We were recently featured in The OT Magazine UK.

The one handed bra could be the item that could change your patient’s life

Losing the ability to use one arm or hand can feel very debilitating and frustrating for many. This could be through a stroke, arthritis, amputation or wrist damage. You may be working with a patient recovering from surgery waiting for full function to return or they may have been born with a limb difference.

Anyone who has lost the function of one limb will find it difficult to adapt, however, as OTs you know you can recommend dressing aids, offer advice on how to tackle activities of daily living, get creative with kitchen skills and offer advice for bathing and hair washing. Often patients will have a carer or partner who can help to get them dressed, however, this does remove their independence significantly and for a woman the trickiest task of dressing can often be putting on a bra.

Putting on a bra is quite an intimate process and not always something that a patient would want even their partner to help with. The ability to independently put on a bra easily is naturally very practical, but it can also have an effect on the patient’s emotional wellbeing.

The One Handed Bra company (powered by BraEasy) is an Australian-based company that was created by Rachel Whittaker, a mother frustrated with her search for a bra that her teenage daughter could independently put on. Jamie-Lee was nine-years-old when she was diagnosed with a very rare and life-threatening tumour. During surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible Jamie-Lee suffered a stroke which resulted in deficits on her left side.