Dining, drinking and kitchen aids
This section covers easy use (e.g. easy grip) and ergonomically designed kitchen and tableware aids and devices. These aids can make dining, drinking and preparing food less challenging and, in so doing, reduce or remove dependency on a carer.
The links below will take you to detailed information about each of the listed items enabling you to get a fuller picture of the types of dining, drinking and kitchen aids that are available. For some general information about these aids, please read the rest of this page.
- Dining, drinking and kitchen aids - main page
- Cutlery solutions - ergonomic cutlery and cutlery-handle tubing
- More cutlery aids - holders, weighted, wrap around the wrist, and one handed cutlery
- Crockery and dinnerware solutions
- Cups – easy hold, ergonomic, spouts
- Special cups – Dysphagia and level indicating
- Openers for jars, bottles and cans etc
- Kettle tipper, non slip mat, tap (faucet) turners
- Dining tray (chair and bed)
As a result of illness, age, arthritis, sensitivity, reduced muscle strength or infirmness of any kind, the activities of holding, carrying and controlling everyday objects can become a challenge. This is never more true than when eating, drinking and preparing food. In many cases this is for no other reason than that the holding point of a utensil is difficult to grip or handle and, when this is the case, there are numerous design solutions that can overcome this problem.
In many instances the problematic objects may be common place items like cutlery, plates, or a jar with a screw-on lid. However, if your ability to grip and steadily hold any of these items becomes impaired, the quality of your life and of your independence can be reduced.
The solution – ergonomic design
If you experience difficulties when picking things up, holding things, or feeling secure and in control of cutlery and plates, rest assured, there is probably a solution to your problem.
More and more eating, drinking and food preparation utensils are being made with ergonomic design as their primary goal and this makes the activities of dining and cooking much easier. Ergonomics means that objects are designed to be easy to use and easy to handle, even if for someone who finds gripping difficult or tiring.
There are many different ways of designing “holding and gripping” features into cutlery, plates and kitchenware. It can be done by changing the size and shape of handles, the feel and texture of the grips, and the ways in which holding points are shaped so that they naturally mould around the fingers.
The weight and balance of items like knifes, forks and spoons can also be altered to make them easier to use. This is particularly helpful for anyone who has difficulty holding, coordinating or balancing an object in their hand.
With many small items the process of increasing the size, especially the thickness (diameter), of a handle or holding point can make that object much easier to grip - cutlery handles are a good example. Changing the shape of a handle or holding point so that it makes a comfortable fit between fingers (or into a gripping hand) can also make holding, manipulating and controlled carrying easier.
What types of dining and kitchen aids are available?
The list above (and in the left hand index) covers most of the cutlery, dinnerware and kitchen utensil aids that are currently available.
Common examples include cutlery items like knives, forks and spoons, along with high rimmed plates and divider or partition plates. These items, although common place, can be critical to normal living and, by doing something as simple as giving them a large diameter handle with a soft textured feel, they become much easier to hold and use.
Other aids include gadgets that remove the tab off a drinks can (soda can), devices for opening tins, cups with ergonomic handles and spouts, and even kettle tippers - to name but a few.
If you are aware of any dining, drinking or kitchen aid that we have omitted, please contact us by email so that we can rectify the omission.
