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Background
Background
Many of our seniors have difficulty performing many of the day-to-day activities we all perform such as opening jars because of a lack of hand strength or arthritis. For some individuals it may be a matter of a few seconds but for other seniors, these same activities will cause them frustration.
Recognizing this, I wanted to use the Layer by Layer Project to design and build supportive products utilizing 3D printing. In doing so, my aim has been to develop and share accessible aids for seniors who would benefit from assistance in making their daily routines easier and independent. My focus for my first aid was a durable, easy to grip jar opener that provides better leverage than most existing jar openers and requires less effort to remove jar lids.
Partnering with Brier Pointe Retirement Community
Partnering with Brier Pointe Retirement Community
As a server at Brier Pointe Retirement Community, I had many opportunities to form relationships with the residents of the community. I noticed that several residents asked me if I could assist them in opening jars of food. I decided this would be an area to focus my efforts on.
Brier Pointe allowed me to reserve a booth at their annual holiday bazaar. At the bazaar, I displayed and distributed the jar openers to all the residents who were interested in trying one. The bazaar provided me an excellent opportunity to meet with each resident in person as they used the openers, ask any questions or provide any input that they felt would be helpful. Each time a resident came by the booth they were able to use the opener for themselves and get hands-on experience with how well the product worked.
Free Tools
Free Tools
These jar openers were available free to any resident who wanted one. That said, a few residents asked how they could support the effort. So I added an optional donation box at the bazaar to support future efforts
Locally Made With Care
Locally Made With Care
I created each of these tools with my own 3D printer located in our community. The part where the grip flexes (TPU) provides secure support to hold on to the lid while the part where you get your leverage (PLA) allows for easy manipulation. All parts were tested to ensure they work as expected and are comfortable to use.
The design began from the first sketch all the way through to the last print of this project, to provide an example of how a solution can be found to meet a genuine need. The goal of creating something so simply-looking yet functional has also led me to explore many new ideas which will help make people's lives simpler.
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