When you have to live your life with limited hand and arm mobility, you can get pretty creative. Your bag of tricks won’t come right away, however, nor will these life tricks be taught by an occupational therapist. Instead, as the years pass after your injury, you will discover amazing things that make your life exponentially easier. To speed things up, we've compiled a list of some of the most useful products people with quadriplegia love. Check them out below.
A lot of cup holders have limitations, however, that is not the case with the Vector Cup Holder, which can be clamped onto almost any wheelchair without any tools or hardware as long as whatever you're clasping it onto is no more than 1/2 inch thick. It can also be moved to another wheelchair, or whatever you're sitting in, easily, and it's great for travel thanks to its ability to fold flat and weighs less than 3.5 ounces.
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For people with low-level quadriplegia or tetraplegia, meaning that they have some arm movement, Active Hands gripping aid gloves are a game changer. These gloves can give someone a firm grip when they have no finger movement, making it possible to hold exceptionally heavy things like arm weights.
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Alexa is Amazon's virtual assistant technology that helps people with quadriplegia control items throughout their home that they would be otherwise unable to operate, and they are able to do so using their voice. Alexa can do things such as turn on the coffee maker, turn on or off lights from the bed, or adjust the thermostat. Other than being able to control your home, it can also play audio, answer questions and remind you of your daily calendar.
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For many men with limited hand function who are able to straight-cath throughout the day, one of the trickiest aspects of catheterizing independently is making sure the fly of the pants stays out of the way so it does not get soiled. The PantHook is a popular solution for this common problem. It simply pulls the fly further down and completely out of the way of the catheter zone, ensuring that pants never get wet.
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For those with quadriplegia and who are able to dress themselves, the RMS Button Hook with Zipper Pull is an absolute must. This handy tool enables people to button clothes without any help and use zippers without help. It has a wide rubber handle to make it easy to hold and a loop that makes it possible to pull buttons through the holes with just one hand.
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A simple handcuff that is sometimes referred to as a "quad cuff" in the occupational therapy world, the Vertical Palm Self-Handle Fork is a lightweight and easy-to-use tool that helps people with quadriplegia hold a fork. It bends at a 90° angle to make feeding oneself easier and it is lightweight.
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For anyone with extremely limited arm mobility and who uses a stylus (sometimes known as a "mouth stick"), the Faraday Stylus is a popular stylus among people with quadriplegia thanks to its custom design and ability to bend. Every stylus is made to order and handmade. Different fabrics and various tips are available with this stylus too and they also will refurbish old styluses.
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The inconspicuous Asian spider tool with a bamboo handle that’s in many kitchens makes an excellent pick-up tool for when you drop things on the floor thanks to the scoop design of the steel mesh basket. It has the ability to pick up even larger items if positioned correctly as well.
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Many quadriplegics have difficulty holding cups and prefer to use mugs with handles as an alternative. The Bubba Vacuum Insulated Mug is easy to hold thanks to its big handle and it protects you from getting burned because of the vacuum-insulated design that makes the exterior of the cup safe to touch no matter how hot the liquid may be inside.
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Getting hot drinks on your own, or filtered cold water on your own, is a lot easier with a Bibo Water Dispenser. This machine sits on the kitchen counter and has a touchscreen to operate it, letting you choose your water preference. This item is especially helpful if you cannot use your sink or a kettle independently.
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A half-circle knife with a cushioned handle, the KitchenAid Mezzaluna Knife is a popular knife among quadriplegics because of its curved stainless steel blade. This knife is also incredibly easy to hold for people with no finger function thanks to its large handle. There are other manufacturers making similar knife designs if this one is hard to find.
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For many quadriplegics, typing can be difficult. Many have found touchscreens to be much easier for typing, and use an iPad instead of a traditional keyboard on a laptop or PC. To make holding an iPad easier, this stand has a moveable arm that makes it easy to use an iPad in bed.
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When you use a wheelchair, one of the most difficult things to do in one’s home is close a door on your own. Pop Sockets are a cheap and easy solution to make closing doors in your home easier. Originally made for cell phones, as they stick to the back and make phones easier to hold for people with normal functioning fingers, Pop Sockets are an ingenious way for quadriplegics to be more independent in their homes by helping to close doors.
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