Hip Replacement

I attended a two-and-a-half hour class on joint replacement Tuesday. One of the many things I learned about is a thing called a "hip kit," which consists of a "reacher," a long shoehorn, a half-cylinder device for helping you get your socks on, and a long-handled scrub sponge (so you can wash your lower legs and feet). 
Hip Kit:

This was interesting to me, because my daughter sent me a link to something like this just the other day, since I haven't been able to reach my left foot in almost a year. 
When you have a hip replacement, you are not supposed to bend at the waist any sharper than 90°.  Like, you can sit up straight, but don't lean forward (this will be a challenge). Or, you can bend over enough to touch your knees, but not any lower. Hopefully that is only while you're healing from surgery, and not forever. I didn't think to ask during class, but will certainly ask the doctor.  Anyway, the PT guy came in and was talking about, and demonstrating some of the assistive devices they intend to send home with us. I thought the sock-putter-onner and the long shoehorn were awesome (especially since my daughter sent me a link to such devices just the other day). 
"But," I asked, "how are we supposed to fasten our shoes, once we get them on?"
Easy - Elastic shoelaces! 

So you install the elastic shoelaces in your shoes, and then you use the sock-putter-onner to put on your socks, and then you use the reacher to grasp the tongue of your shoe, slip your socked foot into the shoe, and then use the shoehorn to seat your foot securely in your shoe. Do the operated leg first, then the unoperated leg. Then, when you're ready to take your socks and shoes off, the reacher can help you do that, too. Somebody was having a good day when they thought those things up!

I will be SOOOOOO happy to be able to wear socks again. And my gym shoes, too.