Daily Living Tools
Use tools for dressing, eating, and hygiene
Review status: Waiting for team review. An AI editorial check was completed on 2026-08-14 by claude-opus-5. It checks clarity, attribution and scope against the sources, and it is not a Compass team or clinical sign-off. Waiting for clinical review. Last updated 2026-08-14.
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Planning 3
- Notice where tasks are getting harderThink about dressing, eating, showering, typing, and household tasks.Why it matters: The tasks worth adapting are the ones you have quietly started avoiding.
- Match the tool to the problemStart with the smallest useful adaptation rather than buying broadly.Why it matters: A small tool that solves one real problem gets used, and an expensive kit often does not.
- Prioritise daily frustration pointsFix the tasks that cost the most effort or independence.Why it matters: Fixing one daily frustration frees more energy than several occasional ones.
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Adaptive tools are everyday items designed or adapted to make tasks easier when strength, grip, or movement change. They are also called daily living aids, assistive devices, or adaptive equipment. They range from simple, inexpensive gadgets to more specialised equipment.
How they help:
- Keep you independent. The right tool can let you keep doing things yourself, such as eating, dressing, or washing, when they might otherwise need help. Many people value that greatly. Tools usually stretch how long you manage a task yourself rather than removing the need for help, and most people need some personal care support as things change.
- Save energy and effort. Tools that reduce the effort of a task leave more energy for what matters (see the energy conservation card).
- Keep you safe. Some aids are chosen to make a task safer, such as reducing the chance of a fall, a spill, a burn, or strain.
- Protect dignity and comfort. Being able to manage personal tasks, or do them more comfortably, matters for how you feel.
- Make caregiving easier and safer too, where help is needed.
The guiding ideas:
- Small changes, big difference. Often a simple, low-cost item makes a frustrating task manageable again. A built-up handle, a non-slip mat, or a button hook can be enough.
- Matched to you. The best tool depends on exactly what you find difficult and why. An occupational therapist (OT) is expert at matching tools to your needs (covered shortly).
- They change over time. What helps now may need adjusting as your needs change, so it is worth reviewing.
- Using a tool is smart, not defeat. Reaching for an aid that keeps you doing something is a way of staying independent, not giving up.
This card covers the kinds of tools that help with everyday activities, how to find the right ones, and who provides them. (Mobility equipment, home changes, and communication devices have their own cards.) The next question looks at tools for specific daily activities.
Evidence for this answer
The sources the Compass team used to write this answer. Highlighted phrases in the answer above correspond to the statements below.
Statement 1 of 2. The right adaptive tool can let someone carry on doing everyday activities such as eating, dressing and washing for themselves.
Supports this. NICE MND guideline — NICE · Clinical guideline
Tells services to provide equipment and adaptations promptly so people can take part in everyday activities. The daily living needs it lists include personal care, dressing and bathing, and eating and drinking.
“Provide equipment and adaptations that meet the person's needs without delay, so that people can participate in activities of daily living and maintain their quality of life as much as possible.”
1.10.2Link checked August 2026
Qualifies this. Occupational therapy for MND — MND Association · Practical guide · January 2024
Agrees that equipment can maximise independence, but adds that as MND progresses a person is still likely to need help with personal care. So tools extend how long you can manage a task yourself rather than removing the need for support.
“Equipment and adaptations can maximise independence but as the disease progresses, the person is likely to need support to manage their personal care.”
Personal care, page 40Link checked August 2026
Statement 2 of 2. What helps now may stop being the right fit as needs change, so equipment is worth reviewing over time.
Supports this. NICE MND guideline — NICE · Clinical guideline
Asks for ongoing monitoring of daily living needs as MND progresses, and for the person's ability to use their equipment to be reviewed and the equipment changed to match.
“Regularly review their ability to use equipment and to adapt equipment as necessary.”
1.10.6Link checked August 2026
Used across the whole answer
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There are adaptive tools for almost every daily activity. Here is a sense of what exists, organised by area. This is not a shopping list, but ideas to discuss with an occupational therapist, who can match the right ones to you.
Eating and drinking
- Cutlery with built-up, lightweight, or angled handles; easier-grip cups and mugs; non-slip mats to hold plates steady; plate guards; and straws or cups designed for easier drinking. (If swallowing is affected, your speech therapist and dietitian advise alongside. See the swallowing card.)
Dressing
- Button hooks, zip pulls, elastic laces, easy-fasten clothing, long-handled shoe horns, and dressing sticks to reduce fiddly or reaching movements. Choosing easier-to-manage clothing helps too.
Washing and personal care / bathroom
- Long-handled sponges, tap turners, easier-grip toothbrushes and razors, and bathroom aids such as grab rails, shower seats, and raised or supportive toilet seats. (Larger bathroom changes are on the home modifications card.)
Around the home
- Jar and bottle openers, reachers/grabbers, key turners, easier door handles, and kitchen aids that reduce grip and effort. Labour-saving devices and a well-organised, reachable setup help (see energy conservation).
Writing, devices, and communication
- Pen grips, easier-to-use keyboards, touchscreen aids, tablet and phone stands, and voice or other control options as hand function changes. (Dedicated communication devices are on the communication cards.)
Comfort and positioning
- Supportive cushions, positioning aids, and adjustable seating or beds for comfort and easier movement.
A few reminders:
- This is just a sample. There is a tool for many problems, and new solutions appear all the time.
- What suits you depends on your specific difficulty. An OT can recommend the right option rather than you guessing.
- Mainstream technology helps too. Voice assistants, smart-home controls, and phone/tablet features can be powerful, accessible aids. If controlling things around your home is the real difficulty, ask your team about a specialist assessment for environmental control systems as well.
The next question covers how to find the tools that are right for you.
Evidence for this answer
The sources the Compass team used to write this answer. Highlighted phrases in the answer above correspond to the statements below.
Statement 1 of 2. An occupational therapist can work out which aid suits your particular difficulty, instead of you choosing by trial and error.
Supports this. NEALS PT/OT guide — NEALS · Practical guide
Lists recommendations for equipment and adaptive devices among the things a physical or occupational therapy visit covers, and says its own list of aids is a very small sample of what is available, so any change in function is worth raising with them.
Link checked August 2026
Statement 2 of 2. Ordinary consumer technology, including voice assistants and smart-home controls, can work as an accessible aid.
Qualifies this. NICE MND guideline — NICE · Clinical guideline
Treats control of the home environment as specialist assistive technology, and says someone who needs it should be referred to a specialist service and assessed promptly. Off-the-shelf technology is worth trying, but it does not replace that assessment where controlling the home is the real need.
“Refer people to specialist services without delay if assistive technology such as environmental control systems is needed.”
1.10.3Link checked August 2026
Used across the whole answer
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The best way to find tools that actually help is to start from the difficulty, not the gadget, and get expert input. That way you avoid buying things that end up unused.
Start with what's hard:
- Notice which specific tasks are becoming difficult, and why. Is it grip, reach, fatigue, balance, coordination? The reason points to the right kind of tool.
- Think about what you most want to keep doing yourself. Prioritise tools for those.
Get an occupational therapist's input:
- An OT is the expert here. They assess how you manage daily activities and recommend tools matched to your specific needs. They often suggest options you would never have found, and the right version of an aid rather than a poor fit.
- They can also show you how to use a tool well, and combine it with technique and a helpful setup.
Try before you commit:
- Where possible, try a tool before buying. What works for one person may not suit another, and the right fit matters.
- Some can be borrowed or loaned through services or associations, so you can test them.
- Be cautious buying lots of gadgets online without advice. It is easy to waste money on things that do not suit you. An OT's steer saves money and frustration.
Plan a little ahead, and review:
- Anticipate what may help next, so tools are ready when needed (your OT can help you think ahead).
- Review over time. Needs change, so what helps will too. Revisit with your OT.
Use everyday options too:
- Plenty of help comes from mainstream products and technology, not only specialist aids. This includes easy-grip household items, voice assistants, and phone/tablet accessibility features.
In short: start from the difficulty, get an OT's assessment, and try before you buy. The next question covers who provides tools and how to get them.
Evidence for this answer
The sources the Compass team used to write this answer. Highlighted phrases in the answer above correspond to the statements below.
Statement 1 of 2. An occupational therapist assesses how you manage everyday activities and recommends equipment matched to your own needs.
Supports this. NICE MND guideline — NICE · Clinical guideline
Sets out what this assessment covers: personal care, dressing and bathing, housework, shopping, food preparation, eating and drinking, work, mobility and loss of dexterity, the home, and assistive technology. It names occupational therapists among the professionals who should carry it out.
“Healthcare professionals and social care practitioners, which will include physiotherapists and occupational therapists, should assess and anticipate changes in the person's daily living needs, taking into account the following:”
1.10.1Link checked August 2026
Supports this. Occupational therapy for MND — MND Association · Practical guide · January 2024
An occupational therapy guide for MND endorsed by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. It describes the point of the assessment as working out what a person can do and needs in daily activities, and lists timely provision of adaptive equipment as part of the therapist's job.
“The goal of assessment is to analyse a person's strengths, skills, and needs in performing daily activities, considering how the environment influences them.”
Assessment and outcome measures, page 12Link checked August 2026
Statement 2 of 2. Thinking ahead about what may help next is what leaves enough time for equipment to be in place before it is needed.
Supports this. Occupational therapy for MND — MND Association · Practical guide · January 2024
Gives exactly this as the reason for planning ahead in MND: anticipating future needs is what creates enough time for the support or equipment to actually be put in place.
“To reduce delays, the occupational therapist should anticipate and plan for potential future needs, to allow enough time for support or equipment to be put in place.”
Timing of interventions, page 15Link checked August 2026
Used across the whole answer
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You do not have to source aids alone. Several people and services can help you get the right tools, and there is often support with the cost.
Who can help:
- Occupational therapist (OT). Usually the central person, who assesses your needs, recommends the right tools, and helps you obtain them. In some services a physiotherapist or a social care practitioner does part of this.
- Your ALS/MND team. They can refer you to an OT and keep equipment joined up with the rest of your care.
- Your MND/ALS association. Often a great resource, sometimes with loan equipment, advice, and knowledge of what is available and funded where you live.
- Equipment / disability suppliers. For buying aids, ideally after an OT's advice on what suits you.
How aids are provided and funded varies by location. Depending on where you live, daily living aids may be:
- Provided or loaned through health or social-care services, disability schemes, or associations.
- Funded or subsidised through disability or equipment programs.
- Bought privately, for simpler or lower-cost items.
Because the rules differ from place to place, the practical steps are:
- Ask your OT, ALS/MND team, or MND/ALS association what is available and funded where you live, and how to access it.
- Ask about loan or trial schemes, so you can try aids and avoid buying things that do not suit you.
- Ask about funding or subsidies before buying, in case help is available (see also the disability benefits and finance cards).
Tips:
- Go through an OT where you can. It helps you get the right tool and often the funded route.
- Keep simple things simple. Some low-cost items you can just buy, but check with your OT for anything more significant.
- Review over time, as needs change, and ask for a reassessment when something new becomes difficult.
Because provision and funding are regional, your local OT and MND/ALS association are the best guides. The next question gives you prompts to raise.
Explained: who this is and what they may help withEvidence for this answer
The sources the Compass team used to write this answer. Highlighted phrases in the answer above correspond to the statements below.
Statement 1 of 2. The occupational therapist is usually the person who assesses your needs, recommends the right tools and helps you get hold of them.
Qualifies this. NICE MND guideline — NICE · Clinical guideline
Does not single out the occupational therapist. It gives the assessment of daily living needs to healthcare professionals and social care practitioners together, naming physiotherapists alongside occupational therapists, so who leads can vary with the service you are under.
“Healthcare professionals and social care practitioners, which will include physiotherapists and occupational therapists, should assess and anticipate changes in the person's daily living needs, taking into account the following:”
1.10.1Link checked August 2026
Statement 2 of 2. Your ALS/MND team can refer you to an occupational therapist and make sure equipment works together with the rest of your care.
Supports this. NICE MND guideline — NICE · Clinical guideline
Puts an occupational therapist in the core MND multidisciplinary team, so the referral route runs through the team, and it asks the services that provide equipment to liaise so the separate pieces work together.
“Healthcare professionals, social care practitioners and other services providing equipment should liaise to ensure that all equipment provided can be integrated, for example, integrating AAC aids and devices and environmental control systems with wheelchairs.”
1.10.7Link checked August 2026
Used across the whole answer
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A few questions for an occupational therapist or your ALS/MND team help you get the right aids for your daily life. Pick what fits you.
Getting assessed
- Can I see an occupational therapist about aids for daily activities?
- I am finding [eating / dressing / washing / writing / a specific task] harder. What could help?
- Could you look at my whole day and suggest what would make the biggest difference?
Choosing the right tools
- What is the best option for my specific difficulty, and why?
- Can I try it before getting it?
- Are there mainstream products or technology that would help, not just specialist aids?
Getting and funding them
- How are these aids provided and funded where I live, and what might I pay?
- Is there a loan or trial scheme I can use?
- Could I get help with the cost? (See disability benefits / finance.)
Planning ahead
- What might help me later that is worth knowing about now?
- How do I get a review if something new becomes difficult?
Tip: before an appointment, it helps to note the specific tasks you find hardest, and what you most want to keep doing yourself. This lets an OT target their suggestions. Bring the list with you.
Related cards cover energy conservation (doing tasks with less effort), mobility and home changes, communication devices, and eating/nutrition. All of these connect with daily living tools.
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