Making Meal Prep Easier - OT Advice

Shelter, food, water and rest – the basics we need as humans to survive. However, nutrition, taste and variety add the next level to meal preparations, allowing us to personalise food to our needs and our preferences.

Food is often more than a necessity though – a social occasion, a celebration, a daily event to look forwards to after work, but is equally sometimes a chore! Whether its effortful because of a lack of inspiration, or due of the physical effort involved, I hate to think that the nutritional content of meals would be compromised because of the stress and strain of preparing the ingredients. I’ve met many a patient in hospital admitted due to malnutrition or the consequences of dehydration, who with simply advice and equipment could have remained independent in the kitchen and confident to manage their drinks and meals at home.

Knowing the importance of a hot brew to majority of the population, losing the ability to go and make a cup of tea when you fancy it is understandably a significant loss! Having to rely on a visitor to bring you a coffee, or wait for a carer to attend and offer to help is an unpleasant and sometimes avoidable dependency.

So, what can help you stay independent in the kitchen? Let’s take a look at a few options.

Popping the Kettle on

Lifting the kettle is often the biggest hurdle to making a hot drink. If you’re shaky when pouring, have restricted movement in your arms or shoulders, or have pain or weakness when trying to lift things you will likely be finding making a hot drink problematic. It’s now I say “thank goodness for modern technology” as the options it has brought for hot drink preps has expanded dramatically in recent years!!

Tea and coffee machines are prolific these days, and with the touch of a button a hot drink can be dispensed straight into the cup with no pouring required – problem solved! But these machines are expensive, and so are the pods and refills, so let’s cover the alternatives:

• Travel kettles: A small and light weight kettle, thus easier to lift and pour, means less of your effort and energy is required, but you will be limited to 2 cups at a time so be mindful of this is you often have a number of visitors.

• Microwaves: Fill your single cup with water, pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to boil the water, then simply remove and add your tea or coffee! If you can lift a cup to your lips you can likely lift it into the microwave without issues. Just be mindful that the cup will also be hot with this method.

• Hot water dispensers: Being large they only need filling from a jug occasionally, which can thus be done by a carer or visitor, and once filled remove the need for any lifting. Just rest the cup under the spout and the job is done. But do consider the energy these machines require. If you are only using one cup at a time this may be an expensive use of electricity.

• Kettle tippers: A cradle, like the Safe & Steady Kettle Tipper - Easier To Pour Hot Water (careco.co.uk), that takes the weight of the kettle and allows you to tip it up with just a push. A great idea for those with weak grips or poor upper limb strength as the cradle does all the effortful work for you. They are very simple to use and work with a lot of kettle styles (excluding cordless designs) but they may not be aesthetically pleasing. In which case look at the…

• Ucello: An upgraded kettle tipper, combing both style and function. I love the fact that I can share equipment with users that is discrete and does not draw attention their issues, and this tipper is a great example of that, bringing design and practicality seamlessly together.

Organising the Kitchen can also be the key

Take a look at your environment – kitchens vary dramatically in both size and set up. Have you got everything you need within reach? I often suggest keeping your kettle near the sink for less carrying, keeping your pans on the hobs rather than in cupboards and even having a jug of milk in a flask next to the kettle if you’re a frequent brewer to save you keep walking to the fridge.

Then think about moving heavier items to the front of lowers shelves, and if ‘reaching’ is still a struggle, try a grab hand. The lock grip grabber is a great example of a helping hand, with the bonus of a few hidden extras to aid even more of your independence. The wide trigger can help reduce issues for those with poor grip but the lock is a fantastic idea – holding the ‘squeeze’ for you.

For those with weak grips, although a grabber may help you reach the tins, the strength needed for a sustained grip to lift a heavy tin can often mean the device is not useful for you. However, this design allows you to release your grip and move your hand up the stem of the grabber to reach the item, putting far less pressure on your grip and more reliability to whatever you’re lifting, with no more worries about holding your grip for long enough! Add to this the genius idea of a rotating head offering pincer and cylinder style grip positions as well as a torch light, you can also now pick up items from dark corners and without twisting your wrist. For those with arthritis type limitations, you can now avoid painful rotations through the joint whatever you are trying to pick up with this particular grabber.

However, eHowveeven with a grabber, you may still need to climb to get to the top shelves. Always do this with caution and aim to make it as infrequent as possible by arranging your environment with frequently used items between knee and shoulder height, but when it is needed, remember the ‘three points of contact’ rule an always use the ‘good leg to heaven rule, bad leg to hell’ trick when stepping. The safety stool 1 step safety stool is a handy step if climbing is essential. With a hand support to one side this could be a safer option than other steps, offering you support to aid your confidence and stability when working at height.

Now it’s time to cook

Let’s start with preparing the ingredients – just standing to chop the veg can be a step too far if you have hip or back pain or are unstable on your feet. Perching stools are designed specifically for use in the kitchen, being height adjustable to help you sit at a height that keeps you able to reach the worksurface.

Chopping itself can often be a problem for those with only use of one arm. Whether from fractures, paralysis or generalised weakness, being able to hold the veg still in one hand and chop with the other becomes an issue! With the use of a pinned chopping board you can hold the veg stationary and chop or even peel it with your dominant hand in full confidence that you will not be chasing it across the work surface!

Dycem is also a quick and versatile addition to your equipment stock cupboard. Offering a slip resistant surface that can be cut in to any shape, you can discretely add it under a dinner plate at meal times or a mixing bowl when baking, stopping the dish moving around as you use it. Adapting plates with plate guards can also be a discrete way of adding independence to your meal times. If you struggle to hold two items of cutlery, a plate guard can act like a knife to help push food onto your fork or spoon and will temporarily clip onto most round plates. Alternatively, you can buy a specifically designed plate like the High Side Plate - Eating Aid for Elderly.

Adding a tin of tomatoes or beans to a meal may not seem dauting until you have problems with dexterity or sensation. The twist and grip needed to open a jar of pasta sauce or a bottle of seasoning can also cause problems to some. Automatic tin openers like the Tornado Hands Free Tin Opener are a great idea but when there’s a ring pull on your rectangular meat or sardines tins you’ll need something more.

Having a multi tool to hand can be useful now. The kitchen genie can help with not only ring pulls but bottle tops, cartoon lids and Tupperware tops. Give it a go on the ring pulls inside drinks cartons too.

When it comes to jars, you’ll need a wider gripper so the multi grip jar and bottle opener can be useful here. You’ll still need a fair hand span grip yourself for bigger lids but the force you need to open the jar will be lessened as the equipment gets a strong purchase on the lid for you. If you have thumb pain or reduced finger extension the option of a silicone conical aid which uses a different grip style which might suit you better.

There are hundreds more gadgets and gizmos available which can cater to general or highly specific needs which is fabulous but also daunting. As some are inexpensive and easily accessibly with next day deliveries, there is a temptation to fill your drawers with them just in case they can help but understanding your unique strengths and difficulties can help you to make the better choices. A good item can last you a life time and really bring back the enjoyment and pleasure of being in the kitchen. Now go and enjoy that cuppa before it gets cold!