I’m baack!!!
November 11, 2008
Hello everyone! I apologize for the lack of updates on this blog. I’m here to say I’m back and actively working on the most interesting gadgets I can find to make things easier for our daily living.
One population of people that I work with are people who have had strokes. This is all too common and recovering from a stroke is difficult. It is my role as an occupational therapist to assist people to do just that: recover their lives.
The people I work with work long and hard to get the connection from their brain to their muscles to get their arm and hand working again. This can happen rapidly or slowly. It all depends on the location and severity of the stroke.
Some people need to compensate by using only one hand, their unaffected hand, to do their daily living tasks. Some activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, grooming, and toileting, for example) are clearly two handed activities. People must re-learn these tasks and sometimes gadgets make it easier.
In honor of the courageous people recovering from strokes, here are a few of my favorite one-handed gadgets that can truly help these activities to be done easier: the one-handed can opener, a hands free soap dispenser and Dycem.
One-Handed Can Opener from TheKitchenStore.com
This is a great gadget that reallly works and it costs $14.99 plus shipping.
The Touch Free Counterop Soap Dispenser from 1-800Wheelchair.com
This is more awesome than it looks!
It runs on batteries and uses Infrared technology that can be used for soap, lotions or hand sanitizer.
It makes life easier for someone who only has one functional hand. No installation required.
The cost: $45.00 plus shipping from 1-800wheelchair.com
Non-Slip Pads for eating/cooking/gadget placement: Ideal for one-handed activities
Found on www.sammonspreston.com, these are called “Dycem”. They are pads of varying sizes that can be used to stabilize plates, cups, mixing bowls and many other things.
These vary in price from $13.49 to $42.95. They are washable, reusable and last a long time.
These are ideal for people with only one hand that is functional. Oh yes! They are latex-free!
