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Who Should Use the Mealtime Partner Assistive Dining Device?There
is no standard set of characteristics that determines whether or not an
individual can successfully use a Mealtime Partner. The
only absolute requirement is that the user has the ability to move their head
forward enough to remove food from the spoon. While
the considerations outlined below are not meant to preclude a potential user
from operation of the Partner, they are provided to serve as general guidelines. The
following areas should be evaluated relative to there applicability to Mealtime
Partner use:
seating/positioning; vision/hearing; oral motor skills; cognition; and
gross and fine motor control. Seating/Positioning.
A user should be positioned to best utilize his/her body to control one
or two adaptive switches and have appropriate body posture to facilitate food
removal from the spoon, and oral motor movement for eating. Also, the user should be positioned so that they can comfortably watch
the device operate and see the various foods being served.
Oral Motor Skills.
A formal feeding evaluation is recommended for all users of the
Partner.
However, for individuals with oral motor difficulties, it is essential. Individuals with no oral
motor difficulties can use the Partner most easily. People with neuromotor disabilities such as cerebral palsy have
more difficulty and might need the assistance of an occupational therapist to
learn how to operate the device. Eating/Swallowing. The user should be able to eat without any special procedures. The ability to eat normal food is a plus but texture modification works equally well. For high or low calorie diets, a formal feeding evaluation is recommended before deciding to use the Partner. Vision/Hearing. The user should be able
to see the food selections and see the spoon as it delivers food to them. Cognition.
Persons with a variety of cognitive abilities are appropriate candidates
for using the Partner. However, those
with lower cognitive skills may require training to use the device. Gross
and Fine Motor Skills.
The users
gross and fine motor skills will control the number and placement of adaptive
switches used for controlling the Partner. (For
those who have little or no motor control, the Partner can be operated in the fully
automatic mode, requiring no adaptive switches.) People
who should not use the
Mealtime Partner. Respirator
users and people who aspirate during meals (either eating or drinking) should
not use the Partner unless under the direct recommendation of a Physician, and, even
then, they should never be left unattended while eating using the device.
Those with a severe bite reflex would have difficulty eating using the Partner
as their bite reflex could cause the device to be repositioned. The Partner
must
maintain the correct alignment for continued successful eating.
This page last updated on 1-11-07. |