Persons may experience difficulty opening doors due to reduced grip, muscle strength, use of one or both hands and pain. There are aids designed to help people grip and turn a door knob. Door knob grips or turning handles allow a person to open the door with relative ease by providing larger grips or increasing the leverage to open the door.
Workplace solutions and adjustments
A range of door knob grips or turning handles are available from specialist suppliers to assist people with restricted arm or hand movement, or limited strength to open doors, including:
- turning handles with retractable spikes that conform to the handle being turned
- grips or turners which look like a large hook, and are placed over the door knob
- fixed door knob covers with a lever attachment
- squares of non slip matting which can be placed over the door knob to provide extra traction and reduce the force required to open.
For people experiencing difficulties opening doors independently within the workplace, door knob grips may be of benefit.
Other products which may assist people who have impaired upper limb function can be found at the links below:
References
Independent Living Centres Australia Inc. 2008, Household Aids: Tap & Handle Turners, Independent Living Centres Australia Inc, Sydney, viewed 8 March 2011, http://www.ilcaustralia.org.au/home/search4.asp?State=NSW&MC=32&MinC=12&Item=1326&page=1.