Customized dressing hook

Assistive device with many applications for wheelchair users

Dressing hook consisting of a metal hook on a long wooden rod.
Dressing hook

Wood rod fitted with a hook; used for many purposes. The user has one dressing hook in the apartment and keeps another in the car. He uses it for purposes such as picking things up that he dropped on the floor, turning on lights, pushing cabinet doors open in the kitchen and taking down objects from upper cabinets. In the car he uses it to turn on the light and open the glove compartment. If he drops something on the floor that he cannot pick up he uses the dressing hook to maneuver the object into a plastic bag and then lifts the bag up to the wheelchair. The user has modified the dressing hook by drilling a hole in the end and inserting a string. The string makes it easier to hold and manipulate the dressing hook. The user places the string around his wrist, which provides better support and a better grip on the hook.

Purchased from
In Sweden: Suppliers such as keepon.se eller reumashop.se (last checked May 2020)

Paid for by
County council

Metal hook on dressing hook (close-up)
Metal hook on dressing hook

String attached through a hole on the dressing hook (close-up)
String attached through a hole on the dressing hook

Dressing hook in the car
Dressing hook in the car

Tipsare: Bruno

Bruno lives in an apartment and is working part time. He was injured in 1974 and has a tetraplegia (C5-6). Through hand surgery in 1977 his grip function improved. He has personal assistance 7 hours a day and some help at night provided by the local government.