Sounds like you made a great choice!

In case you end up needing another idea:

When one of my friends had abdominal surgery, another friend suggested a picker-upper stick. It was about two and a half feet long, with a magnet and a two prong thing at the end that could be squeezed together with a little lever thing on the handle.

My friend still tells me that it was about the best gift ever.

So, if your friend has problems bending over or something, a picker-upper stick might be good.