| Indivo Special Needs Kitchen and Accessories |
Planning and Fitting |
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How to plan and install a kitchen The key to an efficient kitchen is systematic evaluation of the needs of users and carers - and evaluation of the possibilities which the space allows. In some situations, it must be possible for several users to cook and wash up at the same time. In others, meals may be delivered, and then only a small kitchen is required. Naturally, the requirements of the user must come first but it is also important to allow for the various functions that a carer fulfils in the kitchen. Carers carry out space demanding work on their own; in addition, they assist the user during work processes. So there has to be room for the carer around the user to enable him/her assist from any angle. When designing a kitchen, there are a number of things to be considered: Distance between the workstations - is the total distance between sink/dishwasher, hob, and refrigerator. This we calculate using a work triangle: a tool which can determine if the distance is too long. Location of workstations - actual correct positioning of the sink, the food preparation area and the cooking area relative to each other. Number of users - and the role of user and carers - how many will be using the kitchen at the same time. This must be assessed before assessing personal working capacity. There may be only one user or one carer working in the kitchen at a time, for example: - an independent user of mobility aids, who prepares meals alone, - a carer or a family member who prepares meals for a disabled person. Here the carer’s role is to do the kitchen work for the user. Or there may be several users and carers working in the kitchen at one time, for example: - several people working independently of each other, - several people working together, - in situations where the carer’s role is to assist the user. On the following pages of this Kitchen Guide you will find a structural outline of the spatial needs that exist for a kitchen user with a carer and support aids. After that there is information about the work triangle and kitchen types, discussing the relationship of each workstation to the others. The review also includes examples of our various kitchen models, with a checklist that can be useful in the planning phase.
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