Tuesday morning the Kiwanis Club of Bainbridge donated kitchen supplies and utensils along with a laser therapy light to the rehabilitation center in order to help patients regain basic usage before returning home.

Amy Logue, certified occupational therapist assistant, explained that the items are used for short-term patients, who intend to be home soon. She said she asks her patients if they remember how to make toast and coffee all day long, but until they are put in the situation of making it, they can’t assess how the patient is truly doing.

Most patients have trouble sequencing and remembering all the steps it takes when using an appliance and especially when it comes to making food or coffee.

“With this we can have them actually plug in the utensils and deal with heat and the toaster and adjust the setting, they have to know when something has been in there too long,” Logue said.

Logue explained that the griddle will also be useful because it deals with sensation and patients will realize it is hot and they shouldn’t touch it.

“Most of them have lost a little sensation, but when they are this close they should be able to feel some heat and realize,” she said.

The coffee pot is a great test for people who have suffered from tremors. She wants to see if they are able to pour themselves a cup without spilling it and burning themselves before she sends them home.

“The things most of us take for granted is what occupational therapy focuses on and makes sure these people are able to do,” Paula Adams, rehab director said. “We need to assess for their safety and let their families know they are safe to return home.”

The items also show the patients a sense of independence and allows for a visual representation of how far they’ve come.

The laser light will help improve blood flow and help the patients heal quicker in a relative process.

The light has also been connected to Parkinson’s Disease. A recent study showed a man with the disease who wore the lights on his head for an hour a day had a complete reversal of symptoms.

“There is definitely something to it, so it always is something we want to have in our toolbox and we are very thankful for that,” physical therapist Keller Galpin said.

This will be the first light at the office and Galpin is looking forward to using it. They hope to begin usage of the new products immediately and all are looking forward to improving the lives of their patients.