Helping someone with limited body strength out of the car can be daunting. It requires a good bit of lower body strength to stand up from a low-slung car seat without additional support. You can try to help by tugging on an arm - with the potential of falls, bruises and skin tears for your elder, or injury to your own back to show for your efforts. The stress and strain of getting someone out of the car can reduce outings for pleasure, which is a shame.

Years ago we were taught to do two things: provide a way for the elderly body to swivel easily, and have something sturdy in addition to you for the person needing help to hold while exiting the car. The first we used to accomplish with a piece of slick flat plastic, such as a garbage bag. That still works well. The second we managed by always placing our senior in the front passenger seat, where there is usually the most room. By rolling down the window we created a solid place for our passenger to support himself or herself on the frame while rising. We needed to brace the door open with one hand, so that it wouldn't move. This left the other hand and arm available to offer for additional support. This works pretty well, although it can be tricky in wet weather, and it involves a lot of running around the car closing windows once the maneuver is complete. It was actually easier back in the day of manual windows that didn't require keys be engaged.

While the open-window trick often works well, because you are so obviously involved in the process it does emphasize someone's lack of independence, which can be discouraging.

As with just about everything age-related, there are now a couple of products that can make independently getting out of the car much easier for anyone with diminished body strength or painful joints. The two best-known are the Car Caddie and the Handybar. Which would work best for your senor, or should you simply stick with the open window?

The Car Caddie is a portable padded handle on a flexible nylon strap that fits over the window frame of any vehicle with a metal frame over the window. Roll down the window, buckle the Car Caddie over the frame and close the window to hold it tightly in place. The Caddie handle hangs available inside the car until needed. When it's time to exit the car, open the door and use the Car Caddie handle to pull up and out of the seat. No need to remove it between uses unless you want to.

This is an inexpensive and pretty good low-tech answer to a real problem. It can be used on any vehicle door, front or back. It's lightweight (only 4 ounces), so it's easy to carry with you if you're going to be riding in someone else's car.

Because nothing is perfect in this world, we have to point out the two biggest disadvantages to the Car Caddie as we've experienced it: 1) It will swing rather maddeningly against the window when the vehicle is in motion; 2) Because the user is pulling on the door while using the Car Caddie you will still have to brace the door, or it will want to close. 

The Handybar is a strong padded steel handle that slips securely into the U-shaped striker plate on the door frame of most cars and trucks. Like the arm of a sturdy chair, the Handybar provides a stable and secure "grab bar" to lean your weight on while rising from a car or truck seat. It will neither damage the door frame, nor can it move the door like the Car Caddie will.

When not in use the Handybar fits in the door pocket or wherever you want to store it. It must be removed before you can close the door. As a little extra it also incorporates a razor to slice the seatbelt in an emergency, and it can be used to break out the car window in an emergency. We've never yet had a use for these two "additions," but they're always nice to have.

At two pounds of steel, this is not as convenient to carry around from car to car, but it can certainly be done.

The biggest disadvantages to the Handybar are, 1) the fact that it MUST be removed before you can close the door. Everyone will forget it at least once, guaranteed. 2) if your elder tends to want to pull UP when using the handle, it will slide up and out. You may have to keep an eye out for this behavior.

We've found that of the three options, the Handybar has been the most useful, especially for the "I can do it myself" brigade who don't want you to physically assist any more than necessary. It certainly reduces the need to run around the car in circles opening and closing windows and holding doors.

However, never forget that nothing takes the place of having an arm ready to grab, just in case.