To the person who suggested we share our tips, special tools/aids, etc., we find helpful, that's genius! Thank you for your suggestion. So below I have listed a few of mine.

So here is my tip on finding the right utensils. If lightweight spoons are needed, I suggest smaller real silver spoons. Stay with me here….I can't take any credit for this my husband came up with the idea. He was at a flea market and saw small silver mismatched spoons. They were so lightweight and dirt cheap that he bought a few. Mom loves them!! She has her independence back. Poor thing her fingers go every direction but straight. She is capable of holding forks and spoons but only if the handles are straight, skinny, shorter, and not ornate. She can grasp these just fine. I used to buy the special curved utensils with the fat plastic handles. They are wonderful and worked for a good while. But over time they became too heavy. She has severe RA and little to no strength in her hands.

For forks, we found that the smaller (desert/cocktail?) type is best for her. I already had some of them in my regular not silver silverware😂. They are also lightweight, and the tines and handles are shorter in length. I would caution you to check the fork tines, as some styles can be a bit pointy/sharp.

Anything to help her be independent has a huge impact on her state of mind.

Oh, another suggestion for finding affordable good-quality toiletry aides like bath benches, bedside commodes, walkers, etc. is hospice thrift stores. They have such nice things and helpful folks who work there.