Covered Spoons

In a previous Blog we reviewed covered spoons which are designed to help individuals with tremors or other motor control problems to eat soup/cereal etc. with less spilling.

The covered spoon that I purchased to review covered spoons was I believe purchased from Maddak. In any case the spoon did not come with any instructions/precautions that I remember.

I wanted to post this Blog because there may be an important precaution to consider when using covered spoons. With a standard spoon you use your upper lip to transfer the liquid from the spoon into the mouth. This is a well learned and practiced motor act. The liquid then has to pass into the throat and into the esophagus without passing any liquid into the lungs. Liquid passing into the lungs is known as aspiration and may lead to pneumonia or other problems.

To eat with a covered spoon, the user is unable to use their upper lip to pass the food into the mouth. A tipping of the head backward may be needed. Tipping the head backward exposes the trachea and lungs to aspiration to a greater extent.

I feel that this constitutes a PRECAUTION for the use of a covered spoon. My advise is to consult with an MD, A Speech Therapist or an Occupational Therapist and bring up this concern before using a covered spoon.

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