Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year and have a guest joining you who may have lost some dexterity with their hands or wrists? Will one of your guests at the table be someone who is managing Parkinson's disease? Or rheumatoid arthritis?
One additional way you can express your thanks for having them join you for this holiday about gratitude is to be prepared with adaptive eating utensils and tools that will help them enjoy their dinner, rather than become frustrated by it.
1. Melaware Adaptive Cutlery
Adaptive cutlery like these utensils with melaware handles can help people who have trouble forming their hand to grip thin forks, spoons, and knives like standard silverware.
Adaptive cutlery makes the handles thicker so that your guest won't have to close their grip so small. A larger handle will be more comfortable to grasp and less painful and frustrating.
The angled knife blade will cut if the person can make limited slicing or rocking motions with their arms and wrists. More »
2. Dine With Dignity Utensils
Dine With Dignity Utensils were invented by an executive chef who became paralyzed in an auto accident. In the diagram, you'll see loops that are attached to the utensil handles. Insert your fingers in any way that works comfortably. With these, one should expect to be able to dine unassisted.More »
3. Utensil Straps
Utensil straps attach to spoons, forks, and knives with an accompanying strap that wraps around the user's hand. This secures the utensil in the person's hand and prevents them from dropping their fork as they raise it, filled with mashed potatoes, to their mouth.
Good Grips makes the straps shown in this picture, but there are other models that use slightly different straps, wraps, and clips, but all have the same design intent: to prevent people from dropping their cutlery.More »
4. Non-Skid Dinnerware Dishes
Non-skid dishes and bowls are helpful for people who:
- are able to use only one hand
- are blind
- have limited muscle control in their shoulders, arms, wrists, or hands
The plate or bowl remains in place on the table while the user presses and scoops their utensil against the inner lip of the dish in order to scoop their food. There are many dish and bowl sizes and shapes available as options from which to choose.More »
5. Drinking Aids
There are also a variety of aids for drinking as well. These tools reduce spills, make it easier for someone with motor skill loss to grip cups and glasses, and enable people to drink who are not able to tilt their head back far enough to drink from a standard glass.
This last challenge is what the "Nosey" cup solves. You see an elegant glass version pictured here, just right for the Thanksgiving table. Nosey cups allow one to tip the glass back without their nose blocking the way, thus saving them from needing to tilt their head back, which some people cannot do.
Other drinking aids include:
- Dysphagia cups, which help people drink who usually have difficulty swallowing. Dysphagia cups are designed to let the user tuck their chin while they drink, which usually makes it easier to swallow.
- Spillproof cups
- Two-Handle Cups
6. 6 Supplies to Aid Daily Living
For other assistive devices and daily living aids that can help around the house, check out my article, "6 Supplies to Aid Daily Living." It will give you product ideas for other ways someone may need help around the house, and getting to the Thanksgiving dinner table.
For example:
- gadgets to make it easier to get in and out of the car
- devices for fastening your seatbelt more easily
- digital talking alarm clock
- dressing aids to help someone put on their clothes without another person's help
- aids for reaching and gripping items that are out of reach