One-handed living tips

Managing activities of daily living (ADL) following surgery or an injury to your hand or wrist

This leaflet is for patients who have had surgery or an injury to one or more hands or wrists, affecting their ability to perform usual tasks. The aim is to provide tips and ideas on managing activities of daily living with one hand. It may take practice to find the most appropriate technique; not all will be suitable for everyone.

There are lots of ideas and products online designed to help someone function with one hand. There are many YouTube videos with different techniques for daily activities. Search online for “how to … with one hand” for your particular challenge.

How to do tasks using one hand

Surgery or injury to one of your hands can make everyday tasks, such as getting washed and dressed, difficult to carry out. The dominant hand usually carries out the activity while the non-dominant hand holds or grasps objects. In this case, most activities can be carried out with one hand as long as the object is stabilised. Several methods can be used to achieve this, such as: holding the object against your body, placing a weight on top of the object, using non-slip materials, or placing the object between your knees or under your foot.

Before surgery, if you can…

Enlist the help of others, such as relatives, friends and carers, to help with:

• childcare
• housework
• preparing meals
• transport

Prepare for the first few days after surgery

• Stock up on food.
• Open and re-seal cans and bottles you might need.
• Consider decanting the contents into containers that are easier to open.
• Use a weekly tablet box, or open medication containers and leave them within easy reach (put these out of the reach of children, even if you don’t expect children to visit).
• Think about ‘no-cut meals’ such as sandwiches, ground meats, soups and casseroles.
• Microwave meals (microwave ovens are often easier to manage than normal ovens).

General coping strategies for one-handed living

• Organise and arrange everything you need so that it is within your reach to make the task easier for you.
• Don't rush: give yourself plenty of time.
• Use available resources, such as a variety of electrical devices.
• Adapt your methods if possible. Are you able to carry out the tasks in another way?
• Consider equipment that may help with some tasks.
• Avoid driving unless your car is adapted to your situation.
• Look at the links below that offer more ideas.

Personal care

Washing and dressing

• Use a shower seat if balance is a challenge or consider a non-slip mat.
• Cover any dressings with plastic bags and rubber bands (use two bags at a time) if having a bath or shower, but try to leave the hand out of the water as much as possible.
• If you are going to need protection for a number of weeks, LimbO (opens in a new tab) offers specialised plastic coverings for use when having baths or showers.
• Use a soap dispenser instead of a bar of soap, or use a flannel mitt with soap placed inside.
• Use a hairbrush in the shower to help you wash your hair.
• Use a long-handled back brush, sponge or loofah for your back and underarms.
• Twist the flannel around the stem of the tap to wring it out.
• It is easier and quicker to lather up with a sponge than it is with a flannel.
• You can dry your body more easily by using a toweling dressing gown instead of a towel.
• Use a smaller, lighter towel or dressing gown, and think about using a towel with high absorbency.

Cleaning teeth

• Put your toothbrush on a wash basin or flat surface to apply toothpaste, or squeeze the toothpaste into your mouth before brushing your teeth.
• Consider using a flip-top toothpaste in your unaffected hand or a wall-mounted dispenser rather than a screw cap.

Toileting

• If standing up from or sitting down onto a toilet is difficult, support rails secured to the rear of the toilet pan will remain still when being leant upon.
• For wiping your bottom, a lightweight bottom wiper with a long handle can help you clean yourself, particularly if you have limited movement or reach, or are only able to use your non-dominant hand.
• Also for bottom wiping, a bidet unit can be fitted to a conventional toilet, replacing the toilet seat to allow for washing and drying of your bottom after toileting.

Hair care

• You can measure the desired amount of shampoo into an egg cup or other appropriate container before beginning so that you won't have trouble managing the shampoo bottle.
• Using a shower attachment at the sink or bathtub makes washing your hair easier.
• Use a smaller towel for drying.
• Consider adopting a shorter hairstyle, or one that doesn’t require as much day-to-day maintenance.
• Consider purchasing a one-handed hair tie, such as “1-up hair ties”.
• Leave-in hair conditioner can be worked through with a comb or brush.

Moisturising with body cream or lotion

• Apply a small amount to your thighs and massage the cream with your hand.

Shaving

• Use an electric razor for your face.
• Use hair removal cream for underneath your arms.
• Consider professional waxing.

Dressing

• Insert your affected arm into a garment first, and remove it last.
• Wear jumpers and coats with wider sleeves, so that the dressing and/or a splint can fit in. Sometimes it may be easier to just tuck your arm in under your coat rather than put it down the sleeve.
• It is easier to draw up the zip on trousers or skirts after fastening the top button.
• Consider clothes that are easier to put on and take off, such as clothing with wider sleeves or baggy trousers, elastic waistbands, front fastening or pull-on sports bras, pre-tied ties and pull-on shoes or those with Velcro fastenings.
• Leave shirt / blouse cuffs fastened all the time if there is enough width.
• Consider investing in dressing aids such as button hooks, dressing sticks, Velcro closures and elastic shoe laces.
• Wear slip-on shoes where possible. (Search online for ways to tie your shoelaces one-handed.)

Food (purchase, preparation and eating)

Purchasing food

• Try online shopping with delivery or ask someone to help you with your shopping.
• Consider pre-sliced or pre-prepared food or ready meals.
• Items that might be useful in making food preparation easier include:
  • food processor
  • non-slip suction mixing bowl
  • electric can opener
  • jar opener
  • buttering board for bread (lipped on two sides)
  • one-handed chopping board
• Use a wire mesh cooking basket to cook and strain vegetables, pasta and rice; this will eliminate the need to lift and drain a full pan of boiling water.

Eating

• Use a plate or bowl with raised edges to prevent 'chasing' food around a plate.
• Use a non-slip mat to keep crockery in place.
• Adapted cutlery, such as a splayed fork, 'nelson knife' or 'knork' can help with one-handed eating by combining cutlery functions.

Washing up / drying dishes

• Use a dishwasher if available.
• You can make cleaning easier by soaking dishes in hot water soon after they have been used.
• To dry, place the tea towel on a flat surface and wrap the towel around the item.
• Alternatively, the dish rack or the draining board can be used to dry the dish.

Telephones

There are many features that can help using a phone one-handed, but availability will depend on the type and model of your phone. A simple online search for 'one-handed mobile phone use' and your model of phone should give you many ideas. Some more general ideas are listed below.

• iPhone
  • Reachability – in portrait mode, you can turn on a Reachability feature that lowers the top half of the screen allowing you to reach it more easily with your thumb (Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Reachability). To return to full screen, double-tap the upper half of the screen.
  • One-handed keyboard – when on a typing screen, press down on the globe or emoji icon in the bottom left of the screen to choose whether the keyboard is located more to the left, right or centre of the screen.
  • Use Siri, the voice command app, to trigger a host of commands and features.
• Android (dependent on phone and version of OS)
  • One-handed mode – this lowers the top half of the screen down to make it easier to reach with your thumb (Settings > System > Gestures > One-handed mode).
  • Gestures – you can trigger certain commands and actions through gestures, such as tapping the back of your phone or pressing the power button (Settings > System > Gestures or Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures)

Suppliers of one-handed equipment

• Patterson Medical (opens in a new tab)
• Promedics (opens in a new tab)
• Nottingham Rehab Supplies (opens in a new tab)
• KeepAble (opens in a new tab)
• Essential aids (opens in a new tab)

Useful websites and video links

• How to Live One-Handed After an Injury (opens in a new tab)
• A handy guide to managing everyday living activities with one hand (opens in a new tab) (PDF)
• A patient’s guide for completing activities of daily living with one hand (opens in a new tab) (PDF)

Contacts/ Further information

The Occupational Therapy Hand Therapy Department is located in Clinic 30 in the Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC) 01223 216769.

References/ Sources of evidence

• Goldstein, D (1999) ‘One-Handed in a Two-Handed World’, Physical Therapy. Washington: Oxford University Press, p108
• Tommye-K Mayer (2000) Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation: One-Handed in a Two-Handed World (Taylor and Francis Online) (opens in a new tab) 7:2, 50-56, DOI

Privacy and dignity

Same-sex bays and bathrooms are offered in all wards except critical care and theatre recovery areas where the use of high-tech equipment and/or specialist one-to-one care is required.