Life Hacks for Mobility Challenges: Tips for the Kitchen
When you’re living with a rare disease or loving someone who does, mobility challenges can be both physically and emotionally demanding. Here are some tips for getting creative in the kitchen.
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The kitchen is the heart of the home, but when you have mobility challenges, it can also be a headache to navigate. Here are a few tips to help you with common mobility challenges in the kitchen.
Go electric
Silicone pads can provide extra grip to help with opening jars and bottles, but they sometimes aren’t enough. Today, there are many options for electric jars and bottle openers that can help with those pesky twist-off lids.
Silicone for safety
Silicone mats can come in handy to stabilize cutting boards and dinner plates, so they don’t slide around. They can also line a hard surface such as a sink. That way, if you drop a glass or plate when you are rinsing it off, the silicone softens the landing, so it won’t shatter. Speaking of not shattering….
OMG Melamine!
Melamine is a lightweight, dishwasher-safe, and durable material used for dinnerware. It’s a nice option for those with mobility challenges because it’s lightweight, durable, and hard to break when dropped.
Choose your own grip
There are many products like spatulas, spoons, and other utensils advertised as “ergonomic” – but they aren’t always a big improvement. One great hack is to make your own easy-to-grip utensils tailored to your liking – and you can do it cost-effectively.
Look for a plumber’s pipe insulation, available in any home improvement store. Pipe insulation is the spongy texture of a pool noodle, but it comes in many different sizes and options for thickness. You can easily slice it and wrap it around utensils, handles on pots and pans, and other items to help improve your grip.
Slice and dice like a pro
The work of cutting and prepping food can be fatiguing. Food processors make short work of slicing and dicing, but there are other ways to get the job done too. Pizza cutters or kitchen shears can be used to take the work out of some slicing and dicing, such as
mincing herbs
cutting sandwiches
chopping veggies like broccoli, celery, or peppers
shredding lettuce
chopping bacon
There are also tabletop knives and scissors that enable cutting with just one hand. Finally, also place a rubber mat under a cutting board so the board stays put.
Look to adapt
Today, there are many adaptive products to make eating meals easier. There are many different types of utensils to help with hand dexterity, such as adjustable two-ring utensils where you can slide your fingers into rings to grip forks and spoons more easily. Some people with fine motor challenges use weighted utensils to gain more control. Rocker knives and circular knives can help you cut food on your plate. Adaptive products can help you drink glasses or mugs more easily. Use silicon mats underneath dinner plates to ensure they don’t slide while you’re eating.
Embrace the crockpot
It’s an easy one-pan ‘leave it and forget it’ appliance that can stay on your kitchen counter, so you don’t have to pick it up and move it around. To help with overall fatigue, you can prep everything for a crockpot one day and refrigerate it, then pour it into the pot and cook it the next day. That means you’re not prepping and cooking all at once but spreading the work over a couple of days. Crockpots also have an insert (usually ceramic) that is easy to clean. If picking items up and down is a struggle, you may be able to simply wipe the ceramic insert clean without needing to remove it.
Organize for success
Keep most frequently used items in drawers and cabinets easiest to reach – usually near the waist. Heavier, less-used items can go in lower cabinets, and lighter items up can go higher. Use a reaching tool to help you get access to them when necessary. Lazy Susans can be used for more than spices. Use them to organize smaller items so that they are always within reach.
Today, there are many products you can insert into cabinets and drawers to improve accessibility, like shelving that extends out from a top cabinet so you don’t need to reach. Ask your local home improvement store to walk you through options to improve accessibility.
A final tip: for significant mobility issues that require costly home renovations (such as adding a wheelchair ramp), look for nonprofit foundations and grants that may help provide financial assistance.
