Chapter twenty-two
HOME, SWEET HOME?
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Chapter twenty-twoHOME, SWEET HOME? |
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Making your home a haven
Top priority: your own special corner
Priority number two: making the rest of the house,
and housework, easier
Joint protection
The replanning exercise
Replanning: a closer look at the key questions
Practical ideas to help throughout the house
Suppliers — General reaching up and down, and storage
Carrying things — Steps/stairs
Security and doors — Windows
Electricity — Gas — Heating and energy saving
Chairs — Bathroom — Bedroom
Homecare
Cleaning — Laundry — Ironing
In the kitchen
Storage and layout — Sink, taps and washing up tips
Cooker — Microwave ovens — Fridges and freezers
Trolleys — Kettles
Opening tins — Jars and bottles — Opening plastic packets
Saucepans — Kitchen tools — Some optional extras
Cooking tips
Recipes
Further information
Do you ever feel your home's a nightmare, where housework and furniture and electric sockets and unthinking family all seem to conspire against you? Or maybe you wouldn't put it quite so strongly? Nonetheless, even a few minor changes can work unexpected miracles. Home really should be the one place you feel you have some control over life with the arthritis, an 'enabling', not a disabling place. Above all, somewhere you feel physically and emotionally comfortable, a haven, not a prison.
Get cracking now on making it a haven. Finding solutions to problems of stiffness, weak grip, reaching, access, and mobility will cut down on aches and pains, and cut down too on frustration, stress and other bugbears. Aim for as much feeling of independence and 'being in control' as possible, even if it's only in a small corner of your home, or in only a maddeningly tiny part of your life compared with your pre-arthritis days.
Solutions may be simple or complicated, may involve getting gadgets or labour-saving devices, may mean retraining the family, or simply just finding a new way of doing things. Often the cheapest and simplest solution is the best. For general advice, look back at chapter 20, if you haven't already read it, before looking at this chapter.
Make at least one room, or corner of the house, exclusively yours; a place where you can relax, where everything's within reach, and where you can be quiet or do your own thing. Make sure anyone else who lives with you understands, and drum into them never, ever, to move anything in your corner unless you ask! Here's what makes my two special corners just right for me:
Bedroom Bed at right height (on blocks). Firm mattress. Light but warm duvet. Electric blanket or hot-water bottle if needed. Reachable light switch and well-positioned light. Bedside table for books, radio, drink/vacuum flask, alarm clock. Cordless phone. Longreach gadget hanging by bed. Though the TV's not directly in view, I can actually watch and work it by remote control by bouncing the control's rays off a carefully-angled mirror! [That was a few years ago — I now have a wonderful powered adjustable bed — versatile but good-looking too, in natural wood. Also a baby's lightweight blanket, and a remote controlled electric fan.]
Living room Carefully chosen seat: right height (with 'raisers'), firm base and arms (from which hang plastic bags of goodies for the current activity (eg letter-writing, sewing, armchair shopping). More plastic bags (full) hang from hooks fixed along the table sides. Seat is next to a high table topped with magazines, computer, etc. 'Clutter' is what some people call it; I prefer 'sanity-savers'! Also within reach are phone, remote controls for TV and radio/CD player, well-positioned light, longreach gadget, and electric socket on a curly-wurly lead. Seat faces a window so I can enjoy the view.
Sit down and think about how you need to use the house, and what problems the arthritis creates. What might make things easier? Be systematic, making notes so you don't forget. There'll be blank spaces here at this stage, but you'll gradually fill them in. Go through the house mentally, from top to bottom, and through your week, from the Monday morning alarm call through to the weekend's activities and unwindings. Get family and friends to feed in their ideas too. Follow the 'Replanning exercise', below.
Look back at chapter 20 for the basics on how and where to start looking for solutions. Combine them with other ideas in this chapter. Study too any canny books produced to make any houseperson's life easier (some in the list at the end of this chapter), and I'd recommend an early look at two of the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC)'s booklets: Your home and arthritis and Looking after your joints when you have arthritis (downloadable or in print). Arthritis Care's Reaching independence includes aids and adaptations, changes to your home, grants, people who can help you live independently, etc.
"They are absolutely marvellous. It took a little while to get started, but since then, things have run very smoothly. They came to the house to see what aids I needed. They supplied a high backed armchair, a high stool for working in the kitchen, raised toilet seat, hand rails both sides of stairs, and also appliances to help me in and out of the bath. After that I received a helping hand, foot stool, and something to help put tights on. Then they raised our bed and now I have a shower in the bedroom which is marvellous. This was done through a grant." (She may get a stair-lift now, too.)
Just as important, (cheap too) develop 'planning ahead' and 'using your brain to ease the strain' habits, like Sue, in chapter 13.
Joint protection
Anything you can do to make life easier should help protect your joints, too, so please look at all the tips in ARC's booklet Looking after your joints when you have arthritis. Protecting your joints doesn't mean you should stop using your joints, just that you should use them differently, for instance picking up the kettle with two hands to spread the load rather than one hand. ARC says:
"Research has shown that using these joint protection methods does help to reduce pain and makes everyday activities easier. People have reported less stiffness in the morning and fewer flare-ups when they use these techniques regularly."
ARC's booklet goes into lots of helpful detail (illustrated) about techniques for joint protection, which include:
The replanning exercise
Good planning is as important in running yourself and your home as it is in running a business effectively, and something you can do however bad your arthritis. Aim for a good balance of rest and activity. List the tasks you feel need doing, tasks like housework and preparing meals and cooking and washing up and shopping and laundry and shoe cleaning and car care and gardening. For each task ask yourself three key questions:
The art of good management lies in eliminating unnecessary or wasteful use of your limited energy and physical abilities (your 'resources'), budgeting the limited resources you have for essentials only and using them in the easiest, least painful way possible, and the way least likely to damage weak joints.
It means prioritising too, listing tasks in order of importance, so if time/ energy/ good days are limited, you can get important tasks out of the way first and it doesn't matter if those lower down the list don't get done. Last but not least, good managers learn to delegate, how best to get other people to do the work for them. — Not forgetting to keep everyone motivated and happy too, and that includes you, the manager!
If you live on your own, you still need to do the replanning exercise. Restyle your home life to make the most of limited resources. Though being on your own has its drawbacks, especially not having someone close at hand to 'help', you do have the distinct advantage of also having no one around to 'hinder', however unintentionally!
1 Can you eliminate the task — simply not do it? Do away with the non-essentials, like cleaning and dusting everything every week. Stick to the real essentials like preparing meals. Be ruthless. Prioritise what's left. Now's the time to give up any perfectionist habits. Striving for perfection's a bad habit if it strains you and your joints and leaves you no time for things that really matter like happy family relationships.
Can you eliminate parts of the task, eg ironing? Stop ironing things that aren't visible like bedlinen and underclothes. Use crease-resistant materials, and hang things to dry so they avoid creasing. Can essentials be done less frequently? Why not wash the bedlinen every other week instead of every week?
Don't worry about 'what other people think' if you and your house aren't perfectly spick and span. They're probably too busy thinking about themselves anyway. Are their opinions really more important than your and your family's health and happiness? If necessary, hand them a duster and let them get on with it themselves! People who care about you won't be critical, especially if you explain how it's part of your plan of self-help — just beam happily and nonchalantly: "I've decided visitors will just have to take me as they find me, dust, clutter and all!"
2 Can you facilitate the task — make it easier on you and your joints? Think about your joints, the strain on them and their position, and make joint-protection changes where necessary. Get all the gadgets/ labour-saving devices you (or your fairy godmother/ godfather) can afford to make life easier (some come cheap or free through OT or social services). Use easier recipes and cooking methods too — books and magazines will give you ideas, and there are some later in this chapter.
Rethink housework, for instance dry clothes inside instead of traipsing in and out and fighting with a difficult washing line. Train other members of the household to clean up after themselves. Train them at least not to hinder, even if they don't always help. Use techniques like doing only half a task instead of a whole one (eg vacuum one room instead of doing the whole house), and doing bits at a time, in advance (eg when preparing meals). Use lists: for shopping, for the day's meals and tasks, and for the week's meals and tasks. Do your thinking and planning from your chair, not while you're on the move wasting limited and valuable energy rations.
3 Can you delegate all or part of the task? For instance make the most of family, friends, outsiders, especially if they actually offer help of some sort. Don't say 'no', but instead 'thank you for offering', while you work out how best to make use of the offer, eg could they change the duvet cover for you, pick up x, y and z for you at the shops, move the rubbish bin outside, empty the vacuum cleaner, get things out of a low cupboard for you? People like to feel needed, so in a way you're actually helping them! Many need to feel they can do something to ease your burdens. Looking on helplessly can itself be a burden.
Can you make tasks involving other people DIY affairs? For instance make breakfast a DIY and clear-away-after-you affair, or visitors coming for coffee or tea? Why not?
Break essential household tasks down into light and heavy work. Decide between you and the family who's going to do what and when, during the week. Write it all down, and pin it up, so no one can make bad memory excuses!
For regular jobs you could have a rota (get the children to design a colourful chart which can be ticked, or use gold stars or whatever) for things like doing the vegetables, laying and clearing the table, washing up, shoe cleaning. For occasional jobs have a watch-this-space noticeboard or whiteboard, or use fridge magnets, where you can put notes saying what needs doing — helps overcome the problem of getting a rude retort for asking at the wrong time.
Delegating, especially to the family, calls for great psychological tactics. Keep people motivated and happy! Minimise nagging and instead maximise 'rewards' for volunteers/ victims. Avoid asking at the wrong time, avoid criticising the way something's done, avoid saying 'I could have done it better'. Instead, give praise and thanks in abundance, especially to the children, however tired you get of hearing yourself saying thank you.
Children enjoy feeling they're being useful, and spouses too, so even when they buy the exact opposite of what you wanted, try making a joke of it rather than scolding. Train yourself to criticise only inwardly. If you must criticise outwardly, turn it into a joke, or save it up for a 'how about' comment next time the job needs doing, eg 'how about saving time by putting the saucepan on to boil before you start peeling the potatoes?'.
Maybe your family's got into the habit of leaving almost everything to you to do. Re-educate them! Explain, with your doctor's help if necessary, that you need their help in replanning what needs to be done. You need their understanding, too, so they don't feel you're shirking when you're resting or looking on from the sidelines. Get everyone to contribute their ideas in the replanning exercise so they each feel involved and responsible.
Worth pinning up somewhere, a quotation from Don Aslett's Who Says It's a Woman's Job to Clean ? (Exley), compulsory reading for all those uneducated in modern day homecare truths:
"I once heard a non-housecleaning husband say to his wife on Mother's Day, 'Dear, is there any way that I can help you with the housework?' Her reply was: 'Dear, if you just clean up all your own things there won't BE any housework."
"Picking up and cleaning after yourself are the most useful things you can do. There's nothing wrong with making a mess, that's often progress in the works; it's leaving it that is wrong. So…
- If you open it, close it.
- If you turn it on, turn it off.
- If you unlock it, lock it.
- If you break it, fix it.
- If you can't fix it, throw it away and buy another.
- If you borrow it, return it.
- If you make a mess, clear it up.
- If you've finished with it, put it back.
- If you don't know where it goes — ASK!"
By the way — delegating doesn't mean you, the manager, sit back and opt out of everything. Sorry! Except when the arthritis is at its worst, don't shift everything off on the rest of the household. Bad for them and for you too. It could lead to resentment, or it could lead them to over-protect you, seeing you as a disabled invalid rather than someone with abilities. Not good. You'll feel better if you feel needed and a person of abilities first and foremost.
Heather Unsworth explains how one family tackles things:
"Your biggest ally could be your husband. I am lucky enough to have an understanding and domesticated husband who cheerfully undertook all the heavy chores in the early days, such as hoovering, shopping and ironing. After a full day's work he would come in and make a cup of tea and give me a short spell with my feet up, recuperating from the demands of the children, and this I found invaluable and it enabled me to continue with the supper, etc afterwards. If this is not possible then you must at least train both your husband and the rest of the family not to hinder. This sounds odd, but you will be so grateful for the energy spared when you have taught them to put everything away as they use it, collect their dirty washing and put it in the right place, not to leave tools, toys, etc all over the floor where you can trip and do yourself an injury."
"My maxim has become 'If you cannot help, then please do not hinder.' Other children must be taught to do the same and encouraged to help as much as possible. In the darkest days my nine-year old would give me half-an-hour after school each day for any special tasks I needed done. He became very good at chopping vegetables and tasks that I found difficult. He was also very good at fetching and carrying for the baby and entertaining him for a short while so that I could sit down or put my feet up for ten minutes if things got on top of me. You can supervise just as well sitting down!" (In Coping with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chambers)
Look back at chapter 20 for all the help available from the social services, OTs, the DLF, commercial suppliers, etc. Look too through the booklets and websites mentioned at the end of this chapter. Don't forget that some gadgets/ equipment can be borrowed, hired or bought secondhand thus saving money. Remember, anything that makes life easier for you will probably benefit the rest of the family as well. Do please look at the two ARC booklets I mentioned earlier: Your home and arthritis and Looking after your joints when you have arthritis (downloadable or in print).
Lots of labour-saving items can be bought in ordinary high street stores, but have a chat too with your OT. S/he can supply some gadgets direct, and help you avoid expensive mistakes buying others. Try Good Housekeeping magazine's website for a vast range of consumer advice, for instance 'tried & tested' and 'buying A to Z' for tips on choosing microwaves, freezers, irons, washing machines, etc. There's money advice, consumer rights and news, and an 'ask us anything' service which includes sourcing products. Write or email (consumer.query@natmags.co.uk, tel: 0906 752 9070) for any queries not covered by the website.
Also try Which? website or magazine reports to help you judge 'best buys' (try your library if you're not a subscriber). Use things like the Argos or Comet catalogues and websites, too, for window-shopping from your armchair. Where possible go for lightweight devices, eg for campers and travellers, like a travelling iron. Above all, think before you buy, and try before you buy. Make sure you can operate the product before you sign the cheque!
One way of 'trying before you buy' expensive appliances: TV set rentals are usually easy to find, but you could see too if anywhere local hires out things like washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, microwaves, etc.
Local newspaper classified adverts are useful hunting grounds for buying secondhand expensive items like automatic washing machines, provided you're extra careful. People in wealthy areas often advertise machines for sale not because they're faulty, but because they want a newer and fancier model. I bought a thirdhand automatic machine for £25.00 which did good work for four years. Don't forget boot fairs too, the Furniture re-use network, and other sources mentioned in 'buying secondhand' (chapter 20).
Names and addresses of suppliers I'll include only the names of a few lesser-known suppliers here (for addresses see Appendix 2) — most things you'll find available from the commercial suppliers in chapter 20.
Other suppliers you can find on DLF's website, or by contacting your local Disability Living Centre (DLC), or the DLF helpline, tel: 0845 130 9177 (local rate), textphone 020 7432 8009 (standard rate); or write by post or email: advice@dlf.org.uk. Remember the DLF and some DLCs have displays where you can actually see and discuss what's available.
General reaching up and down, and storage Get longreach aids (also called Helping Hands, grabbers, easyreach gadgets). Save journeys by having several, hanging in the most important places, eg bedroom, kitchen, by chair in living room. Plan storage so your most frequently used, fragile or heavy things are at or near waist level. Fix shelves, work surfaces and hooks within your 'reaching zone' too. At higher levels store non-fragile things which can be edged down or dropped (using a reaching aid) on to lower surfaces for retrieval. To reach things stored at lower levels, use longreachers or edge them into plastic bags or on to a clean long-handled dustpan you can then lift up.
To help pet owners with bending difficulties like himself, design engineer Ray Dinham developed a fascinating device, 'DinnerUp'. You put your dog's or cat's feeding bowl(s) on a special tray, which fits against a kitchen unit or a wall and with a turning handle lower it or raise it from the floor to an accessible height.
Rethink storage generally. If everything has a home, then the family's got less excuse for not putting things away. ('A place for everything and everything in its place'!) Besides the usual well-known suppliers, sources of good storage and gadget products include Lakeland (my favourite!), phone 015394 88100, Muji, and Betterware, phone 0845 129 4650. For larger scale redesign and alteration solutions look below at the section 'in the kitchen'.
Think 'safety first'. Avoid having slippery or uneven floors. Avoid loose mats and deep pile carpets. Do away with trailing flexes. Avoid clutter by making sure there's sufficient storage and drill into everyone 'if you get something out, put it back' and 'tidy up as you go along'. For a fun solution to the problem of constant floor clutter, one Mum strung a hammock (from a camping shop) across her children's bedroom into which they happily flung all their toys.
Think before you act — will your weak wrists really let you carry that heavy kettle? — Why not leave the kettle where it is and fill it from a plastic jug, for instance? Fit smoke and gas alarms, and keep a special fire-smothering blanket handy — more fire safety advice on the government's Fire Kills website.
Carrying things Always be 'joint care aware'. Avoid carrying, or if unavoidable, spread the load for instance by using two hands instead of one. Use a trolley (can double as a walking aid), or a basket on wheels. Or apron with big pockets. Or a long handled bag/basket slung over your shoulder (lightweight things only), eg from cycle shops (sometimes called musettes), or the sort used by newspaper delivery boys and girls.
Security and doors Do take precautions, especially if you're on your own. The Crime Prevention Officer at your local police station will give you free advice on request. Fit a door spyhole, and consider getting an entryphone. There are remote controlled entryphones and door releases for people who can't get to the door easily (eg Ability Answers, Simply Automate, plus other security devices. Instead of a fiddly door chain, some door locks engage a safety chain automatically every time the door is opened from the inside. Flicking a lever on the lock releases the chain.
Keep door lock and hinges well-oiled. Replace round door knobs with lever handles. Modify small-headed Yale-type keys for easier grip with special key turners/ holders or build up the head with plastazote foam tubing, or mouldable 'Gripkit', also good for cupboard door handles, kitchen appliances, etc. Try metal skewer/ knitting needle to turn keys with large holes in the top. Soft rubber 'knob turners' help turn Yale-type latches. Fit a shelf or hook by the front door to rest shopping or bag while you open the door. Wire basket behind letter-box saves bending. If you have milk delivered, fix a milk bottle holder to the wall or you can get a long-handled version.
There's a section 'opening doors and windows' in DLF's Choosing household equipment.
Windows Sliding windows may be easier than sash. Fixing long levers may help you, eg on a fanlight window. A long piece of wood, with a hook fitted in one end can be used for a window with ring fitted in the framework. Or you could think about fitting a manually operated winding handle or an electrically powered remote opener. To draw curtains use helping hand/ easyreach or fit a pulley cord or ask DLF about electrically controlled systems, like those at Simply Automate, for instance.
Steps/stairs Consult OT about fitting hand-rails both sides, and other aids. Make sure the stairs are non-slip. Going down backwards or sideways needs extra care but may put less strain on knees. Cut down on up-and-down journeys by fitting a downstairs loo (OT might assist), or use a commode or even a discreet urinal (male or female). Plan your needs, like BS:
"When my husband comes of an evening he takes the ironing which I do late afternoon (sitting on my high-backed stool of course!) and anything which I put on the stairs. Our stairs are usually filled with things to go upstairs. I have all underwear kept downstairs for the children. I also have a downstairs toilet."
If you're considering having a ramp anywhere, talk to your OT and try one out first — shallow steps suit some people better. If stairs are proving permanently impossible, ask your OT about getting a stair-lift. There's a DLF booklet Choosing equipment to get up and down stairs.
Electricity (see also 'Heating and energy saving', below) For a temporary solution to low power points try portable sockets (plug one end, socket at other), perched on a reachable shelf, but beware of overloading them and beware of trailing flexes. A 'handisocket' or 'extendaplug' are neater devices for converting a low socket to a higher position without rewiring. For permanent new sockets, consult a properly qualified electrician. On the Electrical Safety Council website there are tips on choosing an electrician, and also a 'find an electrician' search section, or phone 0870 040 0561. Look too at the excellent Citizens' Advice Bureau's Electricity supply adviceguide.
Plugs can be made easier to pull from the socket by using 'handiplugs' or 'pullplugs' which have in-built handles. Try elbow action instead of fingers for difficult light switches. Rocker switches need less pressure than flick switches. Or fit an Easy Switch (eg from Promedics) over your existing light switch. Two-way light switches, eg one by the bedroom door and one by the bed, might help. Think about fitting time switches or remote controls, eg on room heaters, kitchen appliances, to save constant getting up and down.
Besides TV and music systems, many other devices around the home can now be remote-controlled, either inbuilt, or adapted later. Ricability's What's new in products for easier and safer living focuses on new technology including some systems of remote control for electrical appliances. X10 and Domia are examples. Look for instance at Simply Automate for an idea of the possibilities, eg to remote control lamps and dimmers, radios, washing machines. You plug your appliance into a module, and then plug this into your wall socket. When you press your remote control box the command is carried through the house along the existing electric wiring. Get advice too from your OT, from your local Disability Living Centre and from the Disabled Living Foundation.
Gas (see also 'Heating and energy saving', below) CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers) is the national watchdog for gas safety in the United Kingdom. If you are having gas work done in your home the person doing the work must be CORGI registered. They must also hold the correct qualifications to do the type of work you need. Ask your installer to show you their CORGI ID card before they start work. You can 'find an installer' and 'check an installer' on the CORGI website, or contact CORGI on 0800 915 0485.
There's masses of useful information and tips on the excellent Citizens' Advice Bureau's Gas supply adviceguide. If you have problems with your gas meter, for instance with accessibility or the way you pay, contact your gas supplier for help. A gas meter that's in an awkward position can be moved to a better one, where reasonably practicable. A special extended handle can be provided (free) if you can't operate a prepayment meter. If you're disabled, chronically sick or a pensioner, you can ask the gas supplier to read your meter every three months instead of the more usual once every two years (minimum). If a customer asks for it, the gas supplier must also provide free information and advice on preventing heat loss from the home, choosing gas heating systems and controls, using a gas heating system efficiently, organisations which may be able to give further advice, and sources of possible financial help for any work which would improve the efficient use of gas.
If you are a domestic customer of British Gas or Scottish Gas, and having problems with arrears of domestic gas/ electricity charges or other essential domestic costs, you can apply for help to the charity British Gas Energy Trust.
Heating and energy saving Heat at least one room well, and wrap up well too. Remote controls, or time switches on convector heaters (eg in the bedroom) save having to get up and down, though may be fiddly for your fingers to set. Make sure your home is well insulated — if you can't afford to do this yourself you may be able to get grants to help.
The free Home Heat helpline can provide advice on easy to use controls and adaptors, on cheaper payment schemes, on grants for home insulation, on eligibility for the Priority Services Register, and on other services, tel: 0800 33 66 99 or minicom 0800 027 2122.
If you need help in paying for heating and insulation improvements in a privately owned or rented home you may be eligible to apply for a government-funded 'Warm Front' grant, if for example you're receiving income or disability-related benefits. There's a factsheet on Directgov (search for 'warm front'), or phone 0800 316 6011.
For energy saving tips, grants, energy saving products from fridges to lighting to TVs, etc, look at the Energy Savings Trust, tel: 0800 512 012. Look too at the Energy Retail Association (ERA).
Energywatch, the consumer watchdog for energy (gas and electricity), gives lots of helpful advice, can investigate complaints, and publishes leaflets (downloadable) including How to pay less for your energy, How to choose and change your supplier, How energywatch can help you save money and energy, Free services (free to household owners who are pensioners or have a disability or long-term ill health). Ofgem, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, was set up by the government as the independent regulator of the gas and electricity industries, but it's Energywatch, rather than Ofgem, which deals directly with customers.
You may be able to save money by switching your energy supplier(s). Websites to help include Switch with Which? (or phone 0800 533 031), uSwitch.com (or phone 0845 601 2856), TheEnergyShop.com (or phone 0845 330 7247), energyhelpline.com (or phone 0800 074 0745), Home Advisory Service (or phone 0800 093 1021).
The registered charity EDF Energy Trust aims to help people in debt take control of their finances and cope with their future bills, by helping with grants, and advice on money and energy efficiency. Contact your local Citizens' Advice Bureau, too, if you're struggling with debts and money worries over energy and household bills.
Chairs Essential to have at least one which is your very own, but don't rush into buying one that may be unsuitable. Consult your OT/DLC and see ARC's booklet Are you sitting comfortably? (downloadable or in print) — includes a useful checklist for choosing a suitable chair. Avoid low chairs and soft chairs, and chairs you have to flop into; you'll jar your poor joints too much. A chair should be high enough for you to get on and off with least possible joint stress. Chair leg extenders/ raisers can raise the height. Hardboard under the cushion might make a firmer base. The arms should be well forward to support you. Avoid sitting with your legs crossed: that encourages joint deformity. Change your position frequently for pressure relief and to avoid joint stiffness.
You'll need good back support and should be able to rest your feet on the floor or use a footstool. Something called a 'gout stool' can be found in some antique shops. It's angled, and can rock backwards and forwards, allowing gentle movement in foot, knee and calf muscles. There are various modern alternatives.
When you get out of a chair, wriggle forward first, place the flat of your hand over the padded end of your chair to help you push and spread the strain through your forearms and over as many joints as possible. Don't push up with bent fingers as that strains delicate finger joints. Try a rocking movement, so that the weight of your head (about 9 lbs) helps move you forward, using the principle of swinging a weight to make it lighter. Avoid twisting as you rise. Special riser-seat chairs might tempt you; they work in different ways so do try several first (ask your OT/DLC) . Some are a bit too energetic or stiff and may alarm you rather than help!
Plan the area round your chair so everything's at hand, eg table, phone, light, radio, TV remote control, longreach gadget. A book rest on the table might help spare your hands. Some people find a baby's pillow or a butterfly pillow eases neck strain. You can buy butterfly pillows, or make one by tying a long strip of material firmly around the middle of an ordinary pillow. For shorter periods of sitting or perching around the house, keep a bar stool or two, or perching stools, eg in the kitchen, by the telephone, in the bathroom (more about stools later).
Besides ARC's booklet Are you sitting comfortably? look too at DLF's factsheet Choosing a chair and chair accessories, including reviewing your techniques, raising your chair, using a riser cushion or exchanging your chair for a high seat chair/ riser chair, motorised or spring-assisted chair, footrests, etc.
Bathroom See chapter 21.
Bed Low, sagging beds strain weak joints, and increase pain. A firm bed may take some getting used to, but will make all the difference in the long run, especially for people with AS, hip and back problems. That doesn't mean investing in an exorbitantly priced so-called 'orthopaedic' bed, unless your doctor, OT or nurse recommends it. 'Orthopaedic', says the Sleep Council, "does not mean that the bed has been professionally assessed or recommended. It is a term loosely used by manufacturers to refer to extra firm models in their range." Such beds may have a stronger spring system than an ordinary bed, but have no special medical properties. An ordinary but firm bed may be just as good.
The Sleep Council produces The Bed Buyers Guide, and The Sleep Good Feel Good Guide. There's lots of disability-related information in DLF's factsheet Choosing a bed and bed accessories, including for people who '…have difficulty getting their legs into bed', '…difficulty getting out of bed', '…need back support when sitting in bed', '…have to lie flat for long periods of time'; plus a variety of beds, mattresses, and backrests, raisers, and other accessories available. To search for specific products, for instance adjustable beds or Zip & Link or sofa beds, contact DLF or look at the National Bed Federation (NBF)'s database of NBF member manufacturers (British only - look elsewhere for others).
If you do need a special bed or equipment, you may qualify for help, either via your district/ community nurse or community OT.
Portable bed-boards may help you be sure of a firm bed away from home. And don't forget, you can borrow some equipment for short-term use (eg from the Red Cross). Some specialist care equipment suppliers will also rent out equipment such as special beds and hoists on a monthly or weekly basis (eg Care Necessities, Pegasus).
For many years I had a blissfully firm and perfectly ordinary bed, bought in a sale and carefully tried for firmness in the shop. I preferred a pine bed to a divan type, because it had individual legs which fitted on bed-blocks to raise the height, and the wooden slats under the mattress gave it a firm base. It was perfectly stable too, even with two occupants! Three or four years ago I changed to a wonderful electrically controlled height-adjustable bed, as versatile as a hospital bed but less bulky and better-looking, made of natural wood (by Bakare). All sorts of adjustable beds are now available, from Bakare and other manufacturers, including doubles with individually adjustable halves.
Having an ordinary bed the height of a dining room chair suits many people, and avoids strain on hips and knees. If you're raising the height with bed-blocks, don't use them on beds with fitted castors; ask your OT about safer alternatives. Some people have difficulty lifting their legs on to a raised bed. Ask your OT for tips, perhaps a 'bed hopper' device or a stirrup-like gadget on a long strap might help. Electrically operated devices are available, but expensive. Aim to keep your hips and knees straight — don't ease aches with cushions under your knees or hips, as that can distort joints. Do use any leg cylinders or night-resting splints you've been prescribed. They may take some getting used to, but they help prevent deformity by keeping your joints in a good position while you rest.
Good pressure care is important, especially if you're stuck in bed a long time, or if you can't move easily. Prevention of pressure sores is crucial. Regular skin inspection, positioning, pressure relief, good nutrition and skin care are all important. Get nursing advice on good pressure area care, and see the practical advice on the Tissue Viability Society website, and in DLF's Choosing pressure relief equipment. Mattresses, bed cradles and joint protectors are examples, but being pressure-care-aware and frequent position-changing are also important.
Go for lightweight, easy-care bedlinen (eg polyester/cotton mix), and a light, foam filled pillow. Avoid using more than one pillow as otherwise your head will be pushed forward too much. A small pillow may suit your neck (eg butterfly pillow). Duvets are light, warm and minimise bedmaking, especially if someone else (spouse? home help? good friend?) can change the cover for you. If you prefer blankets, try lightweight cellular ones, or a baby-sized or child-sized blanket. Keep unnecessary weight off your feet — a bed cradle might help, or hang the bed-clothes over a dining or bedroom chair placed at the end of the bed.
Tucking-in sheets (if you must!) may be easier if you create a slight gap by fitting small blocks between the mattress and bed base. If you like fitted sheets but find the bedmaking awkward, try slitting one corner and fastening it with tapes instead. If you have handles on your mattress devise an 'anchoring system', sewing tapes to sheets which then tie round the mattress handles.
Instead of a hot-water bottle, weak hands might prefer an electric heating pad or microwaveable no-water 'hot-water' bottle (wheat grain filled instead) — you can even cuddle a microwaveable warm and furry teddy bear! Look at the Raynaud's & Scleroderma Association website or phone 01270 872776 for more information. If you still prefer an old-fashioned water-filled bottle, a special hot-water bottle holder can help hold the bottle steady while you fill it. A light electric underblanket or overblanket suits other people.
Have accessible storage near your bed for books, water, vacuum flask, radio, and a light switch nearby too. Some people like over-bed adjustable tables, but be sure you can still get in and out easily. Get the wardrobe hanging-rail lowered if necessary. Shelves with pull-out baskets may be easier than drawers.
First, some tips from Pamela W:
"The main thing is to do only a little at a time and to do only what is strictly necessary. The good thing about having arthritis is that people do not criticise when they see a layer of dust! Invest in a good lightweight Hoover and slosh disinfectant on various surfaces and it's surprising how clean the house seems! I wear rubber gloves when doing dishes to protect the joints from exposure to extremes of temperature. R has mounted a large drainer on the wall for me. I keep all the everyday dishes on this so I never have to dry dishes. I also have a tube which I push on the tap so that I can rinse the dishes on the rack without having to hold them. Better still is when my husband does the dishes — which is most nights, luckily!"
"I usually dry clothes indoors because it saves all the bending and stretching and the running out when it rains. I arrange the clothes really carefully and ease out any creases. It's surprising how this cuts down on the ironing."
If you can't manage heavier housework yourself it may be worth paying someone to do it for you, or ask if the social services can help. You may or may not have to pay something. Have a planned routine for each visit, to make the most of the limited time available. Make a 'to-do' list if there's a lot to remember.
If you do it yourself, don't try to do everything at once. Spread it over the whole week. Give yourself strict time limits, for instance 20 minutes' work, then I stop. Balance activity with rest. Wear working splints if prescribed. Think before you act. Avoid concentrating strain on one or two joints; spread it over as many joints as possible, eg use both hands to carry objects or use a trolley. If you live with other people do stop them creating unnecessary work for you and do make them do at least their share (eg get the men to iron their own shirts). Make everyone swop careless TTA habits ('throwing-things-anywhere') for PET ('putting-everything-away') habits!
Cleaning A long-handled dustpan and brush saves bending. Pad handles for an easier grip. Go for an upright lightweight (and cheaper) vacuum cleaner, or a lightweight electric carpet sweeper. Make sure you can empty it OK. Clean floors with a long-handled squeegee type sponge mop, one of those with a special hinge on the handle for squeezing dry. A similar, smaller version with a telescopic handle exists for window cleaning (try it for the bath, too).
Use a long-handled feather duster for dusting. A clean long-handled artist's paintbrush helps get dust out of awkward cracks — try a dab of furniture polish on it. Cottonwool buds are useful too, eg for getting behind taps. Dissolve away hard water deposits around kitchen sink taps by letting malt vinegar soak in for a while.
For cleaning the bath use a long-handled sponge or a cloth/sponge gripped in your longreacher (or a telescopic window squeegee). Better still, keep a long-handled brush and washing up liquid permanently by the bath and train bath users to clean up after themselves.
When using aerosol cans, push down with the palm of your hand, instead of thumb or finger tip. You can also get special aerosol handles to make aerosol cans easier to use or the OT department might make you one.
Look at:
Laundry Try spreading it through the week. Town dwellers might find taking it to a launderette for a service wash easier than doing it at home. Someone from a local voluntary organisation might help fetch and carry it.
For washing at home, a combined automatic washer-tumble drier is best. I find a front-loader easier than a top-loader, as I can load it with my longreach gadget and unload it using gravity to help pull things out into a basket below the door. A low machine could be raised on a plinth. Taking the laundry out of the washing machine is one of the amazing skills of a 'canine partner', if you're lucky enough to have one! Washing machines are expensive, so wait till the sales are on or consider buying secondhand, but do make sure it works safely, and that you can operate it OK before buying.
A folding laundry basket (eg from Chester-Care/Homecraft-Rolyan) holds a machine-load of washing at waist height. For outdoor drying try a rotary drier fixed at lower than normal height. Some can be wall-mounted (eg from Brabantia) and operated with one hand. Some are height-adjustable, either automatically or with a winding handle so clothes can be loaded at a convenient height and then raised by turning the handle, but do try before you buy in case it's too difficult.
Or go for a clothes line with a pulley system to allow loading from one position. Try hangers on the line to drape blouses, shirts, trousers, skirts, for quicker drying in better shape.
You could dry inside over the bath to avoid rushing in and out when it rains. Would a pulley operated ceiling airer help? Look in hardware and department stores and websites at the variety of washing lines and airers available before buying. Look too at:
Ironing Cut down on ironing by folding wet clothes carefully to avoid creasing while they dry. Eliminate any unnecessary ironing, eg of bedlinen, of underclothes. For unavoidable ironing try a lightweight travel iron. Sit down to iron (not essential, but you can get a height-adjustable ironing stool, eg from Brabantia). A stowaway or a wall-mounted folding board without legs might make ironing easier (eg Woodfit's fold-away ironing board). Or try occasional ironing on a very well-padded kitchen table. Consider paying someone else to do it for you if there are no eager volunteers around. Look at:
Oh for a purpose-built kitchen, with every latest gadget and design feature! Unlikely to happen for most of us, so it's a matter of making the most of what we've got and adapting or adding to it as necessary. Discuss difficulties with your OT. Try before you buy for reachability and operability, and think about cleanability. Check weight and knobs/ handles. Look for features that will overcome weak grip problems, and may help avoid joint strain and damage.
Look at ARC's booklets: Your home and arthritis and Looking after your joints when you have arthritis (downloadable or in print). OT departments in larger hospitals, and the DLF and some disabled living centres have kitchen displays, or ask your community OT. Look too at DLF's factsheets like Choosing household equipment, Making a difference (choosing equipment for everyday living).
To get ideas and to see how dream kitchens can become reality, look at Design Matters KBB Ltd whose designs can include height-adjustable tables, height-adjustable and rise and fall units, custom-made worksurfaces, pull-down shelving, pull-out appliances (including fridges, where the shelves come to you), etc. Get ideas, too, by looking at websites like Woodfit, where you can see pull-out inserts and baskets and carousels for cupboards, rail system with hooks and shelves, pull-out worktops and ironing boards, etc; similarly at Herbert Direct, where various inserts to fit existing units include pull-outs and a pull-down wire system for wall cupboards, carousels, etc. Storage products too at Closetmaid.
If finance is a problem, ask your OT or social worker whether you might qualify for help of some sort, perhaps a disabled facilities grant, which is a grant to help meet the cost of adapting a property for the needs of someone with a disability, which can include 'facilitating the preparation and cooking of food by the disabled occupant'. There's useful information and advice on the Disability Alliance website and in their Disability Rights Handbook, and on the Directgov website.
Storage and layout Good storage arrangements are crucial. Aim to reduce too much walking about and stretching and bending and lifting. Aim to avoid straining your joints, or using them in a bad position. Use the tips in ARC's Looking after your joints when you have arthritis, outlined earlier.
Try to have an unbroken continuous working surface between your food preparation area, sink and cooker, with a heat-proof working surface one side of the cooker. Slide heavy things, don't lift them. Keep out at reachable level heavy, awkward things like food processor/ mixer, electric can-opener, kettle, and things you use frequently, like salt and sugar and cooking oil and coffee and tea. Hang saucepans on reachable hooks.
Plan 'activity centres', eg keep everything you need to make tea and coffee together by the kettle at a socket near the sink; other centres could be for baking or vegetable preparation. You may sometimes need a non-slip surface: for instance to stop a mixing bowl slipping, lessen the strain on the fingers holding it by using something like a non-slip 'Dycem' mat. Other tricks are to wedge the bowl in an open drawer at waist-height, or to stand it on a damp cloth, or rest it on your lap.
Get a high stool to sit or perch on. Try a bar stool with a foot rest (some are easier to slide on and off than others) or a special high perching stool with a sloping seat (details from DLF and/or the commercial suppliers in chapter 20). Vertically divided storage drawers instead of cupboards might make reaching easier. In corners and on work surfaces carousels/turntables can swing out-of-reach things towards you. Pull-out racks or shelves in units make access easier, and can sometimes be fitted in existing units. Pull-out worktops fitted below existing working surfaces provide extra surfaces. Fix baskets and shelves and hooks as reachable back-of-door storage. How about a vegetable rack on castors?
Lots of reachable open shelves may be easier than cupboards with awkward doors, though shelves get dustier. 'D' handles on cupboard doors and drawers may be easier to use than knobs. Tape looped through cupboard door handles might help with opening. Fit hooks everywhere for hanging tools and gadgets, not forgetting one for a longreach gadget. Check and adapt electric sockets, cooker and appliance control knobs, taps, all handles, and windows for reachability and operability.
In the booklets mentioned in this chapter you'll find lots of small gadgets which can help. One of Ann Macfarlane's gadgets is a stick with a cup hook screwed in one end and a rubber thimble over the other (often sold as a 'dressing stick'):
"I use the hook for opening doors, for lifting cups by the handle and all sorts of other things. If I drop something on the floor — which I often do — I can sometimes pick it up by pushing the thimble end of the stick inside the object and levering it into the air; if that doesn't work I always have plenty of plastic bags available. I then push the object inside the bag and use my stick to lift the bag." (From Michael Leitch's Living with Arthritis, Lennard/ Collins)
A 'contour turner' is another clever small gadget to help turn knobs. It has series of pins which retract to surround the shape of the knob. You can then grip and turn the knob more easily.
To buy disability-related products look at the websites and catalogues of the commercial suppliers in chapter 20, and use the DLF website, helpline, and suppliers' directory. Other sources of good storage and gadget products include Lakeland (wonderful — my favourite!), phone 015394 88100, Muji, and Betterware, phone 0845 129 4650.
Sink and taps Tips on bathroom taps in chapter 21 apply equally to kitchen taps. Lever-taps needing only a quarter turn from off to full on are ideal. Move taps or detachable tap-turners with your palm, to save your finger joints. A swivel spout (or small hose, fitted to the spout) means you can fill a saucepan beside the sink without lifting, and it helps with the washing up.
Pour water into a food-encrusted saucepan the moment you've emptied it, while still warm: it'll clean much easier later on. Leave dishes to soak before washing them. If rubber gloves are a problem, try a larger size, or try wearing just one, on your strongest hand and keeping the other out of the water. Dusting talc inside may make them easier to slip on and off. Or try large disposal gloves.
Just drain dishes, don't waste limited energy rations drying up (see Pamela's tips later). Using a brush (enlarge the grip if necessary) is less strain than a dish cloth, but if you prefer a dish cloth, wring it out by wrapping it round the tap top then twisting it. Some people find a shallower than usual sink easier or raise the washing up bowl to save bending. Leaving cupboard doors open under the sink may mean you can sit closer and avoid bending. Best of all get someone else to wash up or ask your fairy godmother for a dishwasher, but before she writes the cheque make sure you can load and unload it!
Cooker Try before you buy. Can you reach everything and operate the controls without straining? Is the grill convenient? Ask your electricity or gas supplier (or write to the manufacturer) about special switch and handle adaptations for people with weak hands. Or perhaps a contour grip would help? Avoid ceramic hobs if you can't lift saucepans — they scratch easily. Self-cleaning ovens and automatic timing devices can make life easier. A split level oven can overcome bending difficulties. A drop-down rather than sideways opening oven door can be used for resting things on briefly, but may make reaching inside and oven cleaning difficult.
You can now even buy a wall-mounted oven with a built-in lift! Press a button to open it, and the food is automatically lowered allowing unobstructed access from three sides (the LiftMatic oven from Siemens).
Some people prefer an all-in-one old-fashioned free-standing cooker raised on a plinth. For a time, when I was on my own I used a cheaper and smaller alternative, a table-top mini oven/ cooker (eg Belling Baby, Russell Hobbs, DeLonghi), mounted at waist-height on a strong purpose-built trolley. Some models are plug-in but you can use only one ring when the oven's on. The wired-in model lets you use both rings plus the oven at once. But since I got my microwave and combination oven there's no going-back!
Before you buy, research what's available by looking at:
Microwave ovens are a boon and save working with heavy saucepans and dishes. Dishes are easier to clean, and you can use lightweight cookware such as microwave-safe plastic, available by internet or post from firms such as Lakeland, and Wellbake. From Lakeland I've a collection of small square plastic food storage boxes, ideal for freezing meal-sized portions which can later be defrosted and then transferred to the microwave, for cooking alongside fresh veg in a similar box at the same time.
You can microwave vegetables in less water than on a hob so they have a better flavour and retain more vitamins and minerals and you can cook fish or eggs with less fat. Food can be cooked and served in the same dish, saving on washing-up. Some disadvantages: small capacity, large odd-shaped foods such as a chicken may cook and defrost unevenly, judging correct cooking times can be difficult, and overcooking could cause food to catch fire.
Good microwave cooking doesn't come automatically. It's worth taking a little time to learn the techniques and the dos and don'ts, including the right containers to use. Borrow a microwave cookery book from the library, perhaps?
A wall-mounted microwave may save space though getting things in and out could be difficult. Before buying a microwave, look at:
Or how about a combination oven? Though a microwave will cook, reheat and defrost, it can't usually crisp or brown food. A combination oven could give you more flexibility and convenience, allowing you to cook by microwave only, grill only or convection only; you can also use microwave and convection together (combination cooking) or microwave and grill together, and you can crisp and brown food! To make the most of it, you'll need to study the handbook.
Small useful alternatives to ovens and microwaves can be placed on a work surface, making for easier cooking without extensive adaptations: for instance electric table-top hob or portable grill or slow cooker or mini-oven or multi-cooker pan (electric table-top pan for frying, baking, casseroles).
Fridges and freezers Planned fridge use saves on shopping journeys. A small one can hang on the wall or stand on a table-top. A larger one could be mounted on a plinth for easier reaching. Difficult-to-reach non-breakable items on shelves can be edged out on to a clean long-handled dustpan kept specially for the purpose, or into a plastic bag. Some (eg Liebherr) have pull-out shelves and drawer. Thermador has added a motorized shelf to their refrigerators!
A freezer needs careful planning and organisation, not just for what you put in, but how you put it in and how you'll get it out. Loading and unloading and defrosting difficulties need to be thought through before you buy. Pull-out drawers are usually easier to use than a chest freezer. A small table-top freezer may be less bother while still allowing you the advantages of having some ready-cook frozen food. For more info:
Trolleys One with a heat-proof tray at oven height avoids heavy lifting and carrying. Specially designed walking aid trolleys are higher than normal trolleys. A pull-out mobile trolley which lives under a worktop when not in use is handy if you've got room. Social services might provide a trolley if essential and if you can't get one yourself.
You can get one-handled trays for carrying things, too, useful if you need a crutch or walking stick in one hand, though for joint protection it's better to use two hands for unavoidable carrying!
Kettle Get one with an automatic cut-out device. If you do have to lift a heavy kettle, use two hands to spread the load, but it's better joint protection to avoid lifting if possible. Instead, fill it with water using a tap spout hose, or take water from tap to kettle using a light plastic jug. Save lifting by fitting kettle on a tilter base. Tilter may be useful for a teapot too (though tea-bags in mugs are even easier, or try a teaspoon-sized tea infuser — available from hardware and cookery shops). Some jug kettles are lightweight, and can be filled through the spout, though the height might cause difficulty. Or try a small travel kettle (eg Chestercare's cordless mini jug kettle — takes up to 1 pint).
Alternatively, perhaps a filled vacuum flask could keep you going through the day? And a small one can be carried in a bag even if you're using two sticks. An 'elephant flask' with a spout doesn't have to be lifted for pouring. Or try an individual electric heater element (eg Magellan's 'compact heating coil', or a Pifco Mini Boiler), favoured by travellers, to heat up a single mug of water. Or heat a mug of water in a microwave.
Look at Ricability's Choosing an electric kettle that’s easy to use.
Opening tins The old fashioned key type tin-opener strains joints. Get an electric tin-opener, instead, with a magnet to hold the lid. Choose carefully: some may be heavy to lift, and some are more stable than others. Beware of some hand-held electric openers which may be too heavy to hold. You could try a one-touch battery-operated can opener (eg from Best Direct).
Jars and bottles As a general rule, if you can't avoid using your own hands, open with your stronger hand and close with the weaker one as this will stop you closing them too tightly. Better to use a gadget to take strain off the joints, eg one that holds the jar or bottle firmly so you can use both hands to twist. Besides using a non-slip mat (eg Dycem) to hold a jar steady there are devices to stabilise jars and bottles leaving both hands free. Or use the long lever type of opener like the Strongboy or Cap Gripper. Other gadgets can help with can ring-pulls, eg Lakeland's Magi Pull, the Jarkey, or Promedics's Popper or Can Pop.
To roll out the last remains from tubes of tomato paste, etc, try a rolling pin (moved with palm or forearm). If ketchup refuses to come out of the bottle, insert a drinking straw to let air in, then remove it. The ketchup should start to flow.
Opening plastic packets The 'Slitapac' or similar packet slitters are useful. You slide the edge of a plastic packet along the guide bar and press it against the blade. Some electric can-openers have a special blade for slitting open packets. Look for lightweight scissors with large finger holes, or try special scissors (eg from Peta (UK) Ltd) with a special looped spring-action handle instead of finger holes. Peta also do self-opening kitchen shears and other special design kitchen tools. For opening flap-topped boxes or cartons, you can get a 'boxtopper' (eg from Promedics).
Lakeland sell the versatile 'Wrap Rage Beater', which "slips into boxes, loosens lids, opens bottles, and sorts out plastic wrap in seconds", designed by inventive graduate Chris Whittle, after watching his grandmother fighting with packaging.
Saucepans Stainless steel saucepans, though more expensive, last longer and are easier to clean than aluminium. Enlarge long pan handles if necessary, to make holding them easier. Non-stick pans ease cleaning problems. Lift one-handled saucepan with one hand, while using your other forearm to support the handle, or, better, try double-handled pans. D-shaped handles are easier to grip than knobs. Preferably avoid lifting altogether, and instead slide pans across work surfaces, provided they're heat-proof. Keeping the lid on a pan when simmering reduces cooking time and saves on fuel.
To avoid having to strain veg from a hot heavy pan, cook them in a wire chip basket insert placed in the saucepan. Just lift the insert out of the hot water when they're cooked. Or instead use a slotted spoon.
My favourite saucepan is an old-fashioned 'universal steamer' (eg from Lakeland), a double-handled pan with a holey bottom, which sits on top of a saucepan of boiling water. It's economical on fuel (potatoes can cook in the bottom while veg steam in the top), retains healthy vitamins, and steamed veg are much tastier not soggified by boiling water. I've also worked out a way of doing quick-cook individual steamed puddings, using little dariole moulds topped with aluminium foil!
Kitchen tools Top priority is a really sharp knife (used with great care). Blunt knives need too much pressure. Enlarge handles if necessary to make gripping easier. A special design may help, eg the' Rocker' knife, circular with a central wooden handle, which can be held in different ways and cuts by rocking from side to side. Other people prefer 'angled' knives and kitchen tools, roughly L-shaped (eg from Peta (UK) Ltd). Get plenty of plastic bowls and containers — ideal for food preparation and fridge and freezer storage — can be kept at low or high levels with no danger of breakage.
Optional extras: Food processor: has its advantages, eg for mixing pastry and chopping things, though fiddly to set up and fiddly to wash. Heavy too. Check operability before you buy and check too you can dismantle it for cleaning. Keep it where you can just slide it towards you when needed. Electric mixer: go for a cheaper, lightweight one. Before you buy, try it for weight and grip, try out the beater release button, the on/off switch, try for ease of fixing and releasing from a stand. Kitchen timer: saves frequent treks to see how the cooking's doing; the sort you hang round your neck are good. Toaster Look at Ricability's Choosing a toaster that's easy to use. Cookrest/ bookstand keeps the cookbook open for you (eg from Chester-Care). Egg separator is a handy gadget for separating yolks from whites. Try Lakeland's website and catalogues for masses of wonderful ideas to make life in the kitchen easier!
Sit and think through all the steps first. Read the recipe all the way through and picture how best to tackle each stage. Next collect together everything you'll need from start to finish, then sit down again to get on with the actual preparation and cooking.
Change your cooking methods Switch from making hot and heavy casseroles to grilling, steaming, stir-fries, oven-top stewing, pot roasting, or use table-top appliances like the microwave, slow cooker or portable grill.
Use more convenience foods, eg frozen, ready-made, canned, packet. The nutrition and healthy eating guides listed later will help you judge the nutritional value of differently processed and packaged foods.
Go for sliced bread, soft easy-spread butter or margarine, etc. Keep a good stock of tinned meat and poultry, tuna and sardines (forget the key — use an electric can opener), packets and tubs of dried vegetables and flaked onions to see you through days you can't get out. Make good use of the freezer. Freeze food in meal-sized portions. Even a small freezer compartment in a fridge can be used for stocks of frozen cod steaks, beefburgers, chickenburgers, as good standby 'basics'.
Mix convenience with inspiration, eg get sweet or savoury pie fillings and add extra veg or personal toppings. Enliven grilled sausages and other meats with packet sauces (just add water and stir) or with instant garnishes like garlicky soft herb cheese or red currant jelly (good on lamb chops). Tins of soup or packets are an easy way to make stews and casseroles tastier, or can be adapted (using less liquid than for soup) for use as a sauce (eg half a packet of make-in-a-cup chicken soup as a sauce for grilled chicken pieces).
Adapt stir-fry techniques for healthier, less fuel-consuming dishes. More time has to be spent on cutting up and preparing the food (which some people may find difficult) but food prepared in advance can be stored for a few hours in plastic bags in the fridge. Cut chillies up using a knife and fork. Use all-in-one recipes, eg for cakes.
Vegetables Simplify traditional ways of peeling/ serving veg, eg runner beans don't really need slicing and taste juicier if simply broken into bite-sized chunks and steamed, preferably. Boil, bake or microwave potatoes in their cleaned jackets for eating as they are or for DIY peeling by everyone at the table. Or boil then plunge them into cold water, before peeling. Or use instant spuds. Or serve rice or pasta instead (a little oil in the cooking water stops it all sticking together).
If you can't avoid peeling veg, try a spiked board to hold the veg still and choose from the variety of peelers available — eg Good Grips Y peeler with non-slip handle — I use a swivel peeler (eg by Good Grips or Zyliss) which can be used towards or, as I prefer, away from me. Enlarge the handle if necessary. Other people prefer a wide-grip peeler, with a handle you can slip your fingers through; like other swivel peelers it reduces wrist movement. Or reverse the process and rub the potato against a stationary grater/ peeler device.
Avoid lifting heavy panfuls of hot water to strain veg by cooking veg in a lift-out wire-mesh basket, eg a chip basket: some are foldable. Or use a large perforated straining spoon to lift the veg out. Or rest the pan on the sink edge and tip the contents out over a strainer/ colander.
Steaming veg uses less water, and keeps in more of the vitamins — try my favourite double-decker steamer (eg Universal Steamer from Lakeland).
It's easy to steam or boil veg in the microwave. Cut the veg into even sized pieces; the smaller they are cut, the quicker they will cook. Prick or score the skins of whole vegetables such as potatoes or tomatoes to stop them bursting. Place the veg into a suitable dish, then use the guideline: add 1 tablespoonful of cold water for every 200g of fresh vegetables. Cover the dish with microwave wrap, or with a suitable lid. Stir once during cooking, or give the dish a little shake half way through cooking. Stand for a couple of minutes before serving. As a guide for 225# g fresh broccoli: 800W microwave: 6 to 8 mins on full power, 900W microwave: 5 to 7 mins on full power. Always check food is thoroughly heated after cooking, and if necessary adjust cooking time.
Pastry Use frozen ready-made, or use the food-processor to mix your own. Make more than you need and store some. Shortcrust pastry mixture, before water's added, keeps for several days in a jar or plastic bag in the fridge. With sugar added it becomes a handy quick crumble mixture. Use a pastry brush dipped in cooking oil to grease pastry dishes and cake tins, or use baking parchment non-stick lining paper.
Pastry substitutes for savoury dishes Top thick stew-type tinned fillings with instant mash, flavoured with butter or cheese. Or use scone dough topping (cobbler topping) — lighter and easier to roll than ordinary pastry. Or use buttered crumbs, freshly made in a food processor, or crushed crisps (crush in a plastic bag using rolling pin). Or try a moussaka topping: — blend two well-beaten eggs with two rounded tablespoonfuls of flour, beat in a carton of natural yoghurt. Pour over the filling and bake in a medium oven for 25 to 35 minutes till set and golden. Or use a charlotte topping: — cut the crusts off sliced bread, butter well, arrange in slices or triangles over cooked dish, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a medium oven till crisp.
Line a greased pie dish with instant mash made up with half the usual quantity of water plus an ounce of melted butter. Press out and line a pie-plate using your fingers. Fill for example with sliced tomatoes, and pour over ¼pint single cream mixed with cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a hot oven until golden brown. Or line a pie dish with overlapping slices of buttered bread, or crushed cheesey biscuits. Or use scone dough as a pizza base. Or cut rounds out of bread slices with a biscuit cutter, spread with a little melted butter, fit each one gently into a greased tartlet tin, put a small piece of foil in the centre of each held in place with dried beans and bake in the centre of a hot oven for 10 minutes or less till crisp and golden. Take out and add filling (eg cooked anchovies/ tomato paste/ onions/ egg).
Pastry substitutes for sweet dishes Adapt cobbler, charlotte, crumble topping or bread slice rounds for sweet dishes by adding sugar and using tinned fruit fillings. Or top with marshmallows arranged over a cooked filling and grill till lightly browned.
Make a base for sweet flans with crushed digestive biscuits, 4 oz mixed with 2 oz melted butter, crushed in a food processor or broken into a plastic bag and bashed with a rolling pin. Or use Rice Crispies or cornflakes: — melt together 2 tablespoonfuls of golden syrup, and 1 oz butter to 3 oz Rice Crispies. Toss well to coat, then press into a flan tin and chill. Fill with Angel Delight or icecream or fruit and jelly. Slices of swiss roll held together with jelly also make a good base for a sweet dish.
Once you've got one or two good basic cookery books (eg by Good Housekeeping, Delia Smith, etc), go for a few 'theme' hardbacks or paperbacks, too, especially if cookery is a hobby, as it is for me. By theme books I mean work out what sort of cooking suits you best, and borrow or buy books specialising in those areas.
For instance I go for 'quick cook' books full of shortcut tips and ways of making convenience food more interesting. I also go for 'cook ahead' books, 'ices and frozen dessert' books, and books that teach me the basic principles of these specialities so I can then devise my own variations. Other themes you might go for are microwave cookery, steamed foods, stir fry, deep freeze cookery, or books which include interesting sauces to dress up plain grilled or roasted meat.
On the internet you'll find masses of sites with recipe ideas. A good all-rounder is the BBC's Food section. Try too Delia Smith's Delia online. If you have a particular product you like using (eg tuna, sardines, Angel Delight, canned fruit, yoghurt, mascarpone) why not contact the manufacturer to see if they produce any free recipe leaflets to give you further ideas? Or do a search inputting the product name and 'recipes'. The Good Housekeeping Institute can help with some cookery queries, email: cookery.query@natmags.co.uk
You need to be sure that your diet is healthy and well-balanced, even if mobility and other problems limit what shopping and cooking you can do. For helpful guidance, try the following:
'Non-disabled' websites and books
Shirley Conran's original Superwoman (1970s) was commissioned by a male editor who wanted a book which would teach him housework. After that came a mass of books aimed at making life easier for housepersons, bachelor men and working wives, many of them the sort of tips a clever grandmother passes on. Scour them for tips to make life easier. Some examples: