Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 17, 1990 TAG: 9006270066
SECTION: SENIOR STYLE PAGE: SS-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Small adaptations on appliances and kitchen fixtures make it possible for many individuals to live independently, said Rebecca Lovingood of Virginia Tech's department of housing, management, interior design and resource management.
She and other Virginia Tech researchers have been working on many aspects of helping people continue to live independently.
"Research for the Whirlpool Corp. changes to help the older or handicapped user was done here at Virginia Tech," said Lovingood, who was one of the researchers working with Len D. Singer of the Center for Product and Environmental Design and Jacqueline V. Downing of the Human Factors Engineering Center.
"Features based on their research and the research of others are already on many appliances," said Lovingood.
Handles and controls that can be used by the whole hand, rather than needing flexible fingers are easier for handicapped persons to use.
"A press bar, such as is used on many microwave ovens, opens the doors with the pressure of the hand. A handle with space behind it allowing a whole hand to slip behind it is easier to use than one that requires users to grasp it with their fingers," she said. Many refrigerators and ranges are designed that way.
Controls at the front or side of the appliance are easier to use than those at the rear or on the backsplash.
For those persons with a limited reach or those who use a wheelchair, washing machines with side-hinged top lids are easier to use than rear-hinged top lids. The same is true of ovens. Side-hinged are easier to use than bottom-hinged.
Many appliance manufacturers offer features that can be added onto the appliance. Whirlpool, for example, offers overlays for control knobs that have the information in big type or braille. These are free to anyone who has its appliances, said Joy Schrage of Whirlpool.
Many companies offer instructions and cookbooks in Braille, large type or on audio cassette for general sale.
Although some new appliances have been designed with features that allow people with physical limitations to use them, other appliances can be adapted to make them easier to use for someone with less flexibility or strength in their fingers, said Lovingood.
Clothespins can be slipped onto fin-shaped knobs or vinyl jar openers can be slipped over control knobs to make them easier to hold.
Soft foam material wrapped around some knobs enlarges them and makes it easier to control them.
A looped-strap attached to drawers or doors can make it easier for someone with less desterity to grasp the loop to pull the door open.
Drawers should have a catch to keep them from falling if they are pulled too far, she added.
A mirror installed over the cooking area of a stove allows someone in a wheelchair to make frequent checks on the cooking without having to go through the exertion of standing up. Portable appliances such as fry pans, deep fryers, mixers and others allow a handicapped person to cook at more convenient locations in the kitchen, not always at the range.
Items that allow the person to work with one hand can be helpful to those who have lost the use of a hand, or whose hands might be weak, said Nancy Barclay, professor of housing, interior design and resource management at Tech. A chopping block with nails that will hold a vegetable while the person peels it; jar openers attached to cabinets that hold the lid while the person turns the jar to open it are two examples.
An apron with pockets that make it easier to carry items.
Or easier yet, keep more than one set of items that are used at several stages of food preparation and store them at all the places where they may be used. Several sets of measuring cups and spoons used near each work center can mean the person doesn't have to cross back and forth in the kitchen, said Barclay.
Persons in a wheelchair need leg room under a sink to allow them to use it. Remove the doors and structure from under the sink to allow the seated person to work, and, added Lovingood, insulate and wrap the hot water pipes to prevent leg contact with the hot surface.
Take advantage of kitchen organizers. Many storage aids such as lazy-susan, sliding racks, and small shelves can be used in cabinets and refrigerators. Tongs that extend can be used to reach items from high or low shelves.
A wheeled cart can help make a lot of jobs easier, said Barclay. She also suggested that there be a work area that a person could use seated. Standard kitchen work areas are too high to be comfortable while seated.
by CNB