Description of the Mealtime Partner
The Mealtime
Partner assistive dining device (often referred as the Partner)
is a battery operated device that allows people to feed themselves
without using their arms or hands. The Mealtime Partner increases the user’s independence while lessening their
caregiver’s workload. Food is placed in the three bowls that come
with the Partner. The bowls rotate until the desired food is
located under the spoon. The
spoon then dips into the bowl, scoops up the food, and presents a
rounded spoonful of food very near the lips of the user.
The user must lean forward slightly and remove the food from
the spoon. This requires a small amount of neck or upper torso
movement. (Around 1.5 inches,
the length of the bowl of the spoon.)
The Mealtime Partner is designed to accommodate a diverse range of user seating and positioning needs. This is accomplished by mounting the Partner in a variety of ways: on its Support Arm, on a straight Support Shaft (2", 4", 6", 8", and 10" lengths), mounting it on legs (2", 4”, and 6” legs are available), placing it on an over-the-bed hospital table, or, for small children, placing it directly on a dining table.
The Mealtime Partner is positioned in front and to the right of the user (from the user’s perspective). The bowl position and transparent design permits the user to easily view the contents of each bowl during the meal so that they will know what food selections are being offered. The offset positioning provides the user with a clear view of the dining environment and allows functioning in the normal mealtime social setting without their view being blocked.
The Mealtime Partner supports three bowls at one time although extra bowls of food can be prepared and the bowls quickly interchanged as food is eaten during the meal. Each bowl is clear and is designed to serve one cup (0.24 liters) of food. The depth and shape of the bowl provides the proper placement of food on the spoon as it scoops. The use of the appropriate Bowl Cover controls the quantity of food on the spoon. Bowl Covers are available with three different wipe edges: low, medium and high. They accommodate serving diverse food textures and provide for user preferences in the quantity of food served.
The Mealtime
Partner serves a wide variety of foods that are usually eaten with a
spoon or fork. Peas, mashed potatoes, breakfast cereal, pudding,
fruit cocktail, coleslaw, etc. Larger foods like meats, sandwiches,
pizza, cookies, salads, etc., require cutting into bite size
portions so that the spoon can get under and lift them from the
bowl. The bowls are designed to accommodate normal hot or cold foods
and are both dishwasher and microwave oven safe.
Users can control the Partner using two
adaptive switches, one adaptive switch, or fully automatically
(using no adaptive switches), according to their functional and/or
cognitive needs. The adaptive switches can be selected and
positioned for the individual user.*
Most users will operate the Mealtime Partner using
two adaptive switches as this access method offers the greatest
control of the device and the quickest way of moving from one
specific food choice to another. In the two-switch mode, one switch
controls food selection allowing the user to move rapidly from bowl
to bowl, while the second switch controls the spoon movement. The
user has total control of both food selection and the pace at which
each spoonful is served. However, for a few individuals, exerting
effort, even the small amount necessary to activate adaptive
switches, is very demanding. For those users the Partner can
be operated using one adaptive switch or with no switches.
The automatic mode of operation provides for the
person who either cognitively and/or functionally cannot use an
adaptive switch. It does not require any effort on the part of the
user other than taking the food from the spoon, thus it allows very
frail users who fatigue easily, to conserve their energy. In the
automatic mode the Mealtime Partner bowls rotate to a food selection
and the spoon presents the food to the user. If the user does not
touch the spoon, the food is returned to the bowl it came from, the
bowls rotate to the next food selection, and the spoon serves that
food to the user. This pattern of operation is continued until the
food is taken from the spoon. Once the spoon is touched, the
Mealtime Partner continues to serve that food selection until the
user stops eating that food. When the user stops eating the food, it
is returned to the bowl it came from and the bowls rotate to the
next food selection. The food presentation sequence described above
is restarted.
The Mealtime Partner provides an extremely wide range
of functionality. As a user becomes more proficient, or their
condition worsens, the Mealtime Partner functions can be adjusted to
meet their changing need.
The Mealtime Partner will serve three full meals and
three large snacks before requiring recharging overnight (4.5 hours
maximum recharge time).
(See Optional Mounting Shafts and Optional Table Legs.) For complete pricing information, see Products.
The Partner is designed to be accessible to a wide range of users with differing abilities. It has a variety of operational modes that, when combined with adaptive switches, can make the device function in many different ways. This enables the Partner to be utilized by individuals who could not otherwise use equipment controlled by adaptive switches. It is recommended that those users seek the help of an Occupational Therapist or Assistive Technology Practitioner to choose appropriate switches and help determine how the device and the switches should be positioned, and the optimal control settings.
*Adaptive Switches should be selected to meet the specific needs of each individual. To find the most appropriate switches, users may want to investigate the wide variety of switches that are available and can be purchased from many different companies. The following online sources have a wide variety of switches to suit almost any user needs.: www.ablenetinc.com, www.tashinc.com, and www.infogrip.com
This page last updated on 07-28-08.