Tag Archives: daily living aid

New Super Grip Comfort Tape for Built-Up Grip

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We have launched a new range of multi-purpose comfort tapes which create a superior built-up grip.

The super grip comfort tapes feature unique grip properties, a thick cushioned surface and are ideal for wrapping around utensils and mobility equipment handles.

This new range of ‘Super Grip’ tape comes in red, blue and black and has numerous applications for use. It can be cut to any size and applied onto surfaces where a comfortable and stabilized grip is required. For example, the tape can be wrapped around the handles of crutches, walkers and other types of mobility equipment, to increase surface friction and prevent rubbing and chaffing against the skin.

Eva Paraskevaides from Dycem said;

“The new super grip tapes have been developed to provide a cushioned non-slip, built-up grip. The tapes can be easily cut to size to provide an easy, comfortable grip solution for mobility equipment. The grips are also super absorbent and have an extra-long life which makes them ideal for use on items such as crutch handles where continued pressure from the hands is applied to the surface”.

Dycem’s non-slip products are multi-purpose, long-lasting, easy-to-clean and non-toxic. Their forty-nine-year heritage makes Dycem a valued and trusted brand amongst healthcare professionals, occupational therapists, physical therapists and consumers alike.

Blue Super Grip Tape
Blue Super Grip tape for built-up grip

View the Super Grip Tape range in the Dycem Shop here

If you would like to talk find out more about the full Dycem product range please contact nonslip@dycem.com

‘How do you Use Dycem?’ Naidex 2015 Competition Winner Announced!

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Christina prizes
Here is our winner, Christina with her prizes

At the Naidex National Conference this year, we asked attendees how they use Dycem Non-Slip to make their lives easier.

We gathered together all of their responses using a voice recorder or video camera (if they were feeling brave) and entered them into a competition.

The prize up for grabs was £100 worth of Dycem Non-Slip products (in the colour of their choice) and an Ipad Mini!

We had lots of entries and found lots of interesting uses for Dycem Non-Slip, including using the reel material to secure spools on a knitting loom, to simple things like using Dycem under a set top box, to keep it from falling off the top of the telly.

Our lucky winner, Christina Theobald, was selected at random and chose to receive her Dycem prize range in silver. Here is what she had to say about winning;

“I am absolutely delighted and surprised to have won. I’d forgotten I’d entered a competition because I was busy being nervous about being filmed. The Dycem will come in handy, as I like to demonstrate it to people and I like the silver because it’s a non-clinical colour.”

Congratulations to Christina. To see Christina’s entry, plus a selection of others, check out this video of how Dycem Non-Slip can help people live independently;

For another chance to win a Dycem prize bundle, look out for our cameras and roving reporter at the COT Annual Exhibition and Conference at Brighton Centre, Brighton 30th June- 2nd July 2015.

Dycem ‘Does the Magic for You’

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Dycem Yellow Kitchenware
Dycem has a range of applications for the home

For those with visual impairments, Dycem Non-Slip is a fantastic aid to secure household objects in place, making them easy to find and use.

For example, putting a non-slip mat under your alarm clock will prevent it from slipping off the bedside table if you accidently hit the ‘snooze’ button with a little too much force on a weekday morning.

This use for Dycem, along with many others, were mentioned in a recent interview for Infosound– a charity that offers impartial advice to those with visual impairments. The interview featured Lesley Duroe from the RNIB, where she discusses the versatility of the Dycem non-slip range;

“Dycem is a non-slip material, so basically it secures a cup, a plate, anything that you want to make sure stays stable on a tray or a table- it will actually do the magic for you.”

In this five minute interview segment, which you can listen to in full here, they also discuss products such as the reel material, as well as our non-slip cup holders and mats.

Dycem yellow cup holder
Yellow cup holder prevents slips and spills

Dycem product application ideas taken from the interview;

  • For those with blindness or partial vision, a glass of water on a surface can be difficult to see and potentially dangerous if knocked over. Using a Dycem cup holder will not only provide a visual cue, it will also hold your glass in place securely.
  • A non-slip mat is perfect for use on a TV tray, as it holds to both the tray and the underside of your plate.
  • A roll of our reel material can be easily cut to size using just normal household scissors. You could even cut a thin piece of reel material and attach it to a door handle- to provide a visual cue and stable gripping surface.
  • Our non-slip range comes in highly visible colours such as red and yellow. You can also buy products in forest green, lime, pink, silver, blue, black and white, which gives you plenty of options for tying Dycem in with the rest of your home’s décor.
  • Dycem non-slip does not feel sticky to the touch, despite its very non-slip properties. This means that if you’re blind or partially sighted, you don’t have to worry about objects actually sticking to the non-slip material and therefore making objects difficult to pick up and use.
  • To clean any of our non-slip products, simply wash with warm, soapy water, leave it to dry and your Dycem will be as good as new. Alternatively, use one of our Dycem cleaning wipes for instant clean and reuse.

To see the rest of our Dycem range, check out the Dycem shop.

And if you have any thoughts on the benefits of Dycem for the blind or partially sighted, share with us your comments.

Dycem a focal point of interest for visitors at REHACARE 2013

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Image

The Dycem team has just returned back from an action packed four days at Rehacare in Dusseldorf, Germany.  We met some great people from Germany, but also from other parts of Europe, Asia, North and South America.  It was fascinating to find out how healthcare systems vary from country to country. Continue reading Dycem a focal point of interest for visitors at REHACARE 2013 →

COT Annual Conference 2013

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COT

It was Dycem’s first time visiting the College of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference this year, and we had a great time.

Occupational Therapist Jen describes our experience –

I was not disappointed by the 37th Annual COT Conference in Glasgow.  I had forgotten that there was such an amazing buzz about the place; so many inspiring people willing to share and learn. There were those just starting their Occupational Therapy journeys and those who could be classed as OT royalty!

The Dycem stand was continually busy throughout the three days and we were left slightly hoarse from chatting to loads of great people.  The word spread quickly about our ‘Keep Calm’ coasters and many people were picking up extras for their colleagues who couldn’t make it.

Once again our visitors didn’t disappoint, with suggestions of how to use Dycem and some fantastic ideas for new products.

Dycem is already looking forward to attending the 38th Annual COT Conference in Brighton. See you there!

COT3

Naidex National 2013

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Naidex
The Dycem stand at Naidex

This year, Occupational Therapist Jen Cave-Ayland came along with us to the Naidex National exhibition. She says –

There was a fantastic atmosphere at Naidex this year with barely a quiet minute on the Dycem stand during any of the three days.  We had many familiar faces saying “I’ve used your product for years” and singing Dycem’s praises.  There were also some new faces, particularly from Occupational Therapy and Health & Social Care courses.  The students were intrigued by Dycem’s versatility.  “What do you use it for?” was a popular question to which we replied “What don’t you use it for?!”

Naidex attracted a mix of public and professional and trade visitors, who let us know the different ways they use their Dycem. Popular uses this year were securing motorcycle panniers, helping undo screw caps on wine bottles, putting on stockings and gripping things to the fridge.

Thanks to everyone who came along and gave us useful ideas and feedback. See you next time!

What are your favourite uses for Dycem?

Easing Arthritis during Winter

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arth winter

The Christmas holidays can put a lot of stress on arthritis patients. Occupational therapist Jen discusses her patients who find that their symptoms become worse during the cold winter months.

Stories of being able to predict a change in the weather by an increase in joint pain and stiffness is not uncommon.  You could describe it as a human barometer! There are many theories, but little clinical evidence to say that there is a link between bad weather and exacerbation of arthritic symptoms.  However, this does not mean it is any less real for those people describing these changes in symptoms.

We can’t alter the British weather and moving to warmer climes isn’t always a practical or guaranteed solution so we need to have strategies available to minimise the joint pain.

Sometimes even the smallest of gadgets can be a big help. Using non-slip jar and bottle openers to help is a simple option.  The Dycem non-slip material enables jars and bottles to be opened by using less physical effort and therefore reducing the amount of pain caused.  The openers are not only useful in the kitchen, but also in the bathroom for pill bottles and cleaning materials.

They aren’t going to solve all problems, but they do make a huge difference to a lot of people.

With a little help from Dycem products, and the wide range of assistive products available on the market, we hope arthritis patients are able to enjoy the festive season with minimal joint pain.

What are your tips for getting through the winter season?

What’s Your Colour?

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Dycem non-slip coasters

We caught up with Occupational Therapist Jen to discuss the Dycem colour range and its importance to her clients.

Dycem’s range of non-slip products come in a wide range of colours. New colours are always being considered and developed. “If I had to choose one colour of Dycem for all my clients I would find it incredibly difficult” says Jen. We agree that our silver Dycem mats are perfect for clients who want to be discreet, particularly if they are in a public area.

Some of Jen’s clients use their mats as a visual cue and therefore need to it to contrast with the surface it is placed on.  For example, a yellow mat can be placed on a black counter – or a blue mat can be placed on a white table cloth.

Jen describes how colours are said to affect our physiology and mental state – “The colour red apparently stimulates appetite.  What would happen if we used red Dycem mats or reel material in clinical situations where we are trying to encourage our clients to eat?  Would hospital patients be more tempted by the food if they had a red plate and place mat?

On the other hand, blue and black are said to reduce the appeal of food.  These colours are associated with rotten food and apparently make eating less appealing.  I’m not quite sure where blueberries fit into this theory!

They say that yellow helps with focus and concentration. Perhaps then we should prescribe yellow Dycem products in schools and workplaces?” We loved the great uses Jen came up with.

Certain colours can work better in different situations, which is why Dycem has a variety of colour to choose from.

Let us know your favourite Dycem colour by voting in our poll!

[polldaddy poll=6695640]

Are there any Dycem colours you would like to see in the future? Let us know!

Useful information on colour contrast can be found on the Lighthouse International website.

Related articles

At Home with Jen

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Dycem non-slip reel material
Dycem non-slip reel

Occupational therapist Jen shared with us the ways she uses Dycem non-slip products at home:

“I’ve issued Dycem products to my clients for years, but more and more I’m finding uses for it for myself at home.

My settee seat cushions seem to slip during the day from where they should be to half hanging off the front.  Not the most comfortable sitting position I can assure you!  I have now cut pieces of Dycem material off a reel and placed them under the seat cushions and it’s worked. No longer do they have a mind of their own and they are staying put.

Does anyone else have trouble getting the lids off toddler beakers?  I obviously want it on tight so the drink doesn’t spill, but when I go to wash it up I can’t get the lid off!  My Dycem jar opener is now kept by the sink and the excellent grip gets the lid off on the first attempt. Problem solved.”

Let us know how you use your Dycem non-slip products …