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Programs proven to reduce pain and physician visits, decrease stiffness and increase function.
Products Designed to make Your Life Easier
Posted by:
Celia Gates on
October 21, 2008 at
12:41PM EST
Hi
I would like to hear from you if you are living with Arthritis. I would particularly like to know how you cope in the kitchen. Do you do your own cooking or do you have to rely on somebody else to prepare your meals?
I am the European Female Designer of the Year 2007. I won this prize because of the work I have been doing in relation to products designed for independent living. Although I don't suffer from Arthritis myself, I see strongly believe many daily problems can be overcome with simple and thoughtful product design.
Do you struggle to lift a hot and heavy saucepan?
What other tasks do you find particularly difficult to cope with? The better I can understand the problems you face, the easier it is to develop solutions.
Your help and support is invaluable to my ongoing research and I really appreciate all of your comments.
Thank you and kind regards Celia Gates
(11) Comments
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Posted by: Kimberly on October 21, 2008 1:40PM EST
I do suffer from Rheumtoid Arthritis and have problems lifting and hanging on to heavy pots and pans. I also struggle with standing long periods of time and sometimes have to have help in the kitchen. I cannot open bottles and jars a lot of the time. I cannot even hold the telephone in one hand for longer than a few minutes.
Thank you for your research and God Bless.
Check out my Blog at www.ConfessionsofanRAMom.com to see what my life is really like.
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Posted by: Shu-Shu on October 21, 2008 3:17PM EST
Thank you, Celia!
I also have RA. I do almost all of the cooking by myself. I am a stay-at-home mom with 5 young children.
Some of the cooking problems I have/had:
*draining pasta
*stirring rice (the spoon gets really heavy as I stir to the bottom of the pan)
*draining canned fruit
*lifting and pouring milk (maybe replace the lid with a pump?)
*putting a casserole into the oven
*chopping vagetables/fruit
*opening foil seals (I usually have to poke it w/ a knife several times)
*flipping cakes out of pans
*cutting skin off of salmon
*feeding the baby (handles of most baby spoons are too skinny)
*loading/unloading the dishwasher
*cutting sandwiches (on my worst days I couldn't even cut a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a steak knife)
That's all I can think of for now.
Thanks,
Shu-Shu
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Posted by: Hummer on October 21, 2008 5:53PM EST
I have OA. I do most of my cooking but family members do help ocassionally. Like the others, I have problems with lifting, draining, opening jars and cans. Standing is very hard on me for any length of time as well.
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I suffer from oa and here are a couple things I do in the kitchen- use a one hand auto can opener. I bought fom bed bath and beyond a pkg of 4 different shaped grippers to help me open jars and bottles. I even carry one in my purse to open the gas thing. Try draining any can products in a plastic strainer then placing them where needed. Hope this helps.
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Posted by: Kimberly4 on November 18, 2008 2:08PM EST
I suffer from oa (degenerative joint disease). I also have trouble cooking, and I need help in the kitchen with lifting pans, draining, lifting jugs, any movement that involves lifting shoulder above a 90 degree angle. If the arthritis is bad in my hands, I may even have trouble cutting, chopping and stirring.
I do have one of those one button can openers and bottle openers, those have been life savers.
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Hi,I have Ra plus.IWhen I have a hard time with silver ware it helps to use a pencil grip( the rufbber ones) on the fork,knife and spoon it really helps.I have RA over 90% of my body. There are alot of times it is very hard to do everything.I wish someone will help with the little things that are big things to me.I never wear anything with buttons.
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Posted by: Bette44 on December 6, 2008 1:05AM EST
I have both RA & OA. I love to cook and try to cook several meals a week. The issues I can have on any given day in the kitchen, or anywhere else for that matter, are peeling potatoes (my hands & wrist don't like the motions), moving & balancing anything liquid &/or heavy, reaching or raising anything above my head, stepping up or down and finding comfortable positions I can stay in for any lenght of time be it standing at a counter or sitting at a table. I am 5'2" & I find most kitchens upper cabinets are too high for me to reach without stepping onto a stool. Good Luck with your research & Thank You for stepping up and making products that help make many, many peoples lives easier & more comfortable.
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Posted by: MichelleEllyn on January 23, 2009 6:37PM EST
Hello. I'm 26 and have had RA for 7 years. I, of course, find it very difficult to open jars (but the nifty OXO jar opener helps me with that), and trying to lift and tilt saucepans or pots for more than a few seconds is very difficult. So when I'm pouring sauce or meat from a pot or pan onto a plate, my wrists get very weak. Same with taking things out of the oven. I can lift things just fine, but the tilting and odd angles are a challenge.
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I have OA and carpal tunnel. My problem is trying to lift pots and open jars. I also have ulna nerve problems just above both wrists. So almost anything is a help for me. I love the products with larger rounded handles that I can grip. When I was first diagnosed 35 years ago there were not many helpful items for OA and RA sufferers. So I appreciate all who are trying to make life easier for people like me.
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Posted by: sharrbarr on February 16, 2009 3:19PM EST
I have both O A and R A and my wrists and hands are becoming more difficult for me to do some kitchen chores. lifting heavy pans and the full coffee pot are difficult. I now have a coffee pot that dispenses the coffee into the cup and that works great. jar openers help. standing to peel potatoes and eggs are becoming more difficult. Anything to make things easier for us to stay independent would help. It is irritating to have to ask someone to help some times
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Posted by: Rizza on February 24, 2009 5:27PM EST
I have RA for almost 2 years now and it is really getting harder to do kitchen chores, folding newly washed clothes and stacking them up in a built-in closet (which is high;above my head), standing for a long period of time is hard. Anything that will help do things easier is a big help.
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