Home and garden gloves: What device can help improve my grip on objects?

It is very important to protect and support your hands, wrists and forearms when doing housework, especially if you suffer from a condition such as carpal tunnel syndrome. In order to improve your grips on objects, you may be interested in knowing about gloves that are specially designed to help people with poor grip. Below is a direct link to an example of such a product:

• Gripeeze Gloves (at ArthritisSupplies.com) sell either a right-handed or left-handed glove which is designed to strengthen grip and improve a person’s ability to use their hands. They also have a Velcro strap that helps to relieve tension and strain in the hand, wrist and forearm, making it easier for a person with poor grip to perform household tasks. This product, which comes in several sizes (S, M, L), costs about $30 to $40 (USD), plus a shipping fee.
   
• Peta Easi-Grip Add-On Handles (at ArthritisSupplies.com) can be fitted on a wide range of gardening, home and workshop tools to make them easier to grip onto. This product, which fits tools up to 1.5 inches in diameter, is available from a U.S. retailer and costs about $22 (USD), plus an additional shipping fee. 

Another less expensive solution might be a standard, latex-coated garden glove like the ones shown at Canadian Tire for about $8 (CDN). Keep in mind that if your challenge is numbness or weak grip strength, stiff gloves might actually make it more difficult to grip objects. We recommend testing out the gloves with a tool or object from home before purchasing them.

The U.K. organization, Thrive, provides an extensive list of strategies to adapt gardening activities for people with weak grip strength.