General Chat

My MIL spent her last few months in a care home before passing in Hospital. We always certain when visiting her that she had water and fruit juices. Trouble was she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis rendering most of her joints immobile. There wasn't always staff around to give her a drink.
Years later my wife's fingers are arthritic and I suspect mine are headed that way.
To come to the point, we buy bottled water and fruit juices for ourselves and had have difficulty opening the bottles. Wife can't and I struggle
In 2019 there must be pensioners who could die of thirst because they can't open the bottle. (Exaggeration)

Have you tried holding the cap of the bottles in the hinge of a door and pulling the door so the cap is fast holding the cap.

Then twist the bottle and the cap should come free.

Always done this as I am riddled with different arthritises.

That is something that may never have been thought of by those designing the bottles as the elderly are probably not the target market.

It might not be a bad idea to make elderly and arthritis charities aware of the problem.

There are gadgets on the market that help with opening bottles and for releasing vacuum to open jars etc

I have arthritis too in hands as well as other joints and have one of the gadgets that help

Pity we can’t post pictures etc

Zyliss is a 5 way bottle and coke type can opener can e bought at Lakeland online orders also,,,,,,,,,brilliant gadget,

good price

maybe can be bought elsewhere,,,,,

I have the flip to bottles & can't open them due to various arthritis.

I agree, some bottles are really difficult even for non-arthritic hands.

Do you need bottled water? Most sink taps would be easier to use for a drink.

My mother had a simple device which she found useful for opening jars and bottles.

Similar to this....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-Rubber-Jar-Bottle-Opener/dp/B0001IWUK4

I can still manage most screw top bottles but glass jar lids can be easily loosened by holding them under a hot tap for a couple of minutes. The metal lid expands quicker than the glass and can then be turned easily.

My problem is so-called child-proof medicine bottles, particularly some with a double turn on the lid. I discovered recently, when getting very frustrated, that if I hold it firmly on the work-top, pushing down on the lid, I can then turn the bottle round and the lid comes off. :-)

I have a circular rubber thing like that,think it came from Lakeland originally,it is great!

Now for the "Pull Tabs" on cans,cannot manage those these days either :-)

I have trouble with those too. I usually turn the can upside down and use a tin opener. Some of them actually suggest that on the side of the can. :-)

Thank you all. If bottled water has been in the fridge as happens the bottle's exterior becomes damp / moist making it harder to keep a grip.Good idea Sue, I might try that.
I bought one of those 5 way levers Kay from eBay, it "walked".

I was going to e-mail the purveyors to make them aware of the problem.

ElizabethK and Andysmum.

Do you have a knife sharpening steel? (ie round metal rod thingy)
This generally works for me:-
Lift the pull tab (sometimes I have to use a spoon for that) slide the rod into the tab and use it as a lever against the can.
Of course if doing that sometimes rips off the tab, then you are back to using a can opener.

Another device tha maybe useful
https://musthaveideas.co.uk/pages/flash-sale-open-sesame?fbclid=IwAR35Bqo6ty82aUQo9bUo4SQMK7QgP5Oxs2aFHZUlRBOKwWntPGqrcB0dr6E
Personally I wouldn't bother with bottles of water. Invest in a filter jug. :-D

I'm like so many of you, arthritic and with a very weak grasp. I have several gadgets for opening bottles and jars, use the hot water trick, or bang the edge of a metal lid gently on the counter, slowly turning the jar as I do. Or I ask OH if he is nearby.


BUT ...................... why buy bottled water? Is your local water so bad?

If your water isn't too good, you can try buying a filter jug OR simply boiling water, then letting jugfuls cool in the fridge.

Can you buy water in very large bottles? We can, and they can be delivered to your home. It can be like those water dispensers that you see in offices, or simply a 5 or 10 gallon bottle that has a tap near the bottom of the bottle. That stands on a kitchen counter, tap extending over the edge of the counter, and you simply lift the tap to release water into a glass.

Bottles are plastic, bad for the environment, and will soon be banned, hopefully.

Also EXPENSIVE!!!!!!



For juice at home, we buy cans of frozen juice, dilute and keep it in a large jug or glass bottle in the fridge. I drink a small glass of juice twice a day, and one can lasts me for about 5-6 days. OH has another kind of juice, so a separate container, and he only has a glass at breakfast. It is much cheaper, and much nicer, than bottled juice.


Having said this, I do occasionally buy bottled water as there is one place we go where the water does upset my stomach. If I cannot get filtered water from people we visit, I have boiled water using the coffee maker in the hotel room. If not those, then I just drink hot water or juice when eating out.

Only if I cannot get any of those ways do I buy bottled water.

Use a nut cracker on bottles.

On the type my wife buys the screw top is attached to the part that remains on the neck of the bottle, doesn't help.on the neck of the bottle, doesn't help.

This bottled water has been, around for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, yet
on the label it says best before etcetera

I looked for the e-mail address of Highland Spring. It just gave their online site address
which had no contact us feature.

That's a good idea Bob

That's a very good one Von

I can usually manage ring pull cans....

but those silly tabs on plasticy prepacks like corned beef/ ham etc......ggggrrr!!

I've successfully used pliers to open a stubborn water bottle. It should t be necessary.

Found via Google

https://highlandspring.com/contact