Parkinson’s tremors suck.
Other than making it difficult to eat, drink and wear with ease, they will also make it difficult for you to write. The disease deprives you off your dignity, dexterity, and anything else in between.
It will feel terrible if you are used to doing things on your own and then Parkinson disease robs you off all this ability, right?
Well, I have seen men who were paint artists having to leave their passion because they can no longer steady themselves to draw. Those who love writing with their pen have also had to get past this their pastime.
Well, things do not have to be so grim. There are a few things that you can do here and there to get you back to your passion.
At the aged centre where I work, we have bought these awesome weighted pens for tremors to give out to our Parkinson’s patients. The results are amazing.
Though their handwriting is not as good or impressive as it was before, they are still able to write legibly and with a certain level of dexterity and ease.
Well, that is good.
But not very many households are able to afford these expensive weighted pens.
So, is their case closed?
Does it mean that they will never be able to write again?
Nope.
They still can use diy weighted pens.
In this article therefore, I have taken it upon myself to research on how to make a weighted pen.
While the DIY weighted pen will not be as glamourous or nice looking like the thixotropic pen, it still serves the purpose of having you write steadily despite your hands shaking uncontrollably.
I will share the DIY method in the next few paragraphs.
Here are the items you will need:
- Your Pen or pencil
- Hex nuts
- Rubber band or rubber washer
And that is all.
How to make a weighted pen from home
- Since hex nuts are of different dimensions, you might have to carry your pen or pencil to the home improvement store to have the nuts measured so that they fit the pencil.
- Once you have your set of nuts, you can then wrap the elastic rubber band above and below the positioning of your nuts so that they hold to the pen without falling. If you do not a have rubber band, you could use the rubber washer instead.
- Fasten enough nuts that are not too heavy or light for your writing.
Why make your pen heavy?
Weighted pens and pencils help people with Parkinson’s Disease get back their dexterity. Therefore, even with tremors, the patient is still able to write or draw.
Other than the aged people, young children will also need to have weighted pens that will help them steady up while writing or drawing.
Special needs kids especially those with autism and are too anxious might also want to have some extra weight on their pencils.
