For 60 plus years I have never had to worry about useing two hands whenever I needed to.
Six months ago I made a couple of new friends who only had one left and one right hand between them.
They are both survivors of stroke. The more time I spent around them the more I became aware of the difficulties everyday life throws at the disabled.
At breakfast one morning I put my left hand in my pocket (I am right handed) and tried to experience some of the frustration that they must feel in daily living.
Taking the top off the new milk carton was a revelation. A tight lid on the coffee was the next problem. Getting the top off a ring pull and tear can had the other hand out in cheat mode.
Spreading butter on a slice of bread (sliced bread of course) nearly had it out again and I had not even managed to properly eat breakfast without being able to tilt the plate to scoop the milk.
The idea of washing up and drying up with one hand made me decide to give up on the experiment for then.
Life is difficult for stroke survivors and whilst I know there are numerous aids available in specialist shops few of them are integrated into a package and they come with a hefty price tag.
Talking to my friends led to the design and prototyping of a dedicated bench which will include a permanent station to undo or reseal standard jars cut and slice food of various description ,and handle ring pull cans
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