Christmas Gift Ideas: Kitchen Gadgets for the Handicapable



The holiday season is a wonderful time for being in the kitchen.  Making pies, cookies and big Christmas dinners warms the heart and excites the senses with delightful tastes and aromas.  While many folks might complain about all the extra time they are spending in the kitchen, have you ever considered what it would be like to prepare these kinds of meals and treats with limited use of your hands?  What if your hands were very weak, or you only had the use of one hand due to stroke, disease or injury?  You would still want to prepare delicious meals for yourself and your loved ones, but the tools you need to do so have changed.  And Rehabmart can help you, or someone you love, get equipped with the right kitchen tools to create all of the delicious food in the world.

Being one-handed or weak-handed does not have to stop you from baking your own apple pies and treats any longer!  The One-Handed Apple Peeler, Corer and Slicer from Rehabmart can help you perform all the functions necessary for making delicious apple desserts from scratch. The clamp-down base keeps the unit fixed securely to a counter or a tabletop and easily comes undone with a flick of the handle.  Just slip the apples onto the fork prongs and with a few twists, the apple is peeled, cored and sliced.  The one-handed loved one on your gift list will adore the charming, antique look of this unique and beautiful tool, too!
 
                                                                      From library.rehabmart.com

There are many different kitchen helper gadgets available from Rehabmart that would be perfect gifts for anyone on your shopping list who has limited hand mobility and strength.  Why not get them several tools combined together in one great package?  The One Handed Kitchen Helper Kit  includes a Rocking T Knife, a Zim Jar and Bottle Opener, a Hi-D Paring Board and an EZ Squeeze One-Handed Can Opener.  Working in the kitchen just got a whole lot easier for anyone restricted to the use of one hand!

The Rocking T Knife has a large wooden handle and includes a safety edge to help prevent any accidents.  Since the pressure is applied directly above the food to be cut, less strength and dexterity is required by the user.  This knife is specifically intended to be used by one-handed individuals, or people with weak or impaired hands.  Use the Rocking T Knife along with the Hi-D Paring Board which has aluminum nails to help hold food in place for peeling and slicing one-handed.  Corner guards on the board help to keep bread from sliding when spreading butter, or cutting.  Rubber suction feet hold the Hi-D Paring Board securely in place for peace of mind.
 
                                                                     From library.rehabmart.com

The One Handed Kitchen Helper Kit also comes with the ever popular Zim Jar and Bottle Opener.  This fabulous product helps anyone who has weak or disabled hands to feel more empowered by opening their own jars and bottles without assistance.  The Zim Jar and Bottle Opener is very versatile and can open any types of bottles or jars, including open or close screw, pry-up, friction, vacuum and crown-top lids measuring from half an inch to 3 and 1/2 inches in diameter.  The Kit also includes the EZ Squeeze One-Handed Can Opener, a wonderful tool for helping folks with limited hand mobility, or one hand, open all kinds of cans safely and easily.  Just pierce the lid with the cutting wheel and within a few simple squeezes of the ratcheting handles, the lid is free.  The magnelift tip safely removes cut lids to help avoid any accidents with them.

As we all know, preparing food in the kitchen is the fun part...then comes the clean-up.  For those without a dishwasher, and for those without the full use of their hands, this can be an absolute nightmare!  Thankfully, there are all kinds of wonderful clean-up products and tools from Rehabmart to assist those with disabled hands to get the job done.  Check out the Deluxe Suction Bottle Brush  to help with washing dishes.  The two 7 inch long brushes screw into a rubber base that is easily secured to the bottom or side of the sink.  Just fill your sink with warm, soapy water and wash your dishes on the brushes.  What a great tool for anyone with impaired hands to make dish washing easy and hassle-free!
 
                                                                              From library.rehabmart.com

If you want to find some really useful Christmas presents for that special someone who has limited hand mobility due to arthritis, stroke, disease or injury, think about the everyday chore of preparing food and how hard this might be for them...and the fabulous kitchen tools from Rehabmart that can make their life in the kitchen much simpler and worry-free!  You might just get a home-baked apple pie for your thoughtfulness!
 
To see other great and unique kitchen gadgets, view Kitchen Gadgets.  
 
 
Carol Koenigsknecht, Medical Consumer Writer
and
Hulet Smith, OT
RehabMart Team Leader & CEO