Cutlery solutions

This section covers - ergonomic cutlery and foam tubing for cutlery handles. See the menu to the left for other dining and kitchen aids.

Along with sleeping, eating is the other daily activity that is a vital necessity of life. However, carrying plates and holding items like a knife and a fork can become more difficult as a result of age, arthritis, or other types of infirmity.

These difficulties can however be averted in many cases by using ergonomic cutlery and crockery where the design takes account of the difficulty of holding these items.

Ergonomic cutlery

Ergonomic cutlery includes the like of knives, forks and spoons, although many larger food preparation utensils are also available in this format.

The different features that these special cutlery items have vary and they can be selected based on personal preference or for general ease of use.

Nearly all ergonomic cutlery will have enlarged handles. These handles will be considerably thicker (larger in circumference) than regular cutlery and they will normally be made from a lightweight foam or rubber. Gentle ridges or a profiled shape may also be included in the handle’s design in order the help the security of the user’s grip.

These designs offer a number of benefits, but the main one is the removal of the need for a tight and flexible finger grip. This design concept is based on the fact that it is easier to grip a larger diameter handle than a smaller one.

Further choices in handle design can include very enlarged handles, a handle with a curve, or a handle that is shaped to the finger grip profile of the hand.

When the use of cutlery is not only affected by the difficulty of holding it, but also by the limitations of twisting the wrist and elbow to allow the utensil to be directed into the mouth, angled cutlery can be used.

Angled cutlery sees the functional part of the cutlery (i.e. the fork, knife or spoon head) set at a different angle to the handle. This can make the cutlery easier to use and it means that the part of the cutlery that is holding the food (e.g. the spoon head) will already be directed towards the person’s mouth as they raise it to towards them. This type of design simplifies the hand and arm movements necessary for eating and makes dining a less challenging experience. Some manufactures of this type of cutlery design a flexibility into the utensil that allows the ideal handle-to-head angle to be set after sale by the user.

Foam tubing for cutlery

Holding the often narrow and not necessarily ergonomic handles of tableware and cutlery can be awkward for some people. These items can be difficult to hold and even harder to manipulate and control.

Whilst buying new ergonomic easy-grip cutlery is one solution, another option is to retain the existing cutlery and add a wider ergonomic handle to it. This can be done very easily with special purpose designed foam tubing.

Special foam tubing for cutlery handles can be purchased in different internal diameters and in fixed lengths that can be cut down to suit the needs of any user and their cutlery set. Typical “sell” lengths are one metre (or one yard) and the tubing is very easy to cut.

This foam is normally hypoallergenic, dishwasher safe and it will not absorb water. It comes in a variety of different colours and is easy to maintain. It has a long lifespan.