Mark, at Going Like Sixty tells us it’s gotten easier to replace his hearing aid batteries since he started using Duracell Easytab batteries, which got a thumbs up from the Arthritis Foundation.

“Like most old geezers,” Mark told us, “I’m getting a little shake in my hand. The other batteries have this itty bitty tab, but the Duracells have a long tab” and are easier to remove, hold and insert.

The Duracell Easytab is the first hearing aid battery to receive the Ease-of-Use commendation from the Arthritis Foundation.

The various Easytab battery sizes also are color-coded to make them easier to identify, as seen in the photo above to the right.

Regular self breast exams remain the best way between scheduled mammograms for women to detect irregularities that need follow-up by a doctor or nurse. But thorough self breast exams are often difficult, if not impossible, for women with hand problems. Dawn Ontario, a disabled women’s network in Canada, offers an online handbook that addresses the self-exam issue and other medical issues of interest to Gimpy women. Click here to learn more about assistance with a beast exam.

Eds Note: And if you have a keen appreciation of the absurd click here to view a very funny video produced by the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.

Writer Sandy Banks of The Los Angeles Times suffers from arthritis and has always used conventional drugs, such as Celebrex. Then she became curious about buying medical marijuana - available legally in California for the last 12 years.

Banks’ account of buying the marijuana gives an inside look at a state-sanctioned dispensary where the front counter displays more than a dozen varieties of the plant.

“I was struck by how ordinary it all seemed,” Banks write. “I felt like I was at the apple bin at Trader Joe’s choosing between Fuji and Gala” apples.

“I left with a red vial of sweet-smelling Yumbolt, at $55 for an eighth of an ounce. I carried it home in the trunk of my car, convinced that every cop I passed could tell I was transporting marijuana.”

Click here to read Banks’ column.

During the last five years, tens of thousands of people in North America have gotten total hip replacements that cost close to $45,000 a person.

Most of those people received artificial hips made of ceramic materials that were promoted as being more durable than older models.

But for reasons not yet fully understood, many of those people say their hips have started to squeak, raising questions about whether the noises herald more serious malfunctions.

“There is something amiss here,” said Dr. Douglas E. Padgett, chief of adult reconstructive and joint replacement service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Click here to read this New York Times story, in which people say their squeaking hips are interfering with their daily lives.

New York Times health writer Jane Brody says artificial knees, while certainly an improvement over severely arthritic ones, are not like normal, healthy knees.

Brody had knee replacements three years ago and has returned to dancing, hiking, skating and the active life she lived before developing arthritis.

However, Brody also says that, in some cases, the device fails or there are lasting injuries to internal tissues.

Click here to read her column.

We recently had our duplex reroofed and saw this Gemplers cap on the roofers - all of whom also wore No. 30 sun block.

You’re not likely to see it among the latest fashions for garden hats but it does offer excellent protection for your head, neck and ears and the back flap can be folded into the crown of the cap when you don’t need it.

This cap fits like a size-adjustable baseball cap and is made of a material that feels and breathes like soft cotton but dries quickly and repels water and stains.

For many of us in the United States, Memorial Day merely means a three-day weekend in which to spruce up our yards, fire up the barbecue and catch up on cleanup at home.

But, as you will see in this video, wounded soldiers who lost an arm, a leg or a buddy no longer think of Memorial Day as just the start of summer and the time to have a few beers on the patio.

The soldier in this video eloquently, playfully, and gently expresses how his memories have changed the way he views this holiday.

Cait likes this Hues N Brews set because she can carry her tea, cup and milk to the table all at once and still have a free hand for her cane.

Each of the three pieces has its own foot print indented on the ceramic plate to prevent them from sliding around.

The set includes an 18 ounce teapot, 9 ounce mug, creamer and tray. This set features the espresso and copper tones from the Branches collection.

Eds. Note: Cait has no trouble moving the set from kitchen counter to table while Marty, who has issues with carpal tunnel, finds the set a little too heavy for comfort.

Cait says this should be called “Happy Buns,” rather than a portable get seat.

This cushion weighs just 2 1/2 pounds and folds in half to carry. The manufacturer says it relieves pressure inherent in long periods of sitting and helps to prevent or lessen back strain and blood vessel and capillary constriction.

The center groove eliminates pressure on the tailbone and the surface slopes slightly forward to encourage proper pelvic posture for correct lumbar curvature.

Cait wants a “Happy Buns” for the car, hard restaurant seats, uncomfortable bleacher seats and long trips on plane, trains and buses.

We love that this young businessman/gardner in Malaysia gives away produce to people who bring him material for compost.

He’s also started numerous ventures to help people with disabilities learn to farm and then have a place to sell their produce.

He’s got big ideas about gardening small - an idea that many of us can embrace.

Click here to learn more.