Active Hands are a firm favourite with Occupational Therapists in the UK, so when the opportunity came up to attend the AOTA conference in Kansas City we decided to give it a try! It was a great chance to meet both professional and student OTs and demonstrate our products to them. We were also able to learn more about how Occupational Therapy is practiced in the US.
As well as demonstrating our products, we spent some time looking around at the products and services that other exhibitors were showing. We’ve come home with some new ideas for products that we would like to add to our shop. And were also able to share the products that we manufacture with others.
AOTA Show Favourites
There were a few products that seemed to capture the American OTs attention a little bit more than others. Here are the favourites and why you liked them so much:
The Egg-Cracker was marvelled over by many OTs! The process of cracking an egg is a fairly complex one, requiring good finger function. This device allows you to open an egg by squeezing or pushing the handles together. It also comes with a cup that attaches below the egg so you can separate the white and yolk.
The Small-Item gripping aid impressed the OTs with the unique feature of being able to position an item in the hand at any angle. The ease with which you can swap the pads to change between items was also appreciated.
Putting on gloves is not an easy task with reduced hand function. The Glove Pilot helps your fingers into the correct holes in your glove. There were many exclamations of, ‘Oh! Like a shoe horn for your hand!’
Our General Purpose gripping aid has long been a favourite of OTs and PTs alike. This gripping aid pulls your hand around an item, to create a safe hold. Great for in the gym, getting outdoors on a hand bike or kayak, or for holding the handles of kitchen and gardening tools.
This one did not come as a surprise to us, as it’s always a favourite with OTs in the UK! The Card Holder is such a simple device that both holds and fans your cards for you. Pop the stack of cards in and twist each side to fan them out.
The Food Preparation Board is a stylish wooden board that allows you to chop and grate food with one hand. OTs understand the importance of being able to independently prepare and cook food and this board allows you to do just that. A great looking alternative to the plastic, functional boards!
All these products, and many more, are available on our website – we ship worldwide from our base in the UK. Some of our most popular products are also available on Amazon US.
Website Features for Occupational Therapists
We have tried to make our website work for both clients and for professionals. The following features should help you to access the right products for your client:
You can add filters in the shop by Disability and Activity to find the most relevant products.
You can create a Wishlist of products that would be useful to your client – this can be shared with friends and family, to be bought as Christmas or Birthday presents!
We’re also pleased to be able to offer an automatic quote facility on our website. This is ideal if payment needs to come from somewhere else – whether it’s a finance department or insurance company.
It Wasn’t All Hard Work…
Although the conference took up most of our time, we managed to have some fun seeing the sights of Kansas City. We took some time to visit the Country Club Plaza and explore the shops and fountains. Eating featured heavily in our plans – trying out some American delicacies – particularly the BBQ and Cinnabons! We spent our evenings in the Power and Light district enjoying the various restaurants and music.
It’s safe to say our first trip to the US was a success – worth the 22 hour journeys & even the flat tire on the way home from the airport!
