Assistive eating devices include devices ranging from low-tech utensils to high-tech powered robotic eating equipment. Low tech eating devices include utensils, plates and bowls with lips that make scooping food easier. Cups and mugs, and even a standard disposable straw can be considered assistive drinking devices. They are used by people when they have difficulty eating or drinking independently. These devices are typically used for people with disabilities, but can also be used for children or people that have poor dexterity. They can promote independence during meal times, but in many cases also can reduce the caregiver workload during meals. "Assistive eating devices can increase self-care, increase self-esteem associated with increased independence, increase safety during meals, and make meal-time better for caregiver staff…". [1]
More sophisticated technology, typically described as high-tech equipment, is also available to accommodate the needs of individuals who have significant restrictions in their ability to eat and drink without assistance from another person. For people who have quadriplegia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and many other conditions, a powered device can facilitate hands free eating. For those who have tremors, or weak muscles, that make eating in the traditional manner difficult, or impossible, an assistive feeding device may be of value.
This category includes plates and bowls that will not allow food to fall off or out of the container and will not slide around. Some of these devices are as simple as a clip on guard that attaches to any normal plate or bowl There are many plates that also have a lip on the edge that prevents food from being pushed off the plate when it is being scooped. Other dinnerware are modified or specially made so they do not slide around on the table. Two common ways to keep the plates and bowls on the table are mats and grip bottoms. However, if the individual in question has tremors, then suction bases may be utilized. There are special bowls and plates that have a suction base that will attach to the table. This base will prevent the dinnerware from getting knocked around when the container or table is bumped. [2]
Forks, knives and spoons may need to be adapted in order for people to use them Individuals may struggle with tremors or the movement of opening and closing the hand or lifting the arm for independent feeding. Adapted utensils may be the answer for these individuals. Much like the weighted mugs to help with tremors, weighted utensils can minimize the tremors. These types of utensils may be specially bought, but attachments can also be bought to adapt the current utensils into an assistive device. These attachments can include something to slip over the handle that is weighted or that may be large or made out of foam to enhance grip and prevent the utensil from falling out of the hand. Clips and straps may also be utilized if the individual is unable to hold the handle at all. [3]
Manual or self feeding devices are designed to allow an individual who has a tremor, or who lacks the hand and arm coordination to control a utensil or control a robotic device to scoop food and lift it to their mouth and feed themselves. Some devices simply stabilize the user's arm. Other devices provide a weighted arm that dampens extraneous movement. More sophisticated devices allow the user to select the food they would like to eat and control the pace at which they eat. These more sophisticated devices can accommodate most disabilities. In some cases the device requires the user to manipulate the device to have the spoon pick up food and then move the spoon to their mouth, so they require some degree of arm motion capability by the user (i.e., they are powered by the user's own muscles). In the case of more sophisticated devices which are operated by a variety of manual switches, all the motions to capture and deliver the food are performed by the machine.
Powered feeding devices allow individuals who are unable to self-feed using any other type of assistive eating technology, to eat independently. Typically, these devices operate using power from a rechargeable battery (for portability). The user controls the device by the use of a touch screen tablet or adaptive switches to activate the various functions that the specific device offers. Worldwide, there are only a few powered feeding devices commercially available. The designs and manner in which they operate vary considerably. Some offer a simple plate or bowl on which the food is served, while others provide divided dishes or multiple bowls that keep the different types of foods separated, to avoid mixing of food. Many of the early powered feeding device designs were simply mechanical.
Cups and mugs may be adapted or bought to help with daily living. The most common assistive drinking utensil is the straw. This is inexpensive and allows for the user to not need to pick up the cup at all. The same principles for assistive dinnerware may also be utilized for mugs or cups. Non-slip bases are common so they do not slip on the table, while cup holders are used to prevent the cup from being knocked over. In case the cup gets knocked over, no spill lids may be used. Some cups are sold with lids, but there are also lids that can be used for several different types of cups and mugs. Weighted mugs are also common for individuals with tremors. [4] For individuals who have disabilities that limit the use of arms and/or hands, hands free drinking products are also available.
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility (ambulation), eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, disabled people have an opportunity of a more positive and easygoing lifestyle, with an increase in "social participation", "security and control", and a greater chance to "reduce institutional costs without significantly increasing household expenses." In schools, assistive technology can be critical in allowing students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum. Students who experience challenges writing or keyboarding, for example, can use voice recognition software instead. Assistive technologies assist people who are recovering from strokes and people who have sustained injuries that affect their daily tasks.
A cup holder is a device, such as a zarf, to hold a cup or other drinking vessel. It may be free standing to hold cups securely on a desk or other flat surface, or in a tree style to store sets of cups in kitchens. They may be built into automobiles or chairs, or fixed to the walls of airplanes, boats, buses and trains.
Various customary etiquette practices exist regarding the placement and use of eating utensils in social settings. These practices vary from culture to culture. Fork etiquette, for example, differs in Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia, and continues to change. In East Asian cultures, a variety of etiquette practices govern the use of chopsticks.
Kitchenware refers to the tools, utensils, appliances, dishes, and cookware used in food preparation and the serving of food. Kitchenware can also be used to hold or store food before or after preparation.
A mess kit is a collection of silverware and cookware designed for use by military personnel for food and military rations. They may also be used during camping and backpacking. There are many varieties of mess kits that militaries issue to their personnel that later become available to consumers.
Tableware items are the dishware and utensils used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. The term includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, serving utensils, and other items used for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of objects varies according to culture, religion, number of diners, cuisine and occasion. For example, Middle Eastern, Indian or Polynesian food culture and cuisine sometimes limits tableware to serving dishes, using bread or leaves as individual plates, and not infrequently without use of cutlery. Special occasions are usually reflected in higher quality tableware.
A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, storing, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes bowls especially suited for holding liquids and loose food, as the contents of the bowl are naturally concentrated in its center by the force of gravity. The exterior of a bowl is most often round, but can be of any shape, including rectangular.
The etiquette of Indian dining and socializing varies with the region in India.
Table manners are the rules of etiquette used while eating and drinking together, which may also include the use of utensils. Different cultures observe different rules for table manners. Each family or group sets its own standards for how strictly these rules are to be followed.
A kitchen scraper is a kitchen implement made of metal, plastics, wood, rubber or silicone rubber. In practice, one type of scraper is often interchanged with another or with a spatula for some of the various uses.
Disposable food packaging comprises disposable products often found in fast-food restaurants, take-out restaurants and catering establishments. Typical products are foam food containers, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, doilies and tray papers. These products can be made from a number of materials including plastics, paper, bioresins, wood and bamboo.
Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the dominant hand, secured by fingers, and wielded as extensions of the hand, to pick up food.
Customs and etiquette in Chinese dining are the traditional behaviors observed while eating in Greater China. Traditional Han customs have spread throughout East Asia to varying degrees, with some regions sharing a few aspects of formal dining, which has ranged from guest seating to paying the bill.
Edible tableware is tableware, such as plates, drinkware glasses, utensils and cutlery, that is edible. Edible tableware can be homemade and has also been mass-produced by some companies, and can be prepared using many different foods.
Kamayan is a Filipino cultural term for the various occasions or contexts in which pagkakamay is practiced, including as part of communal feasting. Such feasts traditionally served the food on large leaves such as banana or breadfruit spread on a table, with the diners eating from their own plates. The practice is also known as kinamot or kinamut in Visayan languages.
Toddler nutrition is the description of the dietary needs of toddlers aged one to two years old. Food provides the energy and nutrients that toddlers need to be healthy. An adequate intake in nutrient rich food is good nutrition. A diet lacking essential calories, minerals, fluid and vitamins could be considered 'bad' nutrition. Nutrition needs are different for toddlers. For a baby, breast milk is "best" and it has all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Toddlers typically have been weaned from breast milk and infant formula. Though infants usually start eating solid foods between 4 and 6 months of age, more and more solid foods are consumed by a growing toddler. If a food introduced one at a time, a potential allergen can be identified. Food provides the energy and nutrients that young children need to be healthy. Toddlers are learning to feed themselves and to eat new foods. They should eat a variety of foods from all the food groups. Each day, toddlers need enough nutrients, including
There is no cure for Rett syndrome. Treatment is directed towards improving function and addressing symptoms throughout life. A multi-disciplinary team approach is typically used to treat the person throughout life. This team may include primary care physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, nutritionist, and support services in academic and occupational settings.
Japanese dining etiquette is a set of traditional perceptions governing specific expectations which outlines general standards of how one should behave and respond in various dining situations.
Combination eating utensils, also known as hybrid utensils, are utensils that have the qualities of other utensils combined into one. This can be done to make a more convenient, less wasteful, or more cost-efficient product. Many different types of combination utensils have been created, each designed to serve a different purpose.