PROVALE Cup Improves Independence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 3, 2003

 

A Drink for Freedom

 

Birmingham, Ala. --- With a head filled with questions and ideas and jokes, Leslie* would love to share a meal and a cup of coffee and a few laughs with you. Unfortunately, while Leslie’s mind runs in high gear, her body does not, and meals, especially drinking, are difficult. Cerebral Palsy prevents her from enjoying the independence her mind craves. With the new PROVALE™ Cup, she is enjoying taking back some freedom.

 

“Dining is a very emotional thing not only for individuals, but also for the staff. All people who assist handicapped people in daily living skills, especially with dining, want them to be able to dine and eat as we do because there is so much pleasure associated with  it. Every independence adds more pleasure, like the PROVALE Cup. She is very grateful to be able to drink on her own,” says Kaye Schrader, coordinator of speech services for the Lexington Center Fulton County ARC Association of Retarded Citizens in Gloversville, New York. It is the fourth largest program for people with disabilities in New York State.

 

“The PROVALE Cup allows some disabled people to drink without assistance, helping them to maintain a sense of dignity and self-esteem,” adds Kevin Middleton, general manager, Reliant Medical Products, Inc., maker of the cup.

 

In the past, an assistant had to stand beside Leslie, and others, and dole out small doses of liquid, mostly a couple of ounces at a time. Each swallow would necessitate a refill by an assistant.

 

“Seeing someone drinking portioned cc cups takes something away from the pleasure of dining time,” says Schrader.

 

Now, with the  PROVALE™ Cup, the drinking cup can be filled at the beginning of the meal and the diner can drink at will, on their own. The cup delivers a measured amount of liquid (5 cc) to the drinker to prevent choking. It is designed for the thousands of people who suffer from dysphagia, a dangerous swallowing disorder that can be caused by strokes, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease and other conditions. It is estimated that 40,000 people die annually from complications resulting from dysphagia.

                                               

“Even when we have to modify a diet or dining technique for safety, still it is seen as a negative thing. It is important for advocates of handicapped people to be able to see them dining independently,” explains Schrader.

  

According to Schrader, the staff appreciates the steps that are saved. In the past, a pitcher was filled with liquid, then poured into a measuring cc cup, then into another cup. Or, the cup had to be crudely etched with a measuring level. The staff has reduced cleanup from two or three containers to a single cup.

 

“The staff really likes one less thing to wash, much less two,” Schrader adds.

 

This center, which serves 385 adults, has identified several clients who can benefit from the PROVALE™ Cup. Some of these can be put on programs that teach them how to be more independent in their dining skills.

 

“Some of these people could never have been independent before with their drinking without PROVALE. Now they can be on their own or minimally assisted,” says Schrader.

 

Schrader keeps PROVALE™ Cups on hand during the day and sends a night cup home with her non-residential clients who use the new cup. “We keep it in stock, we like it so much,” she adds.

 

“The whole point of what we do is to make people’s independence possible. Anything we can do is a huge step in the right direction.”

 

Reliant Medical Products is a specialty medical products company founded in 1999, in Birmingham, Ala. Reliant has licensed world wide rights to the PROVALE™ Cup.  For more information, visit our website at www.ReliantMedicalProducts.com.

 

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*Leslie’s actual name is protected.