Real stories

People with dementia try out clever kitchen gadgets

Merton Memory Hub, in south west London, runs several groups and activities for people with dementia and their carers, families and friends. 

They welcomed us to one of their morning sessions to try out four kitchen gadgets available from our online shop, all designed to make everyday tasks easier. 

Kitchen Genie 

The Kitchen Genie can be used to open bottles, ring pulls and jars. 

Our testers agreed that it could be useful for some, particularly people who have difficulty using their hands for fiddly things. It’s also priced well at £3.99. But they wondered if doing so many different tasks made the tool too complicated. 

‘For me, it’s quicker to use my hands,’ said Jannette. 

Cherry agreed, ‘It might be a good idea to print instructions on it, such as “turn this way”. 

It’s also easy to pull off a ring pull entirely, so you can’t peel open the lid.

Several people found it hard to release unscrewed bottle tops from the Kitchen Genie. 

‘I had to use my fingers to push the top out from the tool, so I could reattach it,’ said Jannette. 

The Kitchen Genie would take time to get used to, but Kim could see it being useful for people who find it hard to grip things. 

Everyone chatted about gadgets they found useful at home, and volunteer Paula mentioned that non-slip rubber jar openers are very simple and effective

Snack tray stackers 

Next, our testers looked at Snack tray stackers – compact trays for storing food in the fridge. They come apart easily for washing and can be put in the dishwasher. 

‘The shape of the stackers is great, they’re very neat,’ said volunteer Bharti. 

Robert said, ‘I could use them to store cheese.’ 

Although he thought the trays potentially very useful, Robert found them complicated to reassemble after washing.

Kim has used the trays before and is a fan. However, her mum Cherry struggled to open and close them. 

‘The best way to do it is to tilt the stacker. But it’s hard to get the right angle and your food can get scrunched up inside.’ 

Kim and Cherry said they’d like a deeper tray so that packaged-up food could fit. 

Everyone agreed the trays were a great price, looked easy to clean and could be labelled easily to help you remember what you’ve got in your fridge. 

Clever colander 

The Clever colander has a built-in tilting mechanism to make draining your food easier. 

‘I think it’s ingenious, but not sure how it would benefit us,' said Laddie 

It’s more of a nicety than a necessity.

Our testers agreed that figuring out how to use the colander could be tricky at first. Several people found the catch to release the inner bowl difficult to use. 

Cherry wasn’t sure it was deep enough and thought you could tip your food out altogether. 

‘If you were in a hurry and forgot what to do, everything could fall out. I don’t use colanders – I prefer sieves, as they have longer handles.’ 
 

Tilt-to-pour Uccello Kettle 

Last up, our testers tried the Tilt-to-pour Uccello Kettle. This sits in a cradle, so you don’t need to lift it up to pour. It’s specially designed for anyone who’d find it difficult to reach, grip and lift a kettle full of water.

It has a unique shape and looks small, so people were surprised it has the same capacity as a conventional kettle. They all agreed they liked the space-age design. 

Everyone was impressed by how easy it was to pour. Robert said it was ‘no effort’. 

Hamida said, ‘You just tilt it gently – it’s great that you don’t have to lift it.’ 
 

Kim, whose mum has glaucoma, was concerned about the water coming out unexpectedly fast if you’re not used to the pouring mechanism. 

I can see it would be useful, but getting her used to a new style of kettle would be difficult.

Some of our testers weren’t sure about where to best place their cup next to the kettle when pouring. 

To help position a mug and hold it secure, the kettle manufacturers have also created a grip mat, which doubles up as a jar opener. Or you can use a cup with a saucer that has a deep groove to hold it in place. 

Thanks to our consumer panel’s feedback, our online shop will be recommending these options more clearly in future. 

Visit our online shop for these and many other helpful products:

• Kitchen Genie – £3.99 including VAT.
• Snack tray stackers – £2.99 including VAT.
• Clever colander – £5.99 including VAT.
• Tilt-to-pour Uccello Kettle – £49.96 plus VAT.
• Uccello Grip Mat – £8.99 including VAT. 

You can buy many specially designed products – including the Tilt-to-pour Uccello Kettle – VAT free if they’re for use by a person with dementia, saving 20%. Simply tick the box stating that you’re eligible for VAT relief at checkout.