Peace of Mind & Independence in the Kitchen – Anne’s Story

Tea loving 85 year old Anne and daughter in law, Lynda share their story about how assistive living aids like our Uccello Kettle and Muggi Cup Holder have brought them both peace of mind and more independence.

Anne’s Story:

Anne, 85, is a lover of tea (milk & 2 sugars) and has had 5+ operations on her back over the years. Due to this, living with arthritis and persistent knee pain, she has found it difficult to manage specific tasks when it came to heavy lifting. This could include cooking with heavy pots, taking hot dishes out of the oven and even when it came to lifting the kettle.

”It can take me a long time to find the kettle I want. I have to test it to make sure it’s not too heavy before I buy it, so it won’t hurt to use it.” 

 

Over the years, Anne has certainly made her way through a number of kettles. They were too heavy when lifting, too loud when boiling or far too difficult to open when filing.

Independence at Home

Due to the number of operations on her back, Anne now has a weakness there. She suffers with persistent knee pain which makes it hard to move about. She has become reliant on her walker and crutches to get around both in and outside the home.

Anne lives alone and values her independence. This is why her family have made a few changes about the house to make life easier for her. With additions such as:

• A stairlift so she doesn’t have to worry about aggravating her knee.
• Renovating the bathroom to become a wet room to reduce the rick of slips and falls.
• Getting an adjustable orthopedic chair to better support her back in the living room.
• Sanding down all door saddles to help make life easier when entering a room with her walker.

Peace of Mind

As an avid tea drinker, Anne would find it difficult and near painful to use the average kettle. There can be a lot of tilting and strain put on the arm, shoulders and back to pour. Since Anne is dependent on her crutch to get around, carrying her tea from the kitchen to the living room can be dangerous.

When moving from crutch to foot, it can cause a slight wobble and tea spills onto Anne or the floor, causing a fall hazard and can increase the risk of burns and scalds.

Anne’s daughter in law, Lynda, tells us more…

”I am with Anne regularly. Whether it’s to tide about, bring her shopping or just for a visit and seeing tea stains on the tiles in the kitchen worries me. What if she slips on the spill or burns herself as she moves with it?”

Lynda was used to filling the kettle before leaving each visit to help make life easier for Anne. But, when she found the Uccello Kettle she was delighted and could immediately see the benefits. No more heavy lifting.

‘’I used to have to fill the kettle for her so she wouldn’t have to do half the lifting at least but it wasn’t enough, the dangerous part was when it was boiled and I wouldn’t always be there to make her the tea. She would drink at least 10+ cups a day. When I found the Uccello Kettle and I saw that she wouldn’t have to lift it after it was boiled, I was delighted, and I grabbed it straight away.’’

Of course, we wanted to hear if Anne was just as smitten with the Uccello Kettle as Lynda. Here’s what she had to say:

”It’s a great kettle, it’s so much safer than the usual kettles. It’s much easier to use, I love that I don’t have to lift it and strain my shoulder and my back. I think every elderly person should have one.”

 

Of course, it wasn’t long later that we (Uccello Designs) expanded our daily living aids range to include the Muggi Cup H

older when Lynda saw an opportunity to help Anne again.

In her interview, Lynda stated how many times she would clean the the tea stains off the tiles. It’s was because of this that she constantly worried about Anne scalding herself or slipping and falling. Thankfully, the Muggi immediately gave her peace of mind as it catches any potential drips or spills. Therefore greatly reducing the risk of burns, scalds and slips. Not forgetting the time saved mopping.

Anne’s a big fan too…

‘’She’s kitted me out with all my gadgets in the kitchen, the kids love to come over and see me use my kettle and then slot their cups into the Muggi. The idea is so simple, it’s genius. I hate that Lynda has to worry about me so much, but I have seen a difference in both of us. I feel more confident using the kettle, there is no pain and certainly more independence. It’s a godsend really!’’

 

Interested in sharing your story with Uccello? Let us know how our assistive living range has helped you or your loved one at home? Contact our customer care team today via email at customercare@uccellodesigns.com.

To purchase your very own Uccello Kettle, Muggi Cup Holder or the Uccello Grip Mat, click over to our shop here now.