| Using Utensils Assistive Technology That Can Help Helpful Tips - Wrapping rubber tubing or foam lining from hair curlers, sponges or washcloths around utensils makes them easier to grip.
- Larger, thicker utensils are often easier to hold and use than thin, flat silverware.
- A utensil hand grip fits around the hand and has a gripper to hold silverware; it allows independent eating without using fingers.
- Some utensils are bendable and may be shaped to the easiest angle for holding.
- Weighted utensils are often easier to use.
- If cutting food is hard, try a rocker knife. One type of rocker knife looks like regular silverware but has a blade that is larger and rounded at the tip so it can cut by rocking back and forth.
- A roller knife or 'Ulu' knife has a bar across for gripping and a curved blade that rocks back and forth to cut food. This is an item that is often available in stores that specialize in kitchenware.
- A knife-fork combination cuts food with a rocking motion but has no sharp edges and is particularly helpful for people with use of one hand. http://www.dynamic-living.com/category/utensils/
- A spork is a combination of a fork and a spoon and may provide better scooping control than either a fork or spoon.
Back to Top Assistive Technology that can help
Helpful Tips
Eating - There are several different types of plates that provide more independence in eating. Some plates have a lower front and higher back to make scooping into the mouth and scooping food from the back of the plate to the front easier.
- Compartmentalized plates keep types of food separated.
- A plate with a grooved lip helps to hold utensils in place.
- Portable food guards or 'lips' are easy to use and fit around any plate. Food guards prevent food from being pushed off the plate while scooping.
- A dish with a high rim can do the same thing--like a bowl, pie plate, or casserole dish.
- Serving soup in a cup makes it easier to sip and spoon without spills.
- A lazy susan is a round platform that spin around and makes it easier to reach condiments and dishes. Lazy susan turntables are available in many stores and home decor internet sites. Lazy susan organizers are also great in cabinets.
- You can raise the height of a table with inexpensive furniture risers or even heavy blocks of wood--just make sure the table is stable.
- Placemats that are of a non-skid foam or foam-backed can help stabilize plates and cups.
Eating in Bed- For people who need to eat in bed, a wedge-shaped cusion behind the back will help people be in a more comfortable position for eating and swallowing.
- A breakfast or serving tray provides a sturdy area for eating. Covering the tray with a towel or rubber-backed mat can keep plates and cups from slipping.
- Vacuum cups like the Wonder-Flow cup lets you drink while lying flat on your back or on your side.
- Cups with lids and Flexible straws are also very helpful for people who must eat or dreak in bed.
Back to Top Drinking Assistive Technology That Can Help Helpful Tips
- A Melaware cup has a thin stem and is good when finger strength is limited. The thumb and forefinger fit around it easily.
- A straw holder mounts a straw to any glass or cup.
- A flexible straw or an extra long straw can solve problems with holding cups while sipping.
- There are many types of cups that can make drinking easier, like these:
- Travel cups used in cars, to help avoid spills.
- If you have poor coordination, a cup with handles on both sides makes holding and drinking easier. A Tommee Tippee cup is an example.
- Some cups have a cut-out for the nose so you can drink without choking or having to tip the head back.
- Mugs that are insulated are easier for those with sensitive skin to hold to hold cold or hot drinks.
- Using dishwasher-safe plastic glasses and mugs keeps work to a minimum since they don't shatter if dropped.
- The Wonder-Flo vacuum cup (Sammons Preston) lets you drink while lying down or on your side without spilling.
- A stretch-knit coaster or foam cozy around a glass provides a firmer grip.
- Strips of adhesive tape, rubber decals, or adhesive backed bathtub safety treads wrapped in a spiral around a glass makes the glass much easier to grip.
- Consider attaching a cup-holder to the arm of a wheelchair so cups and mugs can be kept in a more easily reachable place.
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