Category Archives: Uncategorized

Top Chefs Use Dycem On Route To Prestigious Care Chef Of The Year 2018 Final.

Dycem Non-Slip was recently on hand as the search for the Care Chef of the Year 2018 continued at the UK south west regional cook-off.  The National Association of Care Catering’s (NACC) prestigious culinary competition seeks out the nation’s best chef working in the care sector and it also celebrates the excellent talent, skills and professionalism of chefs in the sector.

Super grippy Dycem Non-Slip mats helped the regions top chefs with various tasks such as chopping and mixing as they competed to create a delectable, nutritionally-balanced, two-course menu (main and dessert) suitable for diners in a care setting.

The competitions judging panel were looking for new exciting recipes whilst adhering to a strict budget (£2.25 per head) and meeting the nutritional needs of their clientele.

The standard at the cook-off was extremely highly and closely fought but unfortunately only two chefs could be chosen to secure a place in the national final.  The talented lucky two were Simon Lewis and Nicola Burroughs who go on to compete for the coveted  NACC Care Chef of the Year 2018 title. Congratulations and good luck in the final to you both!

 

Come meet Dycem at REHACARE 2017!

Dycem Non-Slip is exhibiting at the 40th REHACARE INTERNATIONAL in Düsseldorf, Germany from 4th to 7th October 2017.  The team will be accompanied by our resident expert, occupational therapist Jen Cave-Ayland. Jen is full of knowledge on how our products can enable self-determined living for those with disabilities, care needs, chronic diseases and the elderly.

You will be able to see us in Hall 5 / H27.I when REHACARE 2017 opens its doors from Wednesday to Friday from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Visit Dycem at AOTA 17

The Dycem Non-Slip team will be celebrating 100 years of occupational therapy at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA’s) Annual Conference & Centennial Celebration. We are joining 13,000 occupational therapists in Philadelphia, a city with a fiitingly vibrant history, to officially celebrate a century of occupational therapy at the AOTA conference March 30–April 2. We can’t wait to discuss the latest research and interventions on innovative ways to help people live life to its fullest!

About the Conference & Expo

This time has come to celebrate occupational therapys rich history and growth over the last 100 years!

From arts and crafts to high-tech apps and evidence-based practice, the profession continues to move forward to enable individuals to achieve their full potential. We are pleased that Dycem Non-Slip has proven a useful tool in helping occupational therapists and clients achieve their goals.

To mark this momentous occasion, we are celebrating in style at the 2017 Annual Conference & Centennial Celebration. This is one AOTA Conference you will not want to miss! This once-in-a-lifetime event shakes up the traditional Annual Conference format with Centennial-influenced activities and celebrations interspersed throughout this preeminent gathering of occupational therapy professionals.

Find Dycem Non-Slip at the Expo

You will be able to find us at booth 907 where will be showcasing how Dycem Non-Slip products have been essential for occupational therapy professionals over the past 50 years and we will have goodies to giveaway. See you there!

 

Don’t worry if you can’t make the event – you can find out more about our products at dycem-ns.com and you can chat with us here or on twitter @DycemNS!

Keep Calm OT coaster
‘Keep Calm I’m an Occupational Therapist’ Coasters

Visit us at The OT Show 2016!

The Occupational Therapy Show takes place this week and Dycem Non-Slip will once again be exhibiting! You won’t want to miss out, join us at the UK’s largest dedicated event just for Occupational Therapists (OTs), taking place on the 23rd and 24th November 2016.

There is no show quite like The Occupational Therapy Show and it is the perfect setting to showcase our innovative Dycem Non-Slip products to occupational therapists.

Dycem Non-Slip has always had a strong relationship with occupational therapists, sharing the common goal of improving patient care and safety for caregivers.

The Dycem non-slip product range helps with grip, stability and independent living.  The range includes non-slip placemats, coasters, high grip jar and bottle openers and anti-slip reel material which can be cut to size and shape.

Keep Calm OT coaster
‘Keep Calm I’m an Occupational Therapist’ Coasters

Visitors to the show at the NEC Birmingham will be able to find us at stand F1 and can collect a goody bag complete with a Dycem Keep Calm OT mat!

Find out more about the show at theotshow.com/welcome

Come meet Dycem at REHACARE 2016!

Dycem Non-Slip will be exhibiting at REHACARE, the trade fair dedicated to inclusion and self-determined living,  in Düsseldorf, Germany from 28 September to 1 October. The Dycem Non-Slip team will be  presenting its innovative products that help people with disabilities, care needs and in old age.

We invite you to join us at stand A74/X in hall 3 for hands-on product demonstrations and to see how Dycem Non-Slip products can make life easier.

Opening hours
Wednesday – Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 06:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m.

Find us at Hall 3 / A74.X
Find us at Hall 3 / A74.X

 

Don’t worry if you can’t make the event – you can find out more about our products at dycem-ns.com and you can chat with us at Facebook or on twitter @DycemNS !

Congratulations recent occupational therapy & physical therapy graduates!

Congratulations to all the recent occupational therapy and physical therapy graduates!

Soon many of you will be beginning your exciting and rewarding career paths, helping to make a real difference to other people’s lives.

During your studies and practical experience, you will have seen that having the right tools is essential in helping your clients in achieving their goals.

Easily cut Dycem Reel material to size!
Dycem® Reel material can be cut to size to provide grip where needed.

As part of your experience you may also have come across Dycem Non-Slip, the professional’s choice. Dycem is used in a variety of ways by both occupational and physical therapists.  Here are just a few ways that professionals have told us they use Dycem Non-Slip mats and reel material to help treat their clients:

  • Using on the floor to provide grip and to prevent feet giving way
  • Helping with sit-to-stand activities
  • Using on wheelchair footrests and seats to prevent clients slipping down
  • Placing under a wobble board and under foam for balance activities so that clients don’t slide and fall
  • Using Dycem as a marker on the floor for patients to walk in tandem gait
  • Placing under a patient transfer sliding board
  • Using on parallel bars to provide extra grip, stability and visual markers
  • Using Dycem to keep hold of patients when mobilising, providing excellent grip for hard to hold onto areas.
  • Using Dycem reel material on grab bars for transfers
  • Using on beds and under pillows to prevent slipping and help with positioning
  • Using Dycem for upper extremity weight baring exercise to help hands to stay in place
  • Lining finger splints
  • Placing on various physical therapy exercise balls for extra grip
Dycem therapy uses
Dycem therapy uses – click to enlarge

Congratulations again on your graduation.  You’ve worked hard over the last few years and we wish you luck on your journey as you transition to practice!

View the Dycem Non-Slip range at dycem-ns.com and discover the many Dycem uses here.

If you’ve yet to experience the superior grip properties of Dycem you can request a sample (subject to availability) here.

Useful links for graduates

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) offers step-by-step tips (also relevant to physical therapists ) on landing your first job here.

For more information for PTs, you can also visit the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) here.

 

Come meet Dycem at AOTA 2016!

Dycem Non-Slip will be exhibiting at The American Occupational Therapy Association’s 96th Annual Conference & Expo, United States of America, Chicago, 7 – 10 April 2016.

A city rich in history, Chicago provides the perfect setting for AOTA 2016 as occupational therapy nears its 100th year in existence in the United States and Dycem celebrates its 50th anniversary.

We’re looking forward to meeting the thousands of attending occupational therapists and hearing how Dycem Non-Slip products assist the profession in improving the lives of millions of people.

Find us at booth 4711
Find us at booth 4711

You will be able to find us at booth 4711 where will be showcasing how Dycem Non-Slip products are essential for occupational therapy professionals and we will have goodies to giveaway. See you there!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the event – you can find out more about our products at dycem-ns.com and you can chat with us here or on twitter @DycemNS!

Keep Calm OT coaster
‘Keep Calm I’m an Occupational Therapist’ Coasters

 

 

Enhancing the Mealtime Experience with Dycem Non-Slip

Mealtimes are very much tied to a person’s most cherished memories, whether it’s a holiday feast with your extended family, or a lunch with friends. When it comes to eating and dining, most people take a great amount of pleasure from coming together with others and enjoying some delicious food.

Within the healthcare or social care environment, mealtimes serve as an integral part of the caring process, forming a crucial part of the day that, for those who struggle to eat independently can sometimes be fraught with stress and anxiety and, in the end, turn out not very pleasurable at all.

Enhancing the meal time experience has, according to a talk at a recent Patient First conference, become a priority for the health and social care industry, recognising these important times of the day to be not just essential to physical health, but also very important to a person’s mental wellbeing- ensuring that the patient is able to take part in daily activities which many of us would take for granted.

Dining with Dycem Non-Slip
Use a Dycem Non-Slip mat to keep plates from moving & Dycem tape on cutlery for better grip.

For someone with decreased mobility in their hands, eating without the need for assistance can become very frustrating if the cutlery and crockery is not suitably designed for the job. There are many different designs and products on the market which are specifically tailored to help many different abilities comfortably eat a meal and drink independently, whether its cup holders that prevent your drink from spilling or non-slip mats that firmly root your dining plate to the table.

Gaining the confidence to eat a meal with dignity can allow people to enjoy the meal time experience once more, whether it’s for the chance to bond with others, enjoy the sensory pleasures of eating, or to feel like you are taking positive steps towards improving your health.

If you would like to find out more about how Dycem Non-Slip can be a great aid at mealtimes, get in touch with the team nonslip@dycem.com

Nurses at Weston General Hospital Trial Dycem Non-Slip

Dycem Non-Slip is an established brand amongst Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, as its non-slip properties can secure objects in place and improve hand grip. The Non-Slip team have also discovered new applications in the hospital ward helping nursing staff carry out their day to day duties, such as feeding and moving patients and improving the quality of the patient experience.

Weston General Hospital, part of Weston Area Health NHS Trust in North Somerset (www.waht.nhs.net), recently trialed our range of our Non-Slip products within two of the wards. Sister Jayne Biddiscombe and Sister Joy Milsom volunteered for the trial and identified a number of different uses for Dycem in the hospital ward.

The Dycem rectangular mats, for example, allow patients to eat independently, if they, for instance only have the use of one hand or have weak grip strength.

Dycem Mats
Dycem mats allow patients to eat independently.

Dycem Mats can also work as a visual marker, helping patients with visual impairments or dementia find where their drink is placed, thanks to Dycem’s bright and vivid colour palette. The yellow range of products, in particular, were developed in association with the RNIB and are specifically designed to help those with visual impairments detect- to a varying degree- colour contrast between objects.

Sister Jayne and Sister Joy also found Dycem Non-Slip Reels useful in preventing pressure relieving cushions from moving around on the tops of chairs- which can happen frequently, as they are inflatable and light enough to fall out of place easily.

Dycem reel material keeps pillows from slipping.
Dycem reel material keeps pillows from slipping.

Another interesting use which was found by the nurses was preventing arms from slipping off of the arm rests of chairs. Dycem Non-Slip’s, non-toxic and latex-free properties make it safe to use against skin and its firm hold can reduce the likelihood of a patient’s arm from slipping and causing pain or injury in the shoulder.  This can prove especially useful for stroke patients who may have reduced feeling in one side of the body, for example.

Dycem Non-Slip reel material on arm rests prevents slipping & injury.
Dycem Non-Slip reel material on arm rests prevents slipping & injury.

Improving comfort and independence for patients is one thing, but minimising the risk of patients slipping and injuring themselves could also help to reduce their length of stay in hospital- which could potentially be a huge advantage for both patients and staff.

Business Unit Manager, Eva Paras, had this to say about the Weston General Hospital trial and others, which are currently taking place in hospitals around the South West;

Dycem has many great uses for Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists and now we’re finding out how it could be of use in hospital wards and other departments too. The feedback from staff at these trials has been positive and the list of applications for Dycem is growing and growing. Reducing recovery time, increasing patient comfort and providing patients with more independence are just a few worthwhile applications and we’re hoping medical professionals can also utilise our highly adaptable range of products in their departments as well.”

If you would like to find out more about Dycem Non-Slip for use in hospitals, or you think Dycem may be of use in your health facility, please get in touch with the team, email nonslip@dycem.com.

(Weston General Hospital photo credit:  Weston Area Health NHS Trust)

Thank you for Visiting Us at The OT Show 2015

We were overwhelmed with the amount of positive feedback we received from everyone who visited our stand at The OT Show 2015.

As we approach our 50th year as a company, we understand that Dycem Non-Slip products have become somewhat of a staple in the ‘Occupational Therapists’ Tool Kit’ and for this we would like to express our sincerest gratitude for your support over the last half a century – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Pink and Lime Dycem comp
Pink and Lime Dycem Non-Slip competition

During the OT Show, we ran a competition from our stand. Correctly guess the number of sweets in the jar pictured above to win a bundle of Dycem Non-Slip goodies, in pink and lime green!

We received well over 100 entries and we can now reveal that there were in fact 195 sweeties in the jar.

We would like to congratulate Naomi Harrison from Derby on winning this competition with her guess of 194. She was over-the-moon with her prize and had this to say about winning,

“Amazing. I was happy to get the goodie bags from you at the show, but I’m really pleased to have won. I love Dycem.”

Runners up: 

Our next two closes guesses came from Sonia Duthie in Bedfordshire and Helen McKenna from Surrey.
Helen had this to say about her win,

“What a lovely surprise. I’m looking forward to receiving my goodies.”

And Sonia was equally pleased with her prizes,

“I’m thrilled. I’ve never won anything like this before and it’s lovely, thank you very much,” she said.

Congratulations to our winners, thank you to all who entered and visited our stand at the OT Show.