Aid to lift and carry food
Our client wished to move her meal from the fridge to the microwave and then to her table but she walks with two crutches and so cannot carry a plate with food on it.
The Challenge
Our client has carers but they do not always visit in the evening. Because she cannot carry a plate with food on it due to using two crutches to move around, she cannot get a prepared meal out of the fridge and over to the microwave and then, once heated, to the chair in her lounge where she sits to eat. This means that she sometimes misses out on a hot evening meal.
The solution
After rejecting all sorts of complicated solutions, I came across the Brabantia Make and Take Lunch bowl. This is a 1 litre plastic bowl with a sealed lid that can be used in a microwave. The lid is secured to the bowl by four latches. By adding some 3D printed carrying handles to the lid and extending the latches to make them easier to operate with more 3D printed parts, I created a device that I hoped would work for or client. I also drilled some holes in the lid to let any steam out when heating in the microwave. The 3D printed parts were made with standard PLA and secured using nylon screws.
I tested the device by heating some water and then swinging it around, no water came out (except when it was sideways when water came out of the vent holes; most unlikely in real life).
I delivered the device to the client and left it with her and her Occupational Therapist who later reported that the client had successfully used it.
The benefit
Our client should now be able to get a prepared meal from the fridge and carry it to the microwave to heat it up before carrying to her table.
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