help you make the right choices.

Nicky Silverstein may not yet have seen it all in the 15 years that her mother-in-law Shirley has lived with her family, but almost. From dealing with the daily idiosyncrasies of a 91 year old (yes, 91!) who still wants her hair done every week to the daily stresses of holding down a fulltime job and worrying when Shirley’s home health aid doesn’t show up, Nicky knows how to handle just about anything life shoves at her. And she still has her sense of humor. Well, you’d have to, or you’d go nuts.