In this blog, we explore the importance of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and what they are. It's essential to get a clear understanding so you can better care for a patient or family member. Plus, we have rounded up some brilliant products that promote independent living by making ADLs manageable.

What does ADL stand for?

ADL stands for Activities of Daily Living, which comprises of five basic tasks required to live an independent and healthy life. Members of the population who have recently received surgery or have disabilities/a condition, such as arthritis, can struggle to complete daily tasks. They are accessed individually, allowing carers to detect areas where the client needs additional help.

What are the 5 ADLS?

1. Personal Hygiene

A person must be able to keep a suitable level of hygiene to meet the standards of ADLs. A person may not meet their needs due to a disability. Some wheelchair users may struggle due to limited mobility, making tasks such as bathing tricky.

Another reason could be the side effects of the medication, causing depression. People with depression tend to disregard bathing. Those with depression usually have decreased energy levels, making bathing an overwhelming or neglected aspect of their life.

Personal hygiene extends beyond just bathing and encompasses brushing your teeth and hair, looking after your nails, feet, scalp, oral hygiene, and ear organ hygiene. There are many areas of our body we need to care for to make sure we stay healthy. Personal hygiene can help prevent the spread of diseases, so it's essential.

Not brushing your teeth can lead to bad breath, toothache, the loss of teeth and even gum cancer.

There are products on the market that can aid with specific issues a person may encounter during these tasks. At Tenura, we have developed cutlery grips, an adaptive aid you slip cutlery or utensils like toothbrushes, combs, and other hygiene-related products into, to increase the handle's width. Thin handles can prevent those with limited dexterity in their hands from having proper control. The silicone structure of the cutlery grips is grip-enhancive.

2. Dressing

From selecting clothes to putting them on, this task requires a variety of movement types. Lifting your arms and putting them through your shirt sleeves involves large mobility movements, whereas buttoning the shirt requires more finicky actions. For people with conditions such as arthritis, the manoeuvrability of limbs and hands is limited, making putting clothes on tricky. There are so many dressing aids to help with the different aspects of getting dressed.

Getting dressed shouldn't be a painful experience, and we realised that many of these dressing aids have thin metal handles, making them tricky to hold for those with limited mobility in their hands. But we have a solution. By cutting Tenura grip roll into strips and building up a thicker handle, you can make dressing aids more comfortable to grasp. Tenura grip roll is made from our grip-enhancing silicone, so your hands will not slide off the handle like they would with the use of the metal handle alone.

Being unable to change clothes or get undressed can affect other activities of daily living. Remaining in the same clothes for days would lead to poor personal hygiene and allow germs to breed, which could cause illness. Another affected daily living activity would be continence due to the inability to unbutton your trousers to use the toilet.

 

3. Eating

Children are a great example of the stages a person may be at when eating. Babies need complete assistance during the task, whereas toddlers have developed partial fine motor skills to hold cutlery and complete the actions required to transport the food from their plate to their mouth. Following this, at 5/6 years old, they can fully feed themselves. You need to evaluate your child's capabilities just as you do with persons in your care. Some people will require full assistance during meal times, whereas those who have some fine motor skills and the coordination necessary to move the food from the plate to their mouth may benefit from the use of adaptive products.

You can add Tenura cutlery grips to the handle's of your eating utensils, such as your knife or fork, to increase the handle's width, making using cutlery comfortable as the utensils are easier to hold. They also are made from 100% silicone which gives them grip-enhancing properties, stopping the cutlery from sliding out of your grasp. We have children's cutlery grips for smaller hands.

Getting the right foods is essential to health. The body needs the correct nutrients to work effectively and fight off infection. Food also gives the body energy to complete other daily living activities.

 

4. Continence

Being able to go to the toilet and control your bowels is another essential daily task. A person may not be capable of controlling their bladder or can't physically move to the bathroom. Understanding the root problem can allow you to put things in place to help the individual.

Bathroom floors tend to be shiny and smooth, making getting on and off the toilet tricky as you can't get a foothold, but we have come up with clever ideas to help those struggling to use the toilet safely.

If a person struggles to get up from the toilet, the use of grab rails can be helpful. But you may find them uncomfortable to hold and not as grip-enhancing as you would like. By wrapping Tenura grip strips around the grab rail handle, you can improve both comfort and grip due to the soft yet grip-enhancing properties of the silicone grip strips.

The contour rug you have around your toilet can be made safer using a Tenura non-slip floor mat underneath. Place your Tenura floor mat under your bathroom rugs to add additional non-slip properties making the bathroom rug extra secure whilst keeping the aesthetic of your bathroom. The non-slip properties mean rugs won't slide but instead will provide a reliable surface to manoeuvre on and off the toilet.

Tenura floor mats have adhesive-like properties that help keep bathroom rugs in place. The floor mat sticks itself to the floor, preventing the rug from moving and allowing the person on the toilet to get a proper foothold without the risk of slips and falls.

If necessary, you can remove the floor mat, and upon removal, no residue will be left behind.

Please note that the Tenura silicone range loses its non-slip properties when wet.

 

5. Mobility

Moving around, whether that's to go to the kitchen for food, or the bathroom, it's critical to health. A person may find their mobility is compromised following injury, surgery or a medical condition. A person may have difficulty in certain areas. For some, they may require hoists around the house or live-in care. Others can get by with a simple Tenura non-slip floor mat that gives them grip and increased confidence when completing activities of daily living. Non-slip floor mats provide a foothold for the user, even on slippery floors. You can use them around the house, beside beds or sofas to help you manoeuvre safely.

It may be worthwhile installing Tenura non-slip bath stickers, which aid a person with mobility in bathrooms or areas frequently exposed to water. You can line a bath or shower's base with Tenura bath stickers. They apply best to smooth surfaces, providing the area is cleaned first with an alcohol-based cleaner (cream-based cleaners leave behind a powder residue that causes the stickers to lift). For more information, please read our application bath stickers blog.

 

Now you have a basic understanding of the products that can help patients or family members overcome the struggles associated with activities of daily living. We hope this blog has given you ideas to provide further support and find effective products for anyone in your care.

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FIME is an exhibition of medical technologies and has been taking place since 1991. It’s a well established medical industry show which encompasses state-of-the-art technology manufactured by cutting edge businesses, including Tenura.

We’ve been participating in the FIME exhibition for three years and are so excited to join in on the action again this year. We can’t wait to see you at our exhibition booth, J54. The exhibition is at Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, 33139, Miami Beach, Florida, United States. Come to the stand to trial our products and get in-depth knowledge of Tenura via our brand ambassador, Mathew.

The exhibition opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Wednesday and Thursday, on Friday it closes at 4pm, and there is plenty to see each day. It is the largest healthcare show in the Americas, with over 500 companies participating from more than 40 countries this year. Many educational talks inform you of the latest news and practices, with seminars on topics including The Healthcare Supply Chain and Procurement, Imaging and Diagnostics, and Patient Safety.

Tenura silicone daily living aids are undisputed leaders in the industry. Our range boasts antimicrobial properties that protect you from harmful germs, making them perfect for the ever-increasing health-conscious population.

This year is a little different compared to the previous. Due to the Coronavirus, specific measures and procedures are in place to maintain visitors and exhibitors’ safety. You can find all the information you need before attending the event via FIME’s Coronavirus information page.

We also want to say a big congratulations to the FIME Exhibition organisation who are celebrating 30 years of the medical show, and we can’t wait to see you there!

Summer Paralympics, are you ready?

This quadrennial event is ready to take place in Tokyo this year. It will commence on Tuesday the 24th of August and conclude on Sunday the 5th of September. Via Channel 4, you can watch, be inspired and admire the talents of the Paralympians who are taking part.

In this blog, we are rounding up our favourite facts and exploring ways to make sports accessible for those with disabilities.

Some Interesting Facts about the Paralympics

Since 1960, the Paralympic games have been bringing the best-disabled athletes to internationally recognised sporting arenas. Although, before the Paralympics creation, disabled people did and still can compete in the Olympics. The criteria is and always will be to qualify to gain entry.

Paralympians stand up against adversity and have accepted the challenge to overcome their disability and make the most of it. The games and athletes are awe-inspiring, which often leads to a vast uptake in sports globally.

One hundred seventy countries and over four thousand Paralympians are to take part in the Tokyo Paralympics 2021.

There are Six Terms to Segment the Athletes:

The classification system within the Paralympics helps keep the competition fair and safe. The six segments are as follows:

• Amputee
• Cerebral Palsy
• Intellectual Disability
• Wheelchair
• Vision Impaired
• Les Autres/Others

There are 22 Summer Paralympic Sports

There are 22 summer paralympic games for athletes to compete in, with the two newest sports debuting at the Tokyo games, badminton and taekwondo.

Archery	Rowing
Athletics	Shooting Para Sport
Badminton	Sitting volleyball
Boccia	Swimming
Canoeing	Table Tennis
Cycling	Taekwondo
Equestrian	Triathlon
Football 5-a-side	Wheelchair Basketball
Goalball	Wheelchair Fencing
Judo	Wheelchair Rugby
Powerlifting	Wheelchair Tennis

Paralympic Only Sporting Events

Above are two Paralympic sports that have no Olympic counterpart, so let's explore them:

Boccia

Boccia is a mixed-gender turn-taking sport.

Initially, this game was curated with cerebral palsy players in mind. However, now many types of disabled people compete, often those with reduced motor skills.

There are many variants of this game worldwide. For example, in the UK, we have Lawn Bowling, the French have Pétanque, and the Italians have Bocce. They all fall under the umbrella term Boules. You throw/roll your balls as close to the target as possible, and your competitors try to beat your attempt.

One team is red, the other blue, and their target is a white ball. 

Goalball

Goalball, intended to be played by those who are visually impaired/blind. This game sees three participants per team use their hands to throw or roll the ball into the opponent's net, relying on senses other than sight, mainly hearing. Ear-hand coordination is imperative to compete as the ball contains bells inside that players rely on to understand its velocity. Non-disabled players should wear eyepatches and eyeshades to prevent sight. A Goalball game last for 12 minutes a half, 24 minutes in total. 

Adapted Technology for Sports

As a disabled person, finding a way into sports of any kind can be tricky, as they aren't always accessible. An example of this is an amputee taking up running. Running is defined as "the activity of going somewhere quickly on foot, as a sport or for pleasure:" - Cambridge Dictionary.

To make this sport accessible to amputees, a universally designed running shoe is not going to help. However, ergonomic adaptive equipment such as running blades can allow an amputee to participate in running events.

How to Make Sports More Accessible with Tenura Products

Let's look at ways Tenura products can help disabled people participate in sports and adapt their equipment further for better results and comfort.

Open Drinks with a Bottle Opener

When you are working out and training, you don't want your bottle lid to get between you and that fresh sip of water, so take a Tenura bottle opener to the gym. Tenura bottle openers are made of silicone that's grip-enhancing.

For people with arthritis, twisting and exerting strength through their wrists and hands is tricky and limited, so having this aid is beneficial.

Non-Slip Floor Mats for Mobility

When participating in events as a wheelchair user or someone who uses a walking aid, you may need an extra bit of grip to help you move from one mobility aid to another. For example, in Wheelchair Basketball, there are specially designed wheelchairs for the sport, but getting into one can be a struggle.

By having a Tenura non-slip floor mat under your feet, you can feel secure knowing you have a good foothold and have reduced the risk of slipping when moving between mobility aids.

Non-Slip Strips under Handle Wraps

You can wrap Tenura grip strips around the handle of your golf club, badminton racket or baseball bat and then add your handle wraps. This additional layer adds comfort to the handle as Tenura silicone is soft and cushioning.

For a permanent solution, use Tenura adhesive-backed grip roll, cut it to size and wrap it around the handle of sports equipment.

We can only recommend Tenura grip strips in this application to increase handle surface area and comfort, not grip. Tenura grip strips, like the rest of our silicone range, lose their properties when wet. Use a recommended and approved handle wrap for this application once Tenura grip strips are applied.

Grip Roll for Indoor Cycling & Wheelchair Sports

When practising your cycling indoors on an exercise bike, cut down Tenura grip roll and attach it to the bike's pedals, which will give you an excellent foothold and prevent your feet from sliding off the pedals. This adaptive method can also be applied to cross trainers and other indoor gym equipment.

Note, grip roll and our other silicone products, when wet, lose their non-slip properties.

Experience the same benefits of non-slip pedals by attaching the gripping roll to your wheelchair's footrest for indoor games of Wheelchair Basketball.

Non-Slip Fabric to Stop Saddles and Exercise Mats Sliding

You can use Tenura non-slip fabric to prevent saddles from moving, cut the non-slip material to a suitable size and place it between the saddle pad and saddle. Now, as a rider, you can feel secure in the knowledge that Tenura grip fabric is doing its job and stopping any unwanted movement of the saddle. 

Tenura non-slip fabric is also beneficial placed under yoga mats or other exercise mats to prevent them from moving whilst you're completing your exercise. Unwanted movement from your mat during exercise could lead to injury. 

 

Tenura silicone is antimicrobial, perfect for use in areas where you will be around heavily used equipment that is likely carrying many germs and bacteria.

Adapting your equipment to be more disability-friendly can help when participating and taking up hobbies in sports. If you have any more ideas, you would like to share. We would love to hear your thoughts via our socials (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin).

(12/05/21 https://­dictionary.­cambridge.­org/­dictionary/­english/­running)

 

This blog post will explore the advantages both mentally and physically that owning a pet can have on someone with a disability such as arthritis.

Having a disability can affect your everyday life, harming your heart rate, communication and causing depression. However, a furry companion like a cat or dog can help to reverse the negative impact.

Owning a pet positively influences two main aspects of life, mood and health, which means pets affect the body in terms of decreasing rates of depression, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Let's explore these benefits in more detail…

Pets and Their Effect on Blood Pressure and Arthritis

With arthritis, inflammation can occur in joints, constricting arteries and reducing the rate blood can flow through the body to supply muscles with oxygen. The restricted flow leads to increased blood pressure, which is troubling for arthritis patients as they are at a 50% higher risk of heart attacks.

So, it's essential to reduce blood pressure, and pets can help. Pets have therapeutic calming auras. When a pet is in your lap, you talk, stroke and nestle into its warmth, forgetting your worries, which decreases your heart rate. When you are tired or nervous, it's nice to have a companion.

Pets can make a person feel safe in their home or when out and about; animals can be a security blanket, guard the person or their belongings, and be a protective barrier or conversation starter. Feeling safe and secure can also lower levels of anxiety and stress that heighten blood pressure.

 

Pets and Their Effect on Cholesterol Levels and Arthritis

Those with rheumatoid arthritis are at high risk of heart disease, 50% to 70% higher, and cholesterol is a contributing factor. Having elevated cholesterol levels in the body increases pain within joints and other tendon complications.

You may have high cholesterol levels due to long periods of stress, a lack of exercise or a poor diet containing too many saturated fats. Studies have shown that pets decrease the triglycerides present in the body. Triglycerides are the three fatty acids that contribute to high cholesterol levels.

Reducing cholesterol in the body can help keep heart disease at bay. To lower cholesterol levels, you should exercise daily for at least 30 minutes, and having a pet is an excellent excuse to go for a walk and is undoubtedly a great benefit. Having a pet with you can reduce the stress or anxiety you may feel when out walking.

 

Pets and Their Effect on Cognitive Behaviour/­Depression

It's estimated that up to 41% of disabled adults have depression, which is staggeringly high, and there is no one cure to suit all. Many factors cause depression in a person's life, and it can be a struggle to help change a person's mindset.

The companionship of a pet, a being they need to care for, can give a disabled person the necessary motivation and responsibility for a positive change. Caring for others can come more naturally than caring for yourself when struggling with depression, so an animal's natural temperament to play and exercise can have promising long-lasting effects on their mental state.

 

Pets Effect on the Elderly

Pet owners over 65 visit their doctor 30% fewer times than non-pet owners. There's no clear-cut reason, but the benefits of reduced stress, increased exercise, and companionship all help play their role.

 

Some Tenura Products that Make Pet Ownership Easier for the Disabled:

Tenura products can help those who have weak grip strength or conditions like arthritis care for their pets.

Tenura Extreme Grip Mats

When it comes to feeding your pet, they tend to be pretty eager, diving headfirst into their food bowl, knocking it around the floor, with no worry about the mess they create. You can prevent this previously inevitable mess by placing the pet's food bowl onto a Tenura Extreme mat. Tenura Extreme mats stop the food bowl from sliding across the floor or getting tipped over.

Nothing is sacred when you have a pet, they wonder where they please, and cats especially seem to find themselves upon the cabinets displaying your favourite ornaments. Instead of watching their next steps with fright, place your vases and such on a Tenura Extreme mat. The objects stick to Tenura mats, so the next time your cat is up there, you won't need to worry nor tidy up anything broken. 

Tenura Grip Roll

You can line underneath pet products such as litter trays, scratching posts and other large products that unwantedly move. Just cut Tenura silicone grip roll to size and place it between the floor and pet accessory.

Tenura Grip Strips

During walks, you may find that the lead is tricky to keep a hold of, and it's uncomfortable. You can instantly improve these issues by twisting Tenura grip strips around the lead's handle. Grip strips add a layer of cushioning silicone comfort with grip-enhancing properties that stops the lead from sliding out of your hand.

Similarly, you may wrap Tenura grip strips around the brushes handle when grooming your pet, which aids your grip, giving you more control. Brush handles can be thin and difficult to grasp, so build up a few layers of Tenura grip strips to increase the handle's width, which is a helpful idea for those with arthritis or other conditions that limit dexterity or strength of grip.

 

Extensive research into the animal should be completed before being housed, as not all animals/breeds will be appropriate. It's very much dependent on the person's specific disability needs.

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Physi­ot­he­rapists assist and encourage the development of someone who has a disability, is injured, or requires assistance to complete activities of daily living. They do this via physio sessions, education and therapy. They support people with neurological conditions like strokes and Parkinson's, neuro­mus­cu­los­ke­letal problems such as back pain and arthritis. They also deal with a person's cardiovascular and respiratory complications.

So how can Tenura daily living aids assist the lives of Physi­ot­he­rapists and their Patients?

Grip-Enhancing Silicone Rolls for Physi­ot­he­rapists

You can wrap Tenura silicone roll around grab rails at the practice. This aids with a person's mobility as the silicone roll is grip-enhancing, making it perfect for people with weak grip strength. It also provides a layer of comfort for the user to hold. Use Tenura grip roll to adapt equipment making it more accessible for your patient, such as their pre-existing mobility aids.

You can make all sorts of grip aids from Tenura silicone rolls. You cut the roll down to the desired shape and wrap it around objects, including handles

Tenura grip roll can help with equipment application by keeping splints and other apparatus in a still position during physiotherapy rehabilitation sessions.

Some physi­ot­he­rapists use silicone roll for massage therapy on scar tissue. They say it softens tendons following surgery when used in conjunction with massage methods.

When positioning a patient during respiratory physiotherapy, Tenura non-slip roll can help with stabilisation. Positioning is the term used to promote optimal recovery and reduce the risk of pain and swelling.

Colour Contrast/Visual Aid Methods in Physiotherapy

When conducting forms of therapy with a partially sighted person, the contrast between objects is vital. For example, the phrase "it's black and white" means it's clear because there's a stark difference between them tonally, which helps individuals distinguish them. The majority of Tenura products come in vivid red, blue or yellow, making them excellent visual aids.

There are trip hazards everywhere you go, and in a clinic, you must reduce risks such as this. You can add strips of bright red or blue silicone roll to hazardous items, things such as door stops which are often grey and camouflage into their surroundings.

Red silicone roll works exceptionally well at highlighting danger, as it's customary to signify hazards and heat in this way. For instance, stop signs are red, and when you're running out of petrol, the gauge dips into the red. In your physiotherapy clinic, you can highlight steps, hot surfaces and other dangers effortlessly.

An example of using blue grip roll within the clinic could be to make light switches more prominent. Make table corners and other sharp edges that could cause harm to stand out by using strips of blue grip roll.

Red and blue silicone rolls come in two variants non-adhesive and adhesive-backed, the latter being a more permanent non-slip­/grip-enhancing solution. There are also pre-cut grip strips available from the Tenura website.

Non-Slip Floor Mat Uses in Physiotherapy

When aiding a wheelchair user in and out of a wheelchair, a non-slip floor mat can give them a foothold, stopping them from slipping. It can also provide a level of confidence to the user and make them more surefooted.

When a person is standing up from a chair, the chair can jolt backwards on slippery clinic floors. By placing a non-slip floor mat underneath, you can add a layer of safety, which is essential when evaluating the person's fall risk.

During weight-bearing procedures in your practice, where you move a person from one surface to another, Tenura non-slip mats can be a real benefit. Use non-slip mats as a preventative measure for slipping/­falling during this procedure. With both your feet and your client's feet safely positioned on a non-slip mat, the risks involved reduce as you both have a secure foothold, which would not be the case on smooth slippy clinic floors.

Non-Slip Table Mats for Self-Feeding­/Eating

Having a non-slip table mat under your patient's plate during self-feeding allows the user to exert more force, and if required, they can eat with one hand because the non-slip mat and plate remain in place. This real-world example is an executable daily exercise they can use at home or in the clinic to increase their eating competency.

Cutlery Grips for Physiotherapy Sessions

With age, dexterity decreases, so developing fine motor skills in your patient is vital. We utilise our fine motor skills in everyday life, such as buttoning up a shirt, which can be difficult, especially if the movement of your hands is limited.

Often as a physiotherapist for seniors, handwriting practice is encouraged to progress a client's fine motor skills. To make this task more accessible, you can slide a Tenura cutlery grip onto a pen, improving grip and comfort due to the handle's increased surface area and the grip-enhancing properties of the silicone cutlery grip.

Eating involves a few steps that develop fine motor skills, such as using cutlery correctly, transferring food from fork to mouth, and using a knife for cutting. Sliding Tenura cutlery grips onto a fork or knife improves the persons capacity to hold and use their utensils, adding comfort and control.

Paediatric physi­ot­he­rapists will know that children have to learn fine motor skills, and following the above examples can push them to excel. We have Children's cutlery grips available designed for small hands.

Non-Slip Fabric for Hippotherapy Sessions

In hippotherapy, also known as equine-assisted therapy (physical and occupational therapy utilising the temperament and mobility of horses), you can place a piece of non-slip fabric between the rider and the saddle to ensure they don't slide off. It can also add additional grip to the reins making Tenura non-slip fabric advantageous during hippotherapy. Alternatively, silicone grip rolls would also provide similar results.

Bottle Openers in Physiotherapy Sessions

Recovery and re-establishment of independence are the primary goals of physiotherapy. Things such as opening bottles may be a big feat for your patient, and a daily living aid can be of help. For pill bottles, a grip-enhancing bottle opener can aid your patient, helping them to reach their goals quickly and encourage them to venture beyond their perceived limited ability.

 

At Tenura, we want to thank all physi­ot­he­rapists for their dedicated work improving the quality of life of their patients. If you have any further uses you would like to share with the physiotherapy community, get in touch, and we will add it to the blog.

 

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This Tenura blog will look into ways you can stay positive and safe post-UK-lockdown both mentally and physically. Things as simple as speaking about your worries can be a big help, so let’s explore some great ways you can deal with post-lockdown life.

How can you Feel Happy Post Lockdown?

Call Helplines for Support

There are many to choose from, so find one that suits your needs. Your first call may be a little awkward, or it may not have been quite what you were looking for, but there is an abundance of helplines to choose from, so don’t be disheartened and try another.

Try Local Services through your GP or Council

Contact your local GP or Council to provide you with localised advice such as support groups and other information, including benefits and housing.

Walking and Exercise to Clear the Mind

Go for walks in areas that aren’t popular to avoid large crowds of people. Coronavirus is airborne, which means that it’s primarily spread when in close contact with an infected person.

If you struggle with mobility in regards to walking, perhaps do some research into walking aids. Tenura silicone grip roll can be a neat addition as it adds grip-enhancing qualities once you’ve wrapped the roll around the handles of walking aids.

You may be a wheelchair user and want to venture outside, but to avoid frustration, search for destinations that are wheelchair accessible. A Tenura non-slip floor mat can help with transferring the wheelchair user in and out of the wheelchair. Tenura floor mats provide a foothold, reducing the risk of slips and falls.

Follow Government Guidelines

Our government have the money, power and statistics to understand the extent of the virus. Therefore you should follow their advice to a T.

If you are apprehensive about going out in public through the worry of members of the public complaining that you aren’t wearing a mask, use a lanyard to carry your face covering exemption card. It’s then easy for people to recognise you’re exempt.

You can visit the government website for information regarding covid and caring for someone with a disability. 

Discuss your Worries with Friends & Family

Talk to your friends and family. They can help you and follow your requests, such as remaining outside when you meet them. Talking things through can help, and they may have advice or ideas that you hadn’t thought of, so take time to speak to them.

Returning to Work - Discuss Worries with Colleagues

If you are going back to work and aren’t sure of the Coronavirus procedures in place at your workplace, ask. It’s both important that you as an individual feel safe and those who work with you.

If somebody isn’t looking themselves, make sure you ask if they are okay, this one goes for friends and family too, it’s been a hard time for us all, and this simple question can make a person’s day, it can also help you both relieve built-up stress or anxiety.

To remain safe at work, follow their guideline and use disinfectants such as hand sanitiser. It would be best if you also tried to stay 2m apart from your colleagues.

Look Online for Help

The charity and website Scope is full of information on money, work, education, housing, and health, all related to Coronavirus.

As socialising is difficult at this time, and you may feel this is not the best thing to do for your health, online forums and social media platforms can help alleviate the loneliness you may be feeling. On Facebook, you can join groups full of like-minded people with similar hobbies and interests.

There’s a social media platform called The Mighty, and this platform is developed especially for those with disabilities.

Get a Hobby – Find a New Passion

Some hobbies may be tricky to pick up with a disability. However, at Tenura, we have many products to enhance adaptive equipment to make hobbies more accessible. Tenura silicone grip rolls both grip-enhancing and non-slip. You can wrap it around handles to give you more control of objects such as tennis rackets, golf clubs or walking sticks.

If you want to explore the realm of cooking, the Tenura kitchen pack could be a great fit. It has a grip-enhancing bottle opener and jar opener as well as a non-slip coaster, which you can use to gain purchase on surfaces when twisting off lids of bottles or jars.

See all the Tenura products that could aid with your new hobby and get you back to a sense of normality via the website.

 

We hope this post gives you a few things to consider if you are feeling down. But don’t forget to reach out and seek the help of others.

You can follow us on our socials for more advice and ideas, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Make everyday objects and daily living activities more accessible with Tenura cutlery grips.

Cutlery grips are an excellent adaptable aid as they are multifunctional and provide help to complete daily tasks such as brushing your teeth or hair. Insert cutlery or your combs handle into the versatile grip to increase handle width and your control of the object, making tasks less of a struggle.

Through this video, you can explore new ways to use Tenura cutlery grips to improve your life and learn how you can adapt everyday objects into accessible ones:

We hope you have found our video helpful, and it has given you some alternative cutlery grip uses to help improve other aspects of your daily life.

Now it's time to take a closer look at what makes Tenura cutlery grips the best on the market:

In our later years, we start to lose our dexterity. Our joints don't move as they once did, and therefore, adult cutlery grips can aid in these areas of life once again. Cutlery grips add comfort and aid in control, making knives safer and easier to hold.

1. We have two sizes available (adult cutlery grips & children's cutlery grips), which are designed to increase handle size, improve grip, control and comfort.
2. These adaptable grips are antimicrobial, which means bacteria cannot harbour on the surface of Tenura cutlery grips, making them hygienic and safe to use in areas that require high-level sanitation.
3. Tenura silicone cutlery grips are non-toxic as they do not contain any cost-saving chemical fillers such as plasticisers, making Tenura cutlery grips some of the safest, most popular grips on the market.
4. As a child, you acquire dexterity through repetition and practice, and this is where children's cutlery grips come in handy. Slip these adaptive grips onto cutlery, pens, and other thin handles to increase their surface area, making handles easier for small hands to grasp and control.

   In our later years, we start to lose our dexterity. Our joints don't move as they once did, and therefore, adult cutlery grips can aid in these areas of life once again. Cutlery grips add comfort and aid in control, making knives safer and easier to hold.

   We explore dexterity and fine motor skills, which are vital life lessons in our blog "New Tenura Video: Children's Assistive Devices".

As seen in the Tenura video, these are some seriously adaptable grips. By sliding Tenura cutlery grips onto objects, you enlarge their surface area for comfort and better control. Some great examples include:

• Toothbrushes
• Pens and Pencils
• Hairbrushes
• Razors
• Makeup Brushes
• Paintbrushes

If you can think of any more innovative ideas for Tenura cutlery grips, please let us know via our socials (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). We love to hear from our customers.

If you would like to contact us regarding Tenura cutlery grips for adults or children, please fill out the contact form.

Tenura Extreme mats are a valuable tool at home and on the go, especially if you are travelling via boat or motorhome. These super grippy mats can help during everyday tasks, including those requiring organisation.

Tenura Extreme mats offer a non-slip solution that prevents spillages and breakages wherever you go. So, let's have a look at some worthy examples…

 

Using an Extreme mat in the Car as a Phone or Drinks Holder

In cars, boats and motorhomes, objects inside experience much movement during travel; some will slide off surfaces and may break, causing a distraction, but it is preventable. To avoid this eventuality, place your belongings upon a Tenura Extreme mat, which secures the items ready for transit, and gives you a sense of relief.

The comparison clips between using a Tenura grip mat and not, shows how effective Tenura Extreme mats are at keeping objects adhered to it, which is then further demonstrated by a larger object, a drinking glass, complete with a Tenura CupCap to avoid spillages.

 

Keep Things Safe with Tenura Extreme mats - Car Keys, Toothbrushes & Utensils

We see grippy mats used to hold up car keys because I don't know about you, but I tend to lose my keys, and by having a grip mat by the door, my keys have a secure home.

You can use Tenura Extreme mats to grip things such as toothbrushes and kitchen utensils, which prevents them from coming into contact with surfaces that may have contaminants present. You must make sure that the items you wish to stick to the Tenura Extreme mat are dry. Otherwise, they will not grip and remain stuck to the mat.

Instead of putting your utensils back on worktops, you can stick them to an Extreme mat in a more convenient and accessible part of the kitchen.

Grip mats can make belongings easy to locate as they are stuck to the wall in front of you or highlighted if you use the green Extreme mat as a visual aid.

 

Using Tenura Extreme mats as a Tray Liner

In the video, we see Tenura Extreme grip mats as tray liners. They keep crockery adhered to the mat's tacky surface. You can use them on dinner trays or under dog food bowls to keep things in place and avoid a mucky pup.

 

Cleaning your Tenura Extreme mat

For your Tenura extreme mat to perform effectively, it needs to be clean and free from dirt and dust.

Due to Tenura Extremes high-tack properties, it requires a bit more effort to remove from a surface than the standard Tenura range. You can either pull back one corner and slowly peel it back on itself, or use of a little water where the mat meets the surface will help to release the adhesive tack from the surface, making Tenura Extreme easier to remove. While many Tenura products have adhesive properties, no residue will be left on the surface. If you have used water to remove Tenura Extreme, then of course, wipe the surface with a clean cloth.

To clean Tenura Extreme, submerge in warm, soapy water and gently wipe with your hands if necessary until dirt and dust is removed. Rinse with clean water and Let the mat fully dry before use, as the high-tack properties of the mat are only restored once dry.

 

These 20cm x 20cm mats come in two colours, clear and green. You can use clear mats for discrete help around the home, and green mats are perfect for those who need an additional visual aid to improve organisation.

Wherever you need a grippy mat that keeps your belongings safe, Tenura Extreme mats can be of great help. The tacky surface upon which things stick to helps you avoid germs, breakages and keeps you organised.

If you want further information or to place an order, visit the Tenura Extreme Mat product page.

Subscribe to the blog to get more helpful information and save 10% on your next Tenura purchase!

Tenura creates and manufactures helpful assistive devices for children to make life a little simpler. Tenura's ergonomically designed children's products are beneficial during play and mealtimes. The three gadgets on show in the video are Tenura children's cutlery grips, CupCaps and non-slip mats. You can use these products to promote the development of fine motor skills like handwriting.

Skills such as handwriting and properly using cutlery, may not seem necessary. However, they are the foundation to key life skills, and by using and practising with cutlery, the child's brain develops fine motor skills.

Fine motor skills are the movements we make using our smaller muscles for intricate tasks, a task in our daily lives that requires such skill is fastening the buttons on your top, tying shoelaces, writing and correctly using cutlery.

Children who do not practice fine motor skills often have low self-esteem because they are unable to complete the same tasks as their peers. So, let's make sure your child is happy and prepared for life by encouraging their development using Tenura children's products.

Explore the benefits of our Children's Range:

Children's Cutlery Grips

Children can struggle to hold items with thin handles as it requires fine motor skills and coordination. Typically, children can feed themselves by age seven, having acquired these skills through years of practice. You may not give it much thought but grasping smaller objects requires a more extensive range of movement, which is why some children struggle to hold cutlery. To help your child, slide Tenura children's cutlery grips onto handles, enlarging their surface area and making them more comfortable to hold. Some great examples include:

• Toothbrushes
• Paintbrushes
• Pens and Pencils
• Hairbrushes

Children's cutlery grips come in a pack of two and are available in three colours, red, blue and grey.

For larger hands, we have ergonomically designed adult cutlery grips.

Children's Table Mats

Arts and crafts are a treasured pastime for all children, often consisting of paint, pens and glue, all of which can leave horrifying marks on your furniture. However, by using a Tenura children's mat as a barrier between the table and their art, you can protect your surfaces and keep the mess contained. Tenura mats are easy to wash/wipe down and are dishwasher safe.

The mat's silicone non-slip properties prevent spillages, as paint pots and other mess-making supplies are securely held in place by the children's mat.

There are two funky shaped children's mats available, an orange cat and a green frog.

Tenura CupCaps – Silicone Drink Lids

We are all prone to knocking over drinks, especially children, whose bodies are growing and don't have the best spatial awareness. With that in mind, CupCaps can be an ideal help. CupCaps are stretchy silicone drink lids that create a seal over the top of containers to keep the liquid inside and avoid spillages. Stretch the drinks cap over your cup, insert a straw through the eyelet and away you go, mess-free.

Benefits of Tenura Children's Assistive Devices

Tenura’s three assistive devices for children are made from silicone, which means that have fantastic qualities, which include:

• Non-Toxic
  • An essential feature as children tend to put things in their mouth, so the last thing you want is the object to be toxic
• Antimicrobial
  • Bacteria can't harbour on the mat's surface. Your child has a developing immune system, so it is crucial to reduce the risk of infection/­illness
• Latex-Free
  • Your child could be allergic to latex, and you may not be aware
• Easy to hand wash and dishwasher safe
  • Tenura children's products can withstand temperatures up to 250°C

If you would like to contact us regarding the Tenura children's range or our other products, please fill out the contact form.

Developing Fine Motor Skills in Children

Performing actions with increased frequency positively affects how smooth, fast and accurate the motion can be completed in the future, becoming ingrained in 'muscle memory'.

As for a child learning how to write, years of practice go by to develop the skill. If you have ever tried to practice the art form, calligraphy, you will realise what it was like when first beginning writing. You have to train your hand to complete the same motion each time ensuring every letter is identical in style. You have to train your body to make those exact motions.

By repetitively completing actions, you also build up the strength in the muscles involved in that movement, especially supportive muscles required for fine motor skills. As these improvements continue, the brain takes note and sends out altered signals each time, which is, of course, why practice makes perfect.

To help develop this skill in your children, you should practice activities such as colouring/­drawing, tracing, cutting, writing, playing with playdough and using cutlery when eating.

 

Subscribe to the blog to get more helpful information and save 10% on your next Tenura purchase!

If you would like any further information on the products showcased in this blog and video, check out their product pages: Children's Cutlery Grips | Children's Table Mats | CupCaps

I can safely say that 2020 was not the year we were all expecting! Luckily 2021 is in sight.

For me, 2021 holds a wealth of opportunity, and I will hopefully get to see more of my friends and family (of course, as and when the government deem it safe). Staying connected with my friends and family in the coming year is going to be one of my main focuses, and I believe this to be in line with that of the UK population. We have all missed out on seeing family during milestones such as birthdays.

During this time, please keep in your mind, relatives or friends who are struggling to live independently and may require your assistance from time to time, check up on them and make sure they are doing well, this is what Christmas is all about. We know it can be challenging to spread the Christmas spirit when barriers such as lockdowns are in play. However, these people are a part of our community and deserve the utmost care.

2021 in terms of Tenura is another full year of helpful videos, and continued commitment to deliver our high-quality products inter­nati­onally, to help everyone worldwide who hasn’t yet discovered the wonders of Tenura.

Fingers crossed we will see you at one of the exhibitions we plan on attending. However, it is too early to give any more details on the whereabouts, as we know, from our 2020 experience, these details are subject to change. Subscribe to the blog to stay up-to-date (and receive a 10% off discount code).

As for our opening hours during the Christmas period, they are as follows:

Date	Opening Times
Friday 25th December till Tuesday 29th December 2020	CLOSED
Wednesday 30th December till Thursday 31st December 2020	08:30 to 17:30 - LIMITED SERVICES
Friday 1st December 2020	CLOSED
Monday 4th January 2021	OPEN + FULLY OPERATIONAL

If you are going to make a purchase and would like it in time for Christmas, we suggest ordering before the 23^rd December if delivery is within the UK and for the rest of Europe order before the 24^th to avoid disappointment.

From the bottom of our hearts here at Tenura, we wish you all the best for the new year, and we hope that Christmas goes as well as it can, even if we can’t be with our loved ones, we can connect with them in other ways.

Now is a time to reflect, reminiscence and create goals for a joyous new year. Let us know your aspirations for 2021 by connecting with us on our socials (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)