Mealtime Partner General Information

Left and Right Defined.  

When the Instructions refers to left or right, it is from the perspective of the person eating. Position yourself facing the Mealtime Partner from the front, that is, the end nearest the bowl. Left and right is defined from that perspective except where otherwise noted as in the section describing the Control Panel which is viewed from the operators perspective.

Mealtime Partner Viewed From Perspective of the User Defines Left and Right

Charging the Battery.  

The Partner is battery operated and cannot operate with an uncharged battery. Charge the battery by first plugging the connector from the A/C Charger Adaptor into the upper hole in the right side cover of the Partner. Next plug the A/C Charger Adaptor into a 120V AC Outlet. The charge indicator on the right side of the Partner is amber when the battery is charging. The charge indicator turns green when the battery is charged.

To conserve battery power, turn the Partner off after use. However, if you forget, the Partner will automatically turn off after 10 minutes of inactivity. The Partner is intended to provide a full days meals and snacks without charging. The battery should be charged at least once daily to avoid running out of power during a meal. Good practice suggests plugging in the charger every evening after cleaning up after the last usage of the day. The Partner should not be used when plugged into the A/C wall outlet.

Spoon/Bowl Placement.  

The Partner is a precision instrument designed to form a well rounded spoonful of food and to wipe drips from the bottom of the spoon. The spoon, bowls, and bowl covers must be in the correct location to accomplish these functions. When installing a spoon or a bowl, be sure to push it firmly on the mounting bracket. A incorrectly positioned bowl or spoon will result in the spoon hitting the bowl or the bowl cover.

The Mealtime Partner Spoon.  

The Partner uses a custom spoon that fits on the end of the Spoon Shaft and is secured with the Spoon Shaft Thumbscrew. Hold the Spoon Shaft and push the spoon fully onto the Spoon Shaft engaging the Thumbscrew shaft in the slot of the Spoon. Tighten the Thumbscrew. The spoon should not be able to tilt or rotate. After installing on the spoon shaft, make sure that the spoon is above the bowl area. (Do not turn the power on with the spoon inside of a bowl.)

The Mealtime Partner Bowl.  

The Partner utilizes a clear plastic bowl that hangs on the Bowl Support by four pins. The bowls are held in place by a spring loaded knob that lightly presses down on the inner edge of the bowl. This keeps the bowl from easily being dislodged from the bowl support if it is touched during the meal, but allows easy removal by lifting the outer edge slightly (such that the holes in the edge of the bowl clear the pins in the Bowl Support).

To position a bowl on the Bowl Support, center the bowl between two legs of the Bowl Support and, with a slight downward angle, push the inner rim of the bowl under the knob (which will rise slightly to accommodate the edge of the bowl) and down over the four pins. New bowls may be tight at first, so press them firmly over the pins so that the bowl extends out flatly.

When installed properly, the bowl edge will lie flat against both legs of the Bowl Support and be positioned such that drips will be removed from the bottom of the spoon when the spoon extends through the bowl wipe edge while extending to the eater.

Bowl Covers.  

Three different bowl covers come with the Mealtime Partner and are used to control the amount of food that is served on the spoon. (Bowl Cover selection is covered in detail in the Food Serving Guide.) Each bowl of food must be fitted with a bowl cover. Operating the Partner without a Bowl Cover on each bowl will result in the spoon pushing food completely out of the bowl. Bowl Covers may be installed on the bowl whether it is on or off of the Partner.

To position a Bowl Cover on a bowl, insert the Side Hook on the bottom of the cover into the bowl cover slot in the bowl and push the Cover towards the center of the bowl. The cover lock (a small rectangular protrusion on the bottom of the cover) near the center of the bowl will snap into the corresponding slot in the bowl, locking the Cover to the Bowl.

To remove the Cover from the Bowl, pull up slightly on the inner edge of the Cover. The Cover will then readily slide outward and the side hook can be lifted from the Bowl. Very little upward force is required to free the Cover Lock from the Bowl. New covers may be a little tight but will loosen with use.

Washing.  

The Spoon, Bowl and Bowl Covers are dishwasher safe. They should be kept clean in the same manner the rest of the dishes are washed. The Partner will not usually get food on it. It should be regularly wiped with a damp cloth to keep dirt or the occasional spot of food cleaned off.

Serving Food.  

Serving food is covered in detail in the Mealtime Partner Food Serving Guide. However, serving almost any food in the Partner is easy if you understand the basic principal for serving food. Each bowl is designed to serve one cup (and only one cup) of food even though it will hold a lot more. The depth and shape of the bowl, along with the use of the appropriate bowl cover, provide the proper placement of food on the spoon as it scoops. The bowl should not be filled with more than one cup of food. Doing so interferes with developing a well rounded spoonful of food.

It is recommended that several extra bowls of food be prepared for larger eaters. When one bowl is emptied, the mealtime partner can quickly replace the empty bowl with the second helping or a different variety of food.

Adaptive Switches.  

The Mealtime Partner can be controlled using adaptive switches. If a user does not already use adaptive switches, you may want to consult with an Occupational Therapist to recommend the type of switches that would be most appropriate and where the switches should be placed for easiest use. Switches can be ordered from many different companies, a few online sources are listed below:

The switches are plugged into Phono jacks on the left side of the Partner. The upper jack controls the Bowl (food selection) and the lower jack controls the spoon. (If only one switch is used, it will control the bowl, regardless of which jack it is plugged into.) The Partner determines the number of switches plugged in when the power is turned on. If the switch configuration is changed when the power is on, the power must be turned off and then on again to determine the correct number of switches.

The Support Arm Table Clamps

The Mealtime Partner comes with a special wide mouth clamp to accommodate surfaces beyond the capability of standard clamps. The MtP Table Clamp will open from 1/4 to 3 inches and has a normal screw action. It is suitable for more permanent installations.  The clamp will accommodate the Partner tapered Clamp Shaft.

Above is a computer rendering of the Table Clamp. The lock knob, on the side, is used to keep the Support Arm from being inadvertently pulled from the clamp. It should be tightened by rotating clockwise until the clamp shaft is reached. Then, a small counterclockwise rotation will release the friction on the shaft, allowing the Support Arm to rotate out of the way if it should accidentally be struck, but, prohibiting the Support Arm from coming out of the clamp.

The ADD Support Arm

The Mealtime Partner Support Arm is illustrated below. The Support Arm Clamp Shaft is the tapered shaft extending from the bottom of the Support Arm and will fit into any of the clamps provided with the Partner. The Support Arm is locked into place by tightening the Support Arm Handle. The angle of the upper and lower sections can be altered independently when the handle is loosened by turning counterclockwise. Tightening the handle will permit it to support the Partner in any position.

The Mealtime Partner rests on the tapered Rotation Shaft which holds it level even though the Partner can rotate on the shaft. After the Partner is placed on the Rotation Shaft, the Lock Knob can be turned clockwise far enough to engage the notch in the Rotation Shaft, locking the Partner on the shaft while still leaving it loose enough so that the device can rotate. However, if necessary, the Lock Knob can be tightened to create extra friction to keep the Partner from rotating if the user needs it to be locked into position.

Spoon Positioning at Turn On.  

The Partner spoon should be positioned above the bowl before turning the power on. The spoon will spend most of the time in the “ready to scoop” position which is nearly horizontal and above the bowl. The spoon is always left there after normal power off.  However, in the event that the spoon is not already above the bowl, manually rotate the spoon to be above the bowl before turning the power on.

Mealtime Partner Operation

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This page last updated on 01-17-07.