ChillSpill Therapist’s Information

update: 3-24 … we have launched a new web site with more information about this new adaptive eating device. www.chillspill.net Individuals with Parkinson’s or Essential Tremor may find it difficult to manage utensils at mealtime. This can result in embarrasing spills and a decrease in nutritional status. The recommendation of weighted utensils is often one of the first interventions that therapists employ to help with this problem.

If you are like many therapists it is likely you have met with mixed results with weighted utensils. As it turns out you are not alone. There have been several research studies which have looked at the effectiveness of weighted utensils. The results indicate that weighted utensils do not statistically improve functional ability with utensil use. Please refer to our previous Blog

We developed the ChillSpill to address the need for an innovative solution to the problem of incoordination, ataxia and or tremors at mealtime. ChillSpill is a simple yet elegant solution to this problem. ChillSpill uses an inclined surface that catches any spilled food and maintains it in the ChillSpill or routes it back into the user’s plate or bowl. ChillSpill can be used in conjunction with weighted utensils.

Using ChillSpill, embarrassing spills on the table, the foor or on clothing are eliminated. Dignity is also preserved by eliminating the need for clothing protectors.

The user can further reduce tremor activity by using the expanded sides of the ChillSpill as a physical support that the hand can slide on during plate to mouth movements. This also provides biofeedback to further reduce tremor activity.

Since food is not lost to the table, clothing or the floor, nutritional status may be improved!

Therapists enter the profession with the goal of improving the functional abilities and quality of life of their patients. In today’s health care environment, pressure to attain levels of revenue is also a concern.

The ChillSpill can help bridge these seemingly disparate things in the following way.

Imagine you are a therapist at a long term care facility who has previously evaluated a patient with tremor activity at mealtime. Although somewhat effective, weighted utensils were only minimally effective for this patient and the patient was subsequently discharged from therapy.

By obtaining a ChillSpill for your department you now have a new intervention tool that more than justifies a new referral to improve functional ability at mealtime. In this way the patient not only benefits from improved functional ability but you can earn revenue for your department through reimbursement for an evaluation and perhaps one or two training sessions.

Thanks for the work you do and for reviewing the above information about this exciting new assistive eating aid! For more information please click on the contact link.