[Handmade Assistive Devices] DIY assistive tools made from 100-yen shop materials. Packed with simple ideas.
Assistive devices are tools that help people whose daily lives are affected by paralysis or reduced physical function due to illness or aging.
A wide range of items are available, from tableware like chopsticks and plates to devices that support everyday activities and even leisure.
In this article, however, we will intentionally focus on assistive devices you can make by hand.
What’s more, all the ideas here use materials you can find at 100-yen shops, making them easy to try.
Use the ideas introduced here as a reference, and consider customizing them to better suit the physical condition of the person who will actually use the assistive device.
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[Handmade Assistive Devices] DIY assistive tools made from 100-yen shop materials. Packed with simple ideas (21–30)
clothespin clip
Jackets with a front zipper can be hard to zip up with just one hand, right? In that case, try making and using this clothespin clip.
It’s very easy to make—just connect two clothespins with a rubber band.
When zipping up, clip one clothespin to your pants and the other to your jacket.
This way, you can zip it up with one hand.
This clothespin clip is also useful when tying a necktie, so making one to keep on hand can be quite helpful.
Universal cuff
A universal cuff is an assistive device for people who cannot move their palm as they wish or cannot grip and hold objects due to pain.
It can be used not only for holding spoons and forks but also for holding a pen.
The only materials needed to make one are webbing, hook-and-loop fastener, a rectangular ring, and a D-ring, all of which can be found in the craft section of a 100-yen shop.
Sewing with a sewing machine is required to make the cuff, but the process isn’t very complicated, so please give it a try.
Adjust the size of the universal cuff to fit the user’s hand, and feel free to choose materials in colors and patterns you like.
Spoon grip made with a garden hose
You can make a self-help dining aid using a water hose.
The only material you need is the hose, and 100-yen shops should carry hoses in several thicknesses, so it’s a good idea to try a few types.
The method is simple: cut the hose open and make two U-shaped slits—then it’s done.
Fit the U-shaped slits over the handle of a spoon or fork and wrap it around to create a grip.
Since it can be attached and removed, it works with disposable spoons too, and the advantage is that you can attach it to whatever cutlery you’re using at the time!
self-service tableware
You can use a spoon with one hand, but unless you hold the plate with the other hand to steady or lift it, it’s hard to scoop and you end up spilling, right? To solve this problem, there are plates with one raised, curved edge that make scooping easier, but you can actually make one using items from a 100-yen shop! All you need are two plastic containers.
Fill one with water and put the lid on.
For the other container, cut the lid so that about 4 cm remains and attach it.
Then stack them with the water-filled container on the bottom and secure them with a rubber band—that’s it.
The bottom container acts as a weight to keep it from slipping, and the shortened lid helps prevent spills.
It’s easy to make, so having a few on hand could be really useful!
straw holder
You might think you can still drink with a straw even if one hand isn’t available, but in reality, with only one hand the straw tends to slip away and you end up chasing it with your mouth.
That’s where a straw holder—an assistive device that fixes the straw to the cup—comes in handy.
You can easily make one with everyday items: all you need are rubber bands and a paperclip.
Link several rubber bands together and attach a paperclip.
Wrap the band around the cup and thread the straw through the band, and you’ve got a perfectly good straw holder.
You don’t need any tools to make it, so if you see someone struggling to drink, try making one on the spot.
flexible bendable straw
Here is an assistive device for people who find it difficult to pick up a cup.
It can be bent freely, so you can shape it to make drinking easier depending on the situation.
The construction is simple: cut out only the flexible sections from bendy straws and connect them together—that’s it.
It’s convenient because you can bend it to match where the cup is placed and the user’s posture.
Using a straw holder to secure the straw to the cup can make it even easier to use.
Grip made with plastic clay
Plastic clay is a material that can be softened in hot water to shape freely, and once cooled, it hardens in that shape.
You can easily find it at 100-yen shops.
Let’s try making self-help eating utensils using this plastic clay.
The method is very simple: wrap the softened plastic clay around the handle of a spoon or fork and shape it into an easy-to-hold form.
A major advantage is that you can freely customize it to suit the user’s hand—such as bulging or indenting certain areas to make it easier for fingers to grip.
You can also apply this not only to cutlery like spoons and forks but to writing instruments as well, so give it a try.