Adaptive Eating Device Research

In this Blog I will review adaptive eating device research, a recent article (May 2020) from the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy.  The article title is:  Adaptive Eating Device:  Performance and Satisfaction of a Person with Parkinson’s Disease. This was a single case study. Although studies with many subjects are more generalizable to a wider population, a single case study design can produce statistical results and important information.  In this study a 60 year old male with Parkinson’s disease was the subject of the study.  The outcome measure was perceived ability with self feeding/utensil use.  This was assessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure.  This is a valid and reliable assessment tool for self care function.  The independent variable was the use of an adaptive utensil with the capability of increasing the weight of the utensil through the addition of water into chambers imbedded in the handle of the utensil. 

This study was conducted in Brazil with the collaboration of Occupational Therapists and engineers who designed the adaptive utensil.  As you can see from the photo above the utensil has a built up grip with ribbing for the fingers and a swivel action of the spoon end.  A swivel utensil allows the spoon end to remain fairly level during movement from the plate to mouth irrespective of plane changes during this movement.  The intervention took place at the subjects home and lasted for 70 consecutive days.  To attain statistical results that are meaningful from a single case design a baseline period of data collection must be taken.  In this case it was an ABC design.  A was the baseline for 21 days, B was use of the adaptive utensil for 31 days and C was the adaptive utensil with one compartment of the utensil filled with water for increased weight.

The results of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant improvement in performance with the use of the adaptive utensil versus baseline (use of a standard utensil)  There was even greater improvement with the use of the utensil with additional weighting. 

This was a well thought out and conducted study that contributes to our knowledge of how adaptive utensils contribute to the functional ability of individuals experiencing difficulty with the important self care activity of independent dining. Of course there is a need for more adaptive eating device research.   The reference for this study is included below. Thanks for visiting today and we invite you to contact us at anytime. Update: 10-21-22. We are currently developing a new assistive eating aid for Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s. The Chill Spill patent pending routes any spilled food back into the bowl or plate! The Chill Spill should be available before the end of 2022.

Cavalcanti A, Amaral MF, Silva e Dutra FCM, Santos AVF, Licursi LA, Silveira ZC. Adaptive Eating Device: Performance and Satisfaction of a Person with Parkinson’s Disease. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2020;87(3):211-220. doi:10.1177/0008417420925995