MtP Part No.'s 6040 and 6050
| The Drink-Partner Hands-Free Drinking Systems |
$109.95
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The Drink-Partner Drinking System is an assistive drinking aid that provides hands free drinking for individuals with disabilities. It comes with a bottle (with a drink tube) and a Cup Holder. There are two different Cup Holder mounting systems from which to select: 1) for manual wheelchairs and/or hospital beds with round metal tubes or rods to which to attach (pictured above left); and 2) a mounting system for powered wheelchairs with a slide-track mounting systems (pictured above right).
The Cup Holder for manual wheelchairs (beds, etc.) has a universal clamp that can be attached to tubes (or rods) with a diameter from 7/8 inch to 1-1/2 inches. The Cup Holder for slide-track is for powered wheelchairs that have slide-track mounting systems, like some Permobil wheelchairs that have "UniTrack" rails, and some Invacare wheelchairs that have standard slide-track rails, (and, many others varieties of powered wheelchairs all of which have standard slide-track).
The Drink-Partner consists of a 25-ounce water bottle, and a cup holder. The Drink-Partner Bottle can be purchased separately if additional bottles are desired. The bottle has integrated into its lid, a vibration resistant 24-inch long flex tube that holds the (36-inch long) drink tube that carries the liquid. The Drink-Partner bottle is clear (i.e., transparent) to enable the person using it to see what is in the bottle and how full it is. Additionally, because it is clear, it is easy for the person who cleans it to see that it is truly clean. The lower part of the bottle is covered by an insulated sleeve. The lid on the top of the bottle is a screw cap with a metal cover on its outside. This is important as the metal significantly reduces the possibility of the lid breaking, which is an ongoing problem for bottles that have plastic lids without reinforcement. (Many of the other currently available drinking system bottles have plastic lids with no reinforcement, making them more vulnerable to breakage when they have flex tubing attached.)
The Drink-Partner is most commonly clamped to the handle of the wheelchair (as shown below, left) or to one of the many slide-track locations by sliding the T-Nut into a slide-track slot (see the picture below, right) A tool is provided with the Cup Holder for slide-track to tighten the Cup Holder in the desired fixed position.
The flex tube allows the tip of the drinking tube to be positioned very close to the user’s mouth and will hold it there until it is repositioned. The Drink-Partner is sold with a drink tube already installed in the bottle and an extra drink tube is provided. Additional drink tubes (MtP Part No. 6080) can be purchased separately in case the drink tube is damaged or becomes contaminated.
Because the drinking tube is firm, the user must be able to close their lips in a pucker around the tube to create a vacuum for sucking. Additionally, they must have the strength and suction to suck liquids around 30 inches. The Drink-Partner Drinking System is an excellent drinking system for individuals that can meet these functional requirements.
For those few individuals who are unable to pucker their lips adequately to create a vacuum and thus be able to suck through a hard-sided drink tube, the tube can be replaced with oxygen tubing. Oxygen tubing can be compressed by the lips or even bitten, so that its shape is no longer round but more contoured to the shape the individual's lips when they are not puckered, but closed around the tube. This allows most people who have poor lip control to close their lips enough to create a vacuum and be able to suck through a straw.
Oxygen tubing is available from Mealtime Partners (MtP Part No. 6082). If oxygen tubing is being used, it should be noted that special attention should be paid to getting the end of the tube all the way to the bottom of the bottle. This can be difficult if there is ice in the bottle, because the tube is soft.
The Drink-Partner Drinking System is suitable for individuals who can move their head freely to one side and who have good lip control and strong suction.
Significant Features of the Drink-Partner are:
- The Drink-Partner Drinking System enables independent drinking for individuals with disabilities .
- The bottle cap has a metal top as an integral part of it, that reduces the risk of the cap breaking.
- The drink tube is removable for cleaning or replacing.
- The drink tube is easily replaced. The Drink-Partner comes with an extra drink tube so the original drink tube can be replaced if it becomes contaminated or damaged. (Additional drink tubes are also available and relatively inexpensive.)
- The upper section of the bottle is clear which allows the user to see the contents, and also the caregiver can see if the bottle needs filling or cleaning.
- Cup Holders are available for both manual wheelchairs (or hospital beds and other equipment with tubular frames) and wheelchairs with slide-track. (The type of slide-track, UniTrack or other, will be specified when ordering.)
DRINK-PARTNER PRICES:
| PART NO. | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | S & H | PURCHASE |
| 6040 | Drink-Partner Drinking System for Manual Wheelchairs | $109.95 | $17.50 |
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| 6050 | Drink-Partner Drinking System for Wheelchairs with Slide-Track | $109.95 | $17.50 |
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This page last updated 11-18-2021