Bit of a strange question but it is Parkinson’s related.... I’m in the fortunate position of being able to replace my kitchen. The one we have was in the house when we moved in and is badly designed to say the least! I’ve only been diagnosed for two years so I’m looking for hints, tips, advice on what to include or leave out of my kitchen so I can continue to use it as my Parkinson’s progresses. Anything you have in yours that works well for you or anything you wish you had to make your life easier?
What would you wish for?: Bit of a strange... - Cure Parkinson's
What would you wish for?
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Parkinson's related - my back starts to yell at me if I spend too much time standing around the kitchen, especially if I lean over a countertop. It would be convenient to have a place to sit down with back support nearby.
I knew someone who installed two dishwashers – that way they could pick clean dishes out of one and then deposit them in the other after use. Saved the labor of having to unload the clean dishwasher back into the cupboards. I can unload my dishwasher well enough but that could be an issue for a person with enough impairment.
Some general thoughts on a kitchen redo:
• No such thing as too much storage space
• Ceramic tile floor has a downside – any glass object dropped on it is sure to break
• Granite countertops emit radon gas – not sure how serious a problem this is
• Be sure any gaps around plumbing entries are filled to prevent critter entry, likewise any gaps allowing access to space underneath floor mounted cabinets
Ha ha ha on the 2 dishwashers.
Yes, I regarded it as wretched excess at the time.
We have a small house with an upstairs. Any more I hardly ever go upstairs except to water my plants. I wish for more storage and a bigger pantry. One thing I really like is my big porcelain single bowl sink and my 40" smooth top stove. Good quality vent hood was a great idea. We made our above counter cabinets 16" deep, not 12".
I like the way my stainless steel sink cleans up easily 
Would be good to have counter top at the right exact height to match us. I’m relatively tall (For a woman) and find standing at the counter for too long v painful. Must be worse for taller people.
Astra7, I have the opposite problem lol. I'm just under 5 feet 2 inches, and my standard-height countertops make it difficult for me to do things like kneading bread. I end up doing a lot of work on the table that's just a few feet away from the kitchen because the height is better.
In response to your last request, you will probably find this to be a really big help
Contrary to what the medical profession say, there is a lot we can do to Reverse Parkinson's Disease movement symptoms, as I have.
If you are prepared to do a little bit of fast walking and make other simple changes in your lifestyle, you can possibly do the same!
My Pd started way back in 1963. I was only diagnosed with Pd in 1992 and I reversed many of my movement symptoms by 2002 and have been Pd-medication free since 2002. At 86 I still live a normal life.
Think carefully before you start the medication route to deal with your symptoms. Medication does NOTHING to slow down the progression of your Pd and it has serious side effects!
If you take the Fast Walking route, beginning with only 10 minutes and slowly working your way up to one hour, three times a week. It does not cost a cent and it starts to improve your health and fitness immediately
If you want to Google My name, John Pepper, I will send you a whole lot of information to help you do what I have done and probably Reverse your Pd symptoms the way I have. It does not cost anything because I have made it my life’s task to help others succeed to deal with their Pd movement symptoms.
What have you got to lose?
in reply to JohnPepper
Spamming every thread today, john? I think you missed a couple.
JohnPepper in reply to
You can call it spam. To others, it is a lifebouy!
I think John here is recommending you get an island to walk quickly around. Or perhaps you could incorporate a treadmill between the dishwasher and the sink?
Tounge -n-cheek! I just use the pavement outside our house!
I think one very useful modification to your new cabinets is to order the base cabinets and pantry cabinets with as many pull out shelves as possible so you will not have to spend as much time bending over trying to search for things on your shelves. Also make sure that the shelves are at least 100% extension, meaning that when you pull the shelves out, you can see everything on each shelf clearly and easily. The glides should be the heavy duty type that can support 110 pounds or more per pair.
Another feature to include is "soft close" cabinet doors and drawers. These are not a gimmick. When you reach into a wall or base cabinet to pull out more than one thing, you can use your elbow or foot to close the cabinet door without it "banging closed". Same for drawers as you can push them closed with a hip or the back of your hand with no banging, just a nice soft slow close as the mechanism slowly pulls the drawer closed.
As a general convenience, having plenty of lighting is useful, especially as we get older and our eyes are not as good as they once were. Having more lighting than needed is best and in conjunction with a quality dimmer it gives you all the lighting you need when you need it and the dimmer just increases your lighting flexibility. Under cabinet lighting is also useful for lighting the work surface , but it also helps to highlight the beauty of quartz and granite countertops as well as highlight a custom backsplash of glass, metal or any interesting material that you select. for your splash. Quartz is generally less maintenance than granite as granite needs to be sealed regularly to help prevent staining and it may occasionally need to be professionally polished to maintain the new look over time.
An adjustable pot filler over the range or cooktop is also a useful device as it can make for less steps in your kitchen if you do much cooking.
No real wood floors in a kitchen is a good idea as even a small leak that is not noticed right away can ruin the floor quickly and yes your homeowners insurance may cover the replacement of the wood floor, but the downtime, inconvenience and mess is a pain. If you really like the look of wood, consider "wood look tile" made of porcelain. It wears like iron, is fairly easy to clean and can withstand water leaks within reason. Wood or tile can be damaged by things that fall on them, but it is much easier to cut out one or two tiles and replace them, but wood planks have to be "stair stepped" out in order to replace just one or two, a much more labor intensive job than than replacing one or two tile. Yes, they can cut out just one wood plank and replace it, but this is not the proper way to do it because it requires that the "tongue and groove" which interlock with the surrounding wood planks be cut off in order to let the new piece drop into place and this increases the chance that that plank can come loose or popup. Just be sure to order an extra box or two of the tile you choose.
Regarding park_bear's suggestion of two dishwashers, if you are of limited space in your kitchen, several manufacturers make "double dishwashers" that are stacked which are useful the way he describes, but fit in the footprint of one dishwasher. This double setup is doable for not more than three people in the house as each washer is smaller than standard single units.
There are also "touchless faucets which can be handy, but these touchless units have reliability issues. I see these in nicer restaurant restrooms and they are frequently not working. A deck mount air switch to control the garbage disposal are safer and slightly easier to use than a standard wall switch because your hands are often wet when you turn that switch on, so there is a minimal chance for electric shock with a standard wall switch, but not with a deck mount air switch.
Extra electrical outlets (GFI) which are easy to access can also be useful and can be "blended" into your backsplash so they do not stick out like a sore thumb.
There may be more to consider, but these are what comes to me off the top of my head. I would have to think about it a bit more in order to see if I can think of other options worth considering.
Lastly, in this age of Covid-19, you will have to consider that you are going to have plenty of strangers going in and out of your house and that should be a consideration and possible concern. There will likely be a plumber, cabinet installers, tile guys, countertop installers, delivery people, electrician, drywaller, painter and cleanup crew and possibly more.
Art
Wow, Art, I didn’t realize how fortunate I am, having a super handy partner with every imaginable tool. He installed soft closing drawers and cabinet doors, lighting under counters and in the pantry closet, heavy duty sliding shelves, led lights in the cabinets and glass doors and wood look plank flooring over the old tile that was cold and unforgiving to dropped breakables. We got the electrician to install more GFI outlets and additional ceiling lights. No budget for a complete kitchen remodel but removing layers of wallpaper, new paint, decent Formica countertops and range hood is plenty good enough. Another handy addition is a refrigerator with a bottom freezer drawer. With all that, standing for long periods prepping food is tiring. I’ve learned to set up what I can when I have energy to minimize strain when it’s depleted.
Hi Lionore. Wow! You are indeed blessed to have such a handy partner! I sit when possible, while doing food prep.
Yes, Lionore, you are very lucky indeed to have a super handy partner who will do all these extra useful options for your kitchen and you! Everyone should be so fortunate! Another plus is that you are essentially getting custom made cabinetry that means that not only do you have the convenience of pull out shelves, but your partner probably also custom set the height of the shelves to fit your exact needs. When you order cabinets and ask for pullouts, these will be placed as the manufacturer wants them, not as you want them unless they are custom built and designed which would at least double the price of the cabinets.
Art
Tall countertop so you are not stooped over it, but with a lower section suitable for if you ever need to be in a wheelchair, or want to sell your house to someone who needs a wheelchair.
We have an friend who Is in a wheelchair and they have a pantry type large cupboard and the bench in it is set to his level with the rest Of the bench tops In the kitchen set at the height for his tall wife. He uses the bench in the cupboard but if it was not required as a bench it would be an equally good shelf in the pantry.
We built our house just post my diagnosis so considered everything very carefully. I am short so we have almost no upper cabinets, partly for view reasons (lots of windows) and all but one of the lower sections are drawers, which we think are more efficient than cabinets with pull outs. We measured the distance between the counters to accommodate my comfort. I love my kitchen. Putting a lot of thought into it made a difference. For flooring I recommend something that is not too hard, cork if you can afford it or something else that is forgiving.
I’m with you, Juliegrace! The kitchen is the heart of the home and we haven’t eaten in a restaurant and hardly even got pizza since March. Trying to enjoy the zen of cooking.
This may be the pot filler Art referred to but I'd have one of those mini taps next to the sink which produces pretty much boiling water on demand. I can see the day I won't feel so safe with a kettle. My friend has one and it takes half the work out of tea/coffee making!
Those type of devices are called insta-hot dispensers and are essentially an in cabinet adjustable water heating device that can adjust the water temperature up to 210 degrees F. for coffee or tea. These are not a good idea if there will ever be children visiting as they can potentially severely burn you. Someone who is not familiar with the device may think it is a cool filtered water output which look essentially the same and could potentially burn themselves. If it is just you and a partner who will know exactly what it is, not a problem and very convenient for making tea.
homedepot.com/p/InSinkErato...
This is what I was describing as a pot filler :
i.ytimg.com/vi/YrBn_SsBZZg/...
It eliminates the need of having to carry a large pot of water from the sink to the cooktop as this device allows you to add water to a pot right on the range or cooktop.
Art
Make sure you get a nonslip floor, some flooring is more slippery when it’s wet or when it gets grease or oils on it from cooking. No loose carpets on the floors but instead get the non-slippery mats that go in front of the oven and sink. Those are great!
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