New aid to daily living product to help customers get a grip on every day items
The Active Hands Company, a designer of aids for those with limited dexterity, has released a new gripping aid designed to make every day fine-motor activities for gripping items such as toothbrushes, pens, art equipment and make-up brushes easier.
Called the Small Item Gripping Aid, the product comes in two parts; a neoprene glove and a Velcro-backed palm pad with clamp and aims give users the independence to accomplish more.
Items clamped in the palm pad can be placed into the glove at any angle, making a wide range of activities accessible, allowing those with reduced hand function to hold pens upright, a toothbrush sideways or a mascara wand at just the right tilt.
It has been used with great success during art classes where participants were able to paint on an easel or use a drawing board with comfort and confidence says the company and can be used with little or no finger strength.
Discussing the new aid, Rob Smith, Director of Active Hands, commented: “Our mission is to help people achieve more active and inclusive lives – giving them independent access to a variety of activities that would be impossible without Active Hands gripping aids. We offer a wide range of solutions for the frustrations of daily living as well as fantastic solutions to getting active.”
The clamp mechanism can be easily opened and closed to switch between items. Alternatively, additional palm pads can be purchased, enabling users to pre-load commonly used items and simply switch between the palm pads without having to remove the glove each time.
“This new product delivers an effective solution to completing fine-motor activities with reduced grip; something our customers have been asking for,” added Rob.
“We are confident that its unique design and quality finish will meet the high standards our customers have come to expect from us and that it will quickly become a key item in our range of gripping solutions. We are excited to launch this product to customers this autumn and to hear of the many ways in which this gripping aid will enable them to lead full, active and independent lives.”
The Small Item Gripping Aid has been developed out of many years of feedback from says the company, with preliminary testing resulting in positive feedback.
Brenda Besos, the first user of the device, commented: “The gripping aids can allow me to do countless activities. Make-up, brushing my teeth, as well as drawing or painting on a canvas with watercolours, being able to use some cooking utensils, grooming my small dog by attaching his brush to the gripping aid, I can attach a lint roller to tidy up my clothes…it holds pretty much anything that has a smooth handle.
“Pre-loading [several] palm pads definitely made it easier and is what I will do every time I use it because the items will just be ready for me to grab and use immediately.”
The gripping aid will retail for £49.95 and is available in both small and standard/large sizes. Packs of 2 additional palm pads will retail for £24.95.
The company will launch the Small Item Gripping Aid at the OT Show at NEC, Birmingham on the 21st and 22nd November.