Must Have Cutlery for Disabled and Elderly

Aging makes it difficult for the elderly to complete daily tasks without any assistance. Moreover, disabled, and injured people struggle with many different things in their everyday life. 

Say, cooking and eating food, which the elderly find extremely tough to do independently. These people lose the strength and flexibility to hold the handles or grips of the utensils. These people need simple yet effective assistive cutlery to help them do the same in a much easier way.  

Here are some handpicked cutlery for disabled and elderly that you must have. 

2-in-1 cutter:

To prepare vegetables or just have fruits or salad, one needs to chop the vegetables or fruits. What if I told you that you can have scissors like a blade that is razor free and helps you do the same. Well, a 2-in-1 cutter helps the elderly to cut things more safely and makes the process less messy and hassle free. 

It comes with a plastic handle, which helps with easy gripping. It has a power handle and a spring that makes this process faster. It also helps you to slice the meat and vegetables faster by making the cutting process easy.

Infuser Spoon:

An infuser is an essential type of children’s cutlery. It helps you add the favorite flavor and essence to the food items. This way you can add taste to the food and let the elderly as well as the small children have all the nutrients and let them develop the taste of food which they need to develop. This spoon helps you add spices and herbs to the food. 

For this, you just need to place the seasoning in the strainer and after closing the cap, you need to place it in the pot or the soup. After a few minutes, you can remove it and enjoy the food.

Silicone Kitchen Spatula Set:

Cooking is a skill set that you need to acquire. It requires the right tools and ingredients. You need to have the right spatula set for your everyday cooking. You need a spatula to prepare food in bowls and pans. 

A silicone spatula is not sharp enough for anyone to get hurt and also helps you in scraping and basting the food more easily. It is also light in weight and is much simpler to clean. Children can also use it for baking and barbecues.

Plate Guard:

Plate guards are also one of the most prominent children’s cutlery. It is a plastic protective ring or a wall that fastens around a standard plate providing a shield. It helps in scooping and guarding the food on the plate from being spilled.

It helps the kids as well as the elderly to provide extra support for those struggling with the food on the plate. This plate's surround guards also push the food up against its walls to make it easier for them to eat with a fork or a spoon. As it acts as a barrier so food does not fall on the table. These are simple to attach to the plates and bowls kitchen aids that can help the elderly and save you a lot of time that could have been gone in cleaning. This makes them feel independent and has a sense of control over their actions which is much needed at that time.

Conclusion:

Cutlery for disabled and elderly with muscle disability or for elderly in general needs to be lightweight, made with a good grip and easy to clean. It is most beneficial if it is made from plastic. These adaptive kitchen aids are also called children’s cutlery because even children need spoons with a good grip or a mug with a big handle. These tools make the food making as well as the food eating process simpler and easier so that you can enjoy every bite of your food. 

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Top 5 Assistive Equipment Needed for Immobile People

 Assistive equipment are the devices that are used to help a person and perform a particular task. Many people with disabilities depend on assistive devices. These external devices help them to carry out daily activities and be productive. The type of mobility aid required depends on the issue and the injury. 

Here are the top 5 assistive equipment needed for immobile people for easy functioning.

1. Wheelchairs:

One of the most commonly used assistive devices is the wheelchair. It promotes mobility and helps people with walking difficulties like the elderly to enhance their life. It is a mobility aid that helps users in providing mobility assistance. With the help of it, users can engage in social activities, work, and study as well. It helps reduce pressure sores and stops the progression of deformities. 

Wheelchair and scooter ramps complement each other. Scooter lamps also help your wheelchair when you do not find the ramps. It makes the users feel safe and independent by making the climbing process on the ramp unassisted and easy. Portable scooter ramps work best in such scenarios. 

Such assistive devices are a necessity both indoors as well as for outdoor mobility. There are many types of ramps and wheelchairs available. You should make a choice which best suits you. 

2. Canes:

Canes or walking sticks are similar to crutches, it helps support the body weight and transmit the weight from your legs to the upper body. 

These are designed to provide balanced support in standing and walking. It also helps the user take the pressure off the legs, making them feel safe and secure while walking. Eventually that reduces pain and improves stability. 

These days you will find many types of canes. Such as a white cane which is specifically designed for visually impaired people or a quad cane which has 4 feet and helps provide a wider base for more stability. You need to choose the best fit for them. 

3. Crutches:

Crutches help transfer the weight of the legs to the upper body. Theta are also helpful in pairs or as a single piece of equipment as well. It is mostly important for the person with short-term injuries or permanent disabilities to keep the person upright. 

It helps the patients who need to use their arms for weight-bearing and not just for balance. It helps improve stability for people with weaker lower strength and poor balance. 

There are many different types of crutches available like underarm or axillary crutches where a crutch is placed against the ribcage under the armpits, and you need to hold on to the handgrip or a forearm crutch or just platform crutches where you need to find the one which is best suited to them.

4. Walkers:

Walkers or zimmer frames are necessary for people with balance issues who are afraid of falling or are just recovering from surgery or injury and have difficulty walking. It also helps the user to walk safely by providing  balanced stability, helping them go for long walks by lessening the stress on the body, and giving extra support and the chance to rest if needed. 

Some walkers have wheels, and some have glides on the base. So, it becomes easier for the user to not lift it and just roll or glide it. 

There are different types of walkers like rollators or knee walkers. You need to find out which one will work best for you.

5. Walking Stick:

A walking stick is a mobility aid used for the elderly to assist them to maintain their balance. It helps the users to lift from the ground and is also used while hiking on uneven terrain. 

It helps to take the weight off the feet, and be independent by providing the support they need. 

A common stick has a rubber grip at the end, but there are many different types of walking sticks available in the market. Like a wooden stick, a metal stick, or a foldable walking stick. You can go with a tripod or quadruped walking stick as well. You need to find the best fit for yourself.

Conclusion:

People with a disability or injured people with mobility issues have an increased risk of falling.  So, you need to choose your mobility aids carefully which is your best fit. 

Assistive devices provide independence, reduce pain, and help increase confidence and self-esteem. For many people with disabilities, mobility issues are a major concern, especially for the elderly. Technology helps with mobility aids, especially for the disabled. Ramps, grab bars and other assistive devices are helpful for them.

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6 Must Have Bathroom Safety Aids for Elderly

If this pandemic has taught us something, it is to be safe in our everyday lives. People in general need to take a little better care of themselves, especially the things that are in their control. Like using the bathroom. But elderly people and people with mobility issues face challenges even for that.  

The bathroom is especially a dangerous place for the elderly people. It is a small space with hard surfaces, edgy corners and slippery floors. It is an ideal place for falls and injuries. So, people with mobility issues and elderly people need to take extra care while using the bathroom. 

To ensure that your loved ones don’t face any discomfort in the bathroom, here are 6 must have bathroom safety aids that you need.

1. Non-Slippery Mats

Precautions like placing a non-slippery rubber or silicone mats on the bathroom floor can prevent falls from slippery floors. Elderly people can even use a non-skid bath rug outside the tub for firm footing. Other assistive assets like a bath seat for elderly, or a disabled shower seat should be used in addition with this. Also, elderly can try dry-showers when they have injuries or sprains.

2. Shower Seat

Showering with a seat is the most advantageous thing when the elderly has sustained an injury. It provides a comfortable and safe place. Causing least contact with the slippery floor making it less prone to falling and injuries. As a caregiver, you can add a supportive hand bar to provide a grip to hold on to while sitting down or standing up so that they do not lose their balance. Showers provided with seats are the perfect solution for wheelchair users or walker users.

3. Walk-in wheelchair

A walk-in wheelchair is best for the elderly people, where this chair helps to transfer the elderly sit outside of the tub and hold on to the bars to swing their legs over.

4. Handheld Showers

Another bathroom safety product is a handheld showerhead. With a pressure button control and a good grip to hold, it is an inexpensive tool which helps with adjustable flow which works well with the arthritic patients.

5. Safety Light

A safety light is also a lifesaver. While getting up in the night, one can easily lose balance, eyesight and this leads to compromising cognitive awareness. This light helps adjust the brightness. It automatically lessens the brightness to see during the nighttime. 

6. Low- Toilet Seats

Low toilet seats also create an issue for such people. There is no day in our life where we do not use the toilet seats. You need to make sure that you make it adjustable to their heights, so it is easy for them to use it. 

Making small changes like ensuring all the essential items are within their reach of their disabled shower seat makes the process less prone to falls and injuries. Every essential item should be in the arm’s reach from the chair. A shower caddy can help in this area. Where you can place all the showering essentials including brushes, showering gel, soaps, and shampoos in it and mount it on the bathroom wall. You can optimize it by adding a dispenser for easy use of soaps and shampoos. Also, it can be used as a holding bar for sitting and standing up.

There are no guarantees that falls can be avoided, even with the help of these safety measures. But it can be reduced. The chances of falling and sustaining a serious injury is greatly reduced if proper precautions are taken. You need to take care of the elderly and make sure that the bathroom is secure to use. Most of the assistive assets are inexpensive like bath seat for elderly.  Making such small changes lessens the chances of big injuries. You need to make your bathroom safe and upgraded for the elderly people.

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Hitting the Sack in Later Years

Quality sleep makes for a quality day, so searching for the right mattress and bed pillow is worth the effort. Bear in mind that one mattress or pillow does not fit all, as we all find sleep in our own personally chosen positions.

Restful Sleep

The freshness of a young person or young adult’s body can quickly pull itself out of a less than comfortable sleep. The older person’s body needs more assurance of quality sleep, to support a happy and ache-free day.

The human frame does not lend itself to lying completely flat. For the person who sleeps on their back, the neck area is short of support, as it may rest several inches above the mattress.

For the person who sleeps on their side, the gap between the shoulder and head is even greater.

For the person who sleeps on their front, the head rests twisted to one side, to allow for breathing.

People find restful sleep in many different sleeping positions, including curled up like a ball, as well as with legs raised and bending at the knees.

Restful sleep means finding a mattress and bed pillow which will fill the spaces created by the sleeping position adopted.

Mattresses

There are many types of mattresses including memory foam, innerspring, latex, airbed and hybrid.

Mattresses can range from soft to hard and firm.

Your preferred sleeping position may indicate that one type of mattress will prove the best for you.

Sleeping on Your Back

A firm mattress is a good choice for a back sleeper, as it provides even and stable support. The firmness allows the pressure of the body to be evenly distributed.

Sleeping on Your Side

A side sleeper will benefit from a soft to medium mattress, as the unevenness of the body on the side will be able to sink into the ‘softer’ mattress. A harder mattress may cause your arm to go numb from the pressure it takes.

Memory foam is a really good choice for side sleepers, as the curvature of the body can sink into it and thus give a high level of pressure relief. Those of heavier build may opt for a firmer mattress, which will still allow them to sink into it.

Sleeping on Your Front

A medium or firm mattress is best for front sleepers, as it helps maintain the alignment of the spine. Sinking into a softer mattress could promote back pain, by causing your spine to curve.

The Overall Best Position for Quality Sleep

It is believed that sleeping on your side or back will give better quality sleep, as the support given reduces the pressure on spinal tissue muscles and allows your muscles to feel more relaxed.

The Worst Sleeping Position

The worst sleeping position is being curled up like a ball whilst on your side, with knees brought up towards the face and the head curled down. This position can restrict breathing and also bring on neck and back pain.

Pillows – How They Contribute to Blissful Sleep

Once the best sleeping position is established, the right filling and right shape bed pillow can make the difference between sleep and restful sleep.

Bed pillows are not only for the head but can support the body at other points too.

Front sleepers may require no pillow, as sleeping on one’s front allows a lower angle of the neck, which means that the neck is in better spinal alignment with the rest of the spine.

For back and side sleepers, sleeping without a pillow could lead to snoring and other sleep disturbances, as well as to headaches, neck pain and back ache.

Choosing Well

When we talk about pillows, we need to think about pillow loft – the height which a pillow provides you with when it is compressed. Getting the right pillow loft / pillow height (e.g. 4 to 5 inches / 10 to 13 cms.) will help give you the support needed when you are in repose. The correct height will not make your neck turn in or turn out but will keep your spine fully aligned.

Back sleepers will benefit from a pillow which offers medium to firm support, as this firmness will keep the head and also the neck in line with the spine.

The head of a side sleeper will be even higher from the mattress, so the perfect pillow will be high loft, with a height of between five and seven inches. A medium firmness pillow will cushion the head and help keep the spine aligned.

With their head resting fully on the pillow, a front sleeper will need only a thin loft of around 3 inches, or no pillow at all, as the head will need only minimal height to align with the spine.

For the person who changes position during the night, latex or shredded memory foam bed pillows are mouldable and so can cope with changes during sleep.

Pillow Fillings

The most common filling tends to be polyester, a soft pillow which raises your head slightly. Pillows can also be filled with cotton, wool, memory foam, latex, microbeads, feathers, down, water, gel, inner springs and other materials.

Cotton pillows may prove to be thin but are a good choice for people who have allergies. Be aware that, over time, the pillow may absorb sweat and will show signs of mildew.

Wool pillows are soft and fluffy. They are a little more expensive to buy and must be dry-cleaned only.

Memory foam pillows create a contour when laid on and so give really good support to the head and neck. The memory foam adjusts quickly to movement and so gives constant, tailored support. These pillows come with shredded foam, or as block foam.

Latex pillows are available in both shredded and block latex. A bed pillow made from natural latex is biodegradable and eco-friendly. If you are allergic to latex, a memory foam pillow will be the next best choice.

Latex offers excellent pressure relief and is resistant to mould, mildew and dust mites.

As named, microbead bed pillows are filled with microbeads and make contouring a simple task. Microbeads are cooling but not eco-friendly.

Feather pillows are not soft, though they are durable and supportive. Feathers tend to come from ducks or geese. As feathers tend to clump together, these pillows need to be fluffed up occasionally.

The material for down bed pillows comes from the underbelly of ducks and geese and so the material is much finer. Down is not hypoallergenic and a down alternative comes in the form of polyester. The alternative is not as warm or as durable as down but is less expensive, mouldable and easy to look after.

The support given by a water pillow depends on how much water you put in the pillow. This type of pillow is quite firm and doesn’t contour satisfactorily.

A gel pillow will also contain some other material; most commonly, memory foam. This cool type of pillow is firm and hypoallergenic. The cool sensation can relieve neck pain and also help reduce pressure.

An innerspring pillow will also contain memory foam or polyester as its outer layer. The inner springs allow a good through flow of air and so help you keep cool.

Pillow Sizes

Bed pillows come in a range of sizes, including:

• Standard – 20 inches x 26 inches (51cms. x 66 cms.).
• Super standard – 20 inches x 28 inches (51 cms. x 71 cms.).
• Queen – 20 inches x 30 inches (51 cms. x 76 cm.).

Standard, super standard and queen all fit snugly into a standard pillowcase (20 to 21 inches x 30 to 32 inches (51 to 53 cms. x 76 to 81 cms.).

• King – 20 inches x 36 inches (51 cms. x 92 cms.).

King-size waterproof pillows need pillowcases measuring 20 to 21 inches x 36 to 41 inches (51 to 53 cms. x 92 to 105 cms.).

• Body – 20 inches x 54 inches (51 cms. x 137 cms.).

A specific pillowcase will be needed for body pillows.

The longer king pillow is a good choice for people who toss and turn when asleep. The extra length is good for lumbar support and ideal if placed behind you when you’re sitting up to read, or to watch the television.

A body pillow can curve to adjust to the shape of your body and can give good support to side sleepers.

Pillow Shape

Today’s pillows are not always oblong and come as:

• A wedge pillow (the same shape as a wedge of cheese) is an ideal choice for a back sleeper. Sleeping with the upper body ever so slightly raised improves blood flow and can reduce pressure on the lumbar spine.
The wedge pillow can also be placed under the legs, the slight incline helping prevent blood pooling in the legs.
• Cervical (rounded) bed pillows are used to reduce neck and shoulder pain. Placed round your neck, it holds your head and neck in place and can minimise pain and stiffness.
• Contour pillows are wavy in shape, arched under the neck and also above the head. This bed pillow is highly recommended by chiropractors, as the support to the neck promotes a neutral spine.

Summary

The human form is irregular in shape and so care and thought should be given to finding the right mattress and bed pillow to give maximum support during sleep.

Decide which sleeping position works for you and then purchase accordingly.

Soft may give the thought of comfort but may fall well short of supporting your body when you are lying down.

Seniority brings with it a need to tick all of the boxes as to appropriate mattresses and bed pillows, to ensure quality sleep.

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Keeping on the Move with Mobility Aids

A special aid is a piece of equipment that allows a person with a disability to perform a task equally to a non-disabled person who does not need that piece of equipment.

In the case of individuals who have mobility difficulties, their level of need will depend on their own personal difficulty with mobility and their aspirations.

Age brings with it a weakened frame and so general weakness, balance and standing may no longer be independent tasks, as bad backs, arthritis and long term conditions such as Parkinson’s disease make ‘once taken for granted’ movement and mobility become a little more difficult to perform.

Everyday tasks in the home may call for one type of special aid, whilst being out and about may call for different supporting aids.

Handling Mobility in the Home

Mobility difficulties will affect almost all tasks carried out in the home. For example:

• moving from room to room
• using the toilet and bathing facilities
• using the kitchen
• climbing stairs
• getting to the door, if someone knocks
• tasks such as ironing, hanging up clothes and housework
• general independence.

Handling Issues Inside the Home

Some of the walking support available to get you from one place to another inside your home can come in the form of walking canes, walkers and grab rails.

A walking cane gives support to one side of your body i.e. if your left hip, leg, or foot is not currently giving you full support, holding the cane on the same side of the body teams up with that weakness to give extra support when that side of the body needs to bear weight.

A walking cane takes up no space and can make walking remain comfortable and still an independent task.

A walker is a waist-high framework placed in front of the user, which the user lifts forward about twelve inches (30 cm) and then steps up to it, moving the frame again for the next step forward.

A walking frame gives added support to the lower body, as the shoulders and arms take some of the weight off the hips, legs and feet.

A walker with wheels has the same effect as a walking frame, though it has the added advantage of not needing the user to lift the frame forward but simply to push it into motion. Individuals with limited upper body strength will find the walker with wheels more suitable than the model without wheels.

Walking frames and walkers with wheels work well on even surfaces but meet difficulties on uneven ground.

For individuals who have balance problems, grab rails located at appropriate points can allow the individual to move around the room (e.g. the kitchen or bathroom) with comparative ease.

When it comes to carrying items (e.g. a drink, a meal, or some other item, from one place to another), a food trolley can steady the item(s) for transportation.

Whilst a food trolley is not a mobility aid, it can help keep independence at the forefront of the user’s day-to-day tasks.

Mobility Outside the Home

Once you’re outside the door of your home, mobility difficulties present themselves once again e.g. getting from the front door to where you want to be e.g. the car, bus stop, shop, appointment, restaurant etc..

Whilst walking canes and walkers and, to a limited extent, grab rails located appropriately, might make mobility still manageable in the garden or back yard, longer distances may call on the need for a wheelchair as a mode of mobility-cum-transport.

Choosing the most appropriate wheelchair for the individual’s needs will go a long way to allowing social activity and independence to work hand in hand.

A Wheelchair Fit for Purpose

A wheelchair can be used in the home but a lot depends on the size of the rooms, as extra space is needed for turning in a wheelchair (forward and reverse curved movements to complete a full turn).

In the kitchen, as well as in the bathroom, aisles will need to be wide enough to allow for turning and, in all rooms, door width may need to be somewhat wider than normal door-frames, to allow wheelchair access and egress.

The Prospective User’s Needs and Desires

Whilst a young person may have a lot of energetic needs and desires and may benefit from a sport style wheelchair, a more senior person’s desires might be not so adrenalin-focussed. Lifestyle is therefore the first point to be addressed when deciding which model best meets the user’s needs and desires.

Manual Wheelchairs

A manual wheelchair is, as it says, manually operated, either by the user who will use their upper body strength to manoeuvre the chair via turning the wheels, or by another person in accompaniment, who will push the chair from behind.

Manual wheelchairs don’t need batteries and so don’t need to be regularly charged. They are therefore much lighter in weight than battery-operated models and so easier to transport.

Some designs of manual wheelchair use a hydraulic pump to raise the user to a standing position, which can, with its own built-in support, make the user feel more independent and in keeping with the crowd.

Wheelchairs have a user weight limit and so, for the much larger person, a heavy duty frame can cater for up to 350 lbs. (159 kilos) weight. Made with double cross braces, stronger tubes and heavy duty upholstery, such bariatric chairs are more durable.

The Folding Wheelchair

For the person who still has an active social life, a lightweight, folding wheelchair is a perfect choice for being out and about, though a sturdier wheelchair would be more suitable for day-to-day purposes.

Folding wheelchairs take up little space in a car and are fuss-free for handling, making it easy for whoever is responsible for assembling or disassembling the chair.

Powered Wheelchairs

Though much more expensive, a powered wheelchair moves more easily and does not rely on manual effort.

The battery in a powered wheelchair contributes a lot to the overall weight of this mode of transport, though it does make independence outdoors perfect for those who have upper body ability for steering.

When purchasing a powered wheelchair, be sure to check the battery’s maximum mileage capacity, so as to be able to keep on top of charging the battery in times of need.

Charging overnight is the best time to get the battery up to full capacity but never leave the battery plugged in for long periods of time, as doing so will damage the battery and shorten its life.

Mobility Scooters

Mobility scooters are another popular mode of transport and come as both class 2 and class 3 models.

A class 2 model reaches a speed of four miles an hour and can be used on the pavement.

A class 3 model can reach a speed of eight miles an hour and is to be used on the road though, during practice runs, can be used at the lower speed of four miles an hour on the pavement.

Measuring Up

The human skeleton is not the same shape for all, so a person’s measurements need to be taken, in order to purchase the right size wheelchair.

The suitable depth for an individual should guarantee support from the back of the pelvis to two inches (5 cm) before the bend at the knee. Any closer to the knee fold in the leg could constrict flow of blood circulation.

The width of a wheelchair should not be so wide that it doesn’t support the user’s body.

In the case of a manual wheelchair, the width should take into account the user’s need to reach the wheels without stretching.

Personalising the Wheelchair

Accessorising a wheelchair will make it personal to the user, colour and designs indicating personality and interests.

Accessories will include seat pads, bags and pouches. Great thought should go into what is the best choice of bag and / or pouch, as greater independence will be evident if the user has personal access to his / her belongings.

A wheelchair table is a must, not only for eating and drinking but also for day-to-day activities.

Belts and harnesses give support to the wheelchair user and will be personal to that user’s needs e.g. the need for upper body support, as well as pelvic support to promote a straight spine.

Summary

Later years bring changes to our independence and special aids can help us hold onto our independence for longer.

When choosing the most suitable mobility support for an individual, lifestyle and aspirations should be the leading factors in making the right choice.

Walking canes, walkers with or without wheels and also grab rails can make independent living still comfortably within the senior person’s grasp.

Choosing the right means of support aid for outdoor use is the focal point. Personalising it will come later.

Though manual, a folding wheelchair can play its part in keeping the user socially involved, as it is fuss free, easy to store in a car and quick to assemble and disassemble.

The right seat depth and chair width, when complemented with appropriate belt and any identified need for a supportive harness, help hug the user, keeping them sturdy and safely comfortable.

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