Adaptive Eating Aids Guide
There are many adaptive eating aids available for varying applications. In this adaptive eating aids guide we will discuss some of the most popular and effective eating aids for independent dining. if you are reading this page it is likely you are a therapist, a person having difficulty with independent dining or a family member. Keep in mind that an Occupational Therapist will be an expert in this area and can provide individualized assessment and intervention. Before going right to the eating aids guide and the individual considerations I would like to review some general aspects of the activity of self feeding. Please also refer to our Blogs for more great information including recent research reviews.
Before even looking at adaptive eating equipment, It is useful to consider the physical environment around independent dining and how the individual relates to it. I know that I experience tremors sometimes when performing a fine motor task like lighting a candle. The situation will be ten times worse if ten people are watching! A stress free, distraction free environment will help the individual focus on the task of independent dining. Lighting just needs to be adequate for visibility but doesn’t need to be bright and glaring. Natural lighting is great.
The height of the table in relation to the individual’s elbow level is also an important consideration for successful self feeding. Higher isn’t always better! A higher table height will require the individual to use more shoulder movement than a lower one. (to position the spoon or fork for obtaining food), this may be a problem if the person has weakness or shoulder pain. A lower height will require less shoulder movement but more wrist movement. The sitting posture (the person should always be seated for eating if this is possible) should be a comfortable upright position with no left or right trunk lean. If eating in bed an upright trunk position should be facilitated. If the person has difficulty maintaining a stable seated posture then accomodations should be made. OK, a stable seated position, appropriate table height, distraction free environment, Let’s continue!
The goal of adaptive eating aids is to move an appropriate amount of food from a lower height (plate) to a higher level (mouth). Chewing and swallowing are beyond the scope of this discussion. If an individual is experiencing difficulty chewing or swallowing this is known as dysphagia and an MD and or a Speech Therapist should be consulted. Difficulty chewing or swallowing can result in choking or developing pneumonia. OK … lets’s consider some of the most important adaptive aids to independent eating!
Plate Guards: Plate guards help keep food on the plate and provide a surface against which the user can scoop food. Plate guards can usually be attached to an existing plate. The plate guard below is available from our new Adaptive Eating Aids Shop:
Adaptive Plates: There are many configurations for adaptive plates. They all typically have built up sides and may have individual compartments. They function like a plate guard by helping to keep food on the plate. the adaptive plate below is also available at http://www.thewrightstuff.com
Adaptive Cups: There are many shapes and sizes available. Some limit the amount of liquid intake. Many have a side handle so that someone with limited grasp ability can effectively use the cup. Insulated cups with lids can help prevent spills.
Flexible Straw: For individuals with limited movement a flexible staw might be an option. An important word here about straws and drinking in general. Liquid is easily aspirated (food or liquid entering the lungs instead of the esophagus) Avoiding aspiration is important for everyone! … as it can lead to pneumonia. When using a straw the lungs supply the lower pressure gradient which moves the liquid up from the container against gravity. Then, entrance to the lungs must be closed by the epiglottis! Obviously this is highly coordinated reflexive activity … so we shouldn’t make it harder on our reflexes! Long straight straws should be avoided. The straw below is from mealtime partners. They also have great information on the topic of adaptive eating equipment. Please also see a new option, the SafeStraw as discussed below.
Here is a new product and a new addition to our eating aids guide. The SafeStraw was invented by a speech therapist. It limits the volume of liquid per sip to 6.2 ml. This can be very useful for individuals at risk for aspiration. The SafeStraw is available at: www.bionix.com
Adaptive Eating Utensils: There are many styles of adaptive utensils, even computerized ones that we will discuss below. Some of the more common types of adaptive utensils have built up grips, may be weighted, may have a curved shape or a leveling mechanism. An Occupational Therapist can assist with selecting appropriate equipment for independent eating. Don’t become enamoured automatically by built up utensil grips however. It doesn’t take much strength at all to hold regular utensils. And your manipulation ability will be better with standard utensils. An Occupational Therapist can help you out here!
A quick word about weighted utensils. There is currently no evidence based research to indicate that they are effective in reducing tremors with utensil use! Yet website after website recommends these for tremor reduction. Further information on this topic is discussed in detail in one of our blogs. Please check back at www.eatzii.com as we are currently developing an assistive eating device for Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor. ChillSpill will catch any food that spills from a fork or spoon and either hold in the trough section or route it back to the plate or bowl.
Computerized/Powered Utensils: Liftware manufactures two adaptive utensils. The Steady uses small motors and computers to adjust a utensil’s position during use. The application is primarily for individuals with tremor activity. During eating the motors work to cancel out the tremor activity. Their non motorized utensil that holds a level position is called the Level. Considering the technology involved the Steady is reasonable in price and the Level looks like a nice product. Both are pictured below and are available from: www.liftwarecomhttp://www.liftware.com
Dycem: Dycem is a material that provides a non skid surface. It can be used under any plate to help prevent the plate from moving. It has many other uses like helping to open jars. Dycem is pictured below and is available at: http://www.dycem-ns.com
Universal Cuff: For individuals with limited grasp ability, a universal cuff can be slid over the mid palm. Universal cuffs contain a holder which can support a utensil or other object like make up brush, toothbrush etc. The Universal Cuff pictured below is available at: http://www.especialneeds.com
A fairly new adaptive eating aid is the Ezhold. If you are a pediatric Occupational Therapist you probably already know about it! Instead of inserting a utensil etc. into a universal cuff, the Ezhold slips onto the object and provides a hands free gripping aid. It is a great product and we will be reviewing it in depth in an upcoming Blog as well as in this adaptive eating aids guide.
Robotic Feeders: Robotic adaptive eating aids have been available for some time. There have been significant improvements lately. Robotic feeding devices scoop food from a plate with a spoon and then lift the food up to the mouth level of the user. The user activates the process by activating a switch which can be adapted to the requirements of the user. We are listing three robotic feeding aids below, The Obi, the Mealtime Partner and the Neater Feeder Robotic.
Obi: Obi has a sleek look and a smooth movement. It is pictured below and is available at: http://www.meetobi.com
Neater Eater Robotic. The Neater Eater Robotic is programmable for parameters like the speed and position. It is pictured below and is available from http://www.neater.co.uk
Mealtime Partner: The Mealtime Partner incorporates two plate sections and user activated motion. Their website http://www.mealtimepartners.com has excellent information on the importance of independent dining with respect to overall health as well as excellent information on correct head and neck postioning so that aspiration can be prevented during eating.
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider with adaptive eating devices! Thanks for visiting today. We hope you learned some tips from this adaptive eating aids guide. Please check back as we will be updating it periodically and please feel free to contact us at anytime. Update: 4-17-22. We now have an online Adaptive Eating Aids Shop which we invite you to visit at your convenience.