Kitchen and Mealtime Gadgets
Working in the kitchen can be a great joy, but with the onset of injury, age or disability it can become increasingly frustrating as everyday tasks become more awkward to perform.
The following gadgets and gismos are designed to make everyday kitchen tasks simpler and more achievable.
Meal prep: Preparing meals can be challenging if you no longer have full working use of both hands. Some suggestions for working around this include:
* A kettle tipper which holds the jug/kettle in place and can be pushed or tipped on its frame (rather than lifted) to pour a drink
* A pan handle holder which attaches to a stove top via a magnet or suction cups and stabilises the saucepan handle to eliminate movement when stirring.
* Suction cups or non slip matting attached or placed under items such as mixing bowls, chopping boards or food plates to assist in holding them in place.
* Rust proof spikes fixed into a chopping board to hold food in place while it is being chopped or peeled. Raised edging along the chopping board to act as a stabiliser when buttering bread.
Other useful kitchen aids include:
* Bottle and jar openers including models designed to provide extra grip and leverage when opening ring pull cans, soft drink and juice bottles, and child proof pill bottles.
* Can openers; manual, wall mounted or electric.
* Devices to assist in taking the strain off hands and fingers when carrying shopping bags.
* Long handled reachers to assist with cleaning the back of the oven, pushing in/pulling out oven racks, reaching and turning a hard to get stove knob, or grabbing a tin out from the back of the cupboard.
* If decreased vision is an issue a talking kitchen scale or liquid level indicator which makes a buzzing sound when the liquid nears the top of the cup.
* A tray mobile for carrying heavy items between the kitchen and the dining table.
* Cooking utensils with larger built up handles and/or moulded grips for decreased hand strength or dexterity.
* Vegetable peelers with larger, contoured grips or angled blades.
* A right angled knife for food preparation. These keep the wrist in a more neutral position and encourage sawing action for cutting. This encourages the use of the larger, stronger arm muscles and taking some of the strain off the small joints of the hand.
Mealtime: There is a range of adaptive equipment which may assist during mealtime, including:
Cutlery:
* Cutlery with larger built up handles and/or moulded grips. Foam tubing can be used to build up the handles of existing cutlery or utensils and is a cheaper alternative to purchasing new items.
* Weighted cutlery may be used to provide additional control over unwanted tremors
* Lightweight cutlery for decreased hand strength.
* Cutlery coated with a soft plastic to protect the teeth of users who have a strong biting reflex.
* Deeper bowls and angled cutlery heads for decreased movement of the shoulders, wrists and /or arms
* If eating with only one hand, a rocker knife or combination cutlery (i.e. a spoon combined with a fork or fork with a knife) may be of use. If using the combined cutlery it is important to be aware of sharp edges if there is decreased sensation in the mouth or shaky movements of the hand.
* An adjustable hand strap for holding utensils without using fingers. The strap wraps around the palm of the hand and the cutlery slides into a little pouch on the side.
Plates:
* Adding suction cups or non slip matting to the bottom of a plate to hold it in place when eating.
* A plate with a raised edge, or adding a clip on plate guard to the side of a flat plate, to prevent food from slipping off the side of the plate, or if only using one utensil to eat with, to provide a solid edge to push food up against.
* Some plates have in build heat retaining systems to help keep food warm for slower eaters.
Cups:
* Cups with two handles to provide extra stability.
* Cups with cut out sections for the nose to assist if the user can not tip their head back to drink.
* Cups with larger, moulded handles.
* A feeder spout can eliminate any chance of spills and help direct liquid to the mouth.
* Plastic cups are slow to conduct heat and may be useful for decreased hand sensation.
* An insulated cup to keep liquid warm for slow drinkers.
* A cup with a weight in the bottom to improve control in the case of hand tremors. However users need to be aware of increased fatigue with the increased load.
* Straws with a non-return valve to prevent the liquid from draining back into the cup.
Other things to consider:
Sometimes the environment we work in can be just as significant as the gadgets that we use and it is important to keep this in mind. Consider the layout of the kitchen, such as the location of cooking utensils and food items, the height of benches and work surfaces. Think about where people will be eating and how the food and utensils will be taken there. Could a tray mobile be of assistance? Could re-arranging the location of heavy, frequently used items assist?
For further information on kitchen gadgets, kitchen layout and design or to make an appointment to view the large range of kitchen and mealtime gadgets on display, please contact the Independent Living Centre: www.ilc.asn.au/
*Source: Disability SA Independent Living Centre
