• If you use a wheelchair or need to
sit while cooking, hang an unbreakable mirror (toy or auto supply stores)
at an angle above the stove so that you can see into the pots on the stovetop.
• Dysom, a foam-like product which is
commonly placed under rugs to keep them from slipping, is a great jar opener.
It can be purchased from home improvement stores. Paint can openers and
bottle openers can also be used to pry apart the lid and jar so the jar
can be opened with less hand strength.
• Place a piece of non-slip plastic shelf
lining under a dish to keep it from sliding on the table.
• Choose pots, pans and utensils that
have flat handles. They are much
easier to grip. For larger pots and pans,
choose ones with handles on each side so that you can lift them without
gripping.
• If you use a wheelchair, have the doors
and shelves removed from cabinets under your sink.
• Put a lazy Susan on a refrigerator shelf
or cabinet shelf. This will make it easier to reach items that tend to
disappear in the back.
• If you use a wheelchair, set a flat
board on your lap to help carry things around the kitchen. You might want
to use one of those bean-filled lap desks or a metal cookie sheet for a
base. Make sure the surface is heat-proof to avoid burns.
• To stabilize a mixing bowl, set it in
a drawer and shut the drawer against the bowl’s sides, lean against the
drawer to keep pressure on the bowl’s sides, which prevents it from rotating
as you stir or beat the ingredients in it.
• Choose knives that are lightweight and
balanced so that the handle is about as heavy as the blade. If you cannot
easily grip the knife, balance it in the crook of your hand to guide it
and let the weight and sharpness do the cutting.
• Keep an extended reacher handy to make
it easier to reach things on higher shelves.
• Keep items that you use the most near
the front of the cabinets and in places you can reach. Consider having
pullout shelves installed in your cabinets.
• To make the refrigerator door or cabinet
doors easier to open, tie a loop of ribbon or rope around the door handle.
Slip your forearm through the loop and pull the door open.
• Put a towel or fabric mat under appliances
on your counter. This makes it easier to pull the appliance to the front
of the counter.
• Use a long-handled spoon to help lift
pot lids. This helps balance the weight of the lid.
For more information:
ABLEDATA, 8630 Fenton Street, Suite
930, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 800-227-0216
<http://www.abledata.com/text2/default.htm>
Ableware, 973-628-7600 <http://www.maddak.com>
Easy Things to Make… To Make Things
Easy, by Doreen Greenstein. Brookline Books: MA. 1997.
Maxi-Aids Products catalog, 800-522-6294
<http://www.maxiaids.com/>
Mealtime Manual for People with Disabilities
and the Aging: Meal preparation and training by
Judith Lannefeld Klinger and the Howard
Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
856-848-1000 Email: <orders@slackinc.com>
Oxo Good Grips by General Housewares,
800-545-4411 <http://worldkitchen.com/brands/oxo/index.asp>