Archive for the ‘Hilfsmittel’ Category
Technical Aids Tips and Tricks L
星期二, 一月 21st, 2014Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXXIII
星期三, 十二月 11th, 2013It doesn’t always have to be the big reconstructions in your home like e.g. bathroom or stairlift… (see older blogposts).
Often you “just” need to drill a single hole at the right place to make life easier for a wheelchair user.
Because I never had a video-surveillance-security system at my apartment door I used a virtually maintenance-free, analogue peephole when I was pedestrian.
With its fitting height of 145 cm this is now only usable for me in connection with my standing chair, some ignorant mates call it standing wheelchair.
Because I order a few or many parts in the internet and like to look into the eyes of the courier drivers before I open the door I have drilled a 14 mm hole in my door in individually adjusted hobbit height with the active support of a friend.
A highest price Conrad Elektronik peephole order no. 75 01 63 for the full price of 6,39 € was then screwed in from both sides.
The analogue NSA hobbit peephole
serves its purpose 100%.
The angular field is surprisingly good, you can see the face of the “ringer” even above a size of 1,40 m when he is there… !!!
You don’t have to identify the courier drivers by the size of the parts they bring 
Read the blogpost about a handle on my kitchen door. I have mounted such a handle on my entrance door as well to close the door easier from the outside (see older blogpost).
Now I only need a band-aid to hide the peephole in granny style
Translator BL
Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXV
星期二, 十月 1st, 2013You can always find something new on the Rehacare in Düsseldorf.
However you have to look closely at some vehicles to recognize the range of use.
Quite often you see things from the past coming back. This supposed-to-be new technical achievement is obviously a medieval upgrade.
An
Offroad Palanquin Chair
with a battery-powered supporting middle wheel is quite special.
It is made by: www.ferriol-matrat.com and makes trekking tours through virtually every terrain possible. The company also makes other innovative technical aids.
There is also the variant of a
Semi-palanquin Offroad Chair
with two middle wheels so that the wheelchair doesn’t fall over, for just one pusher.
You can rent such a wheelchair in various places in Germany for trekking tours. For more detailed information please contact the producer!!!
Now I just need two sherpas, and I can climb the Taunus mountain range again via the north face
Translator BL
Rehacare 2013
星期日, 九月 29th, 2013Back from the “Rehacare2013″
(Rehability Fair) in Düsseldorf, there is a lot to report, new blogposts in process
2nd Test drive after 1 year
“The Genny”, Wheelchair Segway
Sport News V, Wheelchairgolf
星期日, 六月 9th, 2013Trial lesson in Tenerife
I had already reported a year ago about an electric wheelchair with which you can play golf, (see older blogpost).
In Tenerife, you can rent such a golf wheelchair in the Hotel Mar y Sol in Los Cristianos, and also play a round with a coach on the golf course.
As I once played field hockey in my previous live and I would have liked to hit a ball again, my curiosity was even bigger.
This year I even had the possibility to meet the challenge of playing golf with my friend Christian Nachtwey, a former European champion and team captain of the German National Team in wheelchair golf.
Christian is not only an excellent golf player but also has a company which produces these golf wheelchairs. www.powerbasetec.de
In my former life I have driven many fork lifts, lifting platforms and similar vehicles with joystick, but such a delicate steering mechanism as it is in the golf wheelchair was new to me. Just driving around is really fun!
However, I was still in doubt how I should hold the golf club with my limited finger function and then even be able to hit the ball.
You have to take such “trifles” as a game, up to now we usually could think of a solution.
You are buckled up with knees and chest, similar to my Standing chair at home, and then you rise to the sky.
I have to admit, we were “just” on the Driving Range.
After we fixed the golf club with velcro straps and duct tape to my hand, the test series “Play Golf 1.0″ instead of “Drive Golf 12.1 years” could begin.
To my surprise you hardly need power, so that the ball even moves with me.
It seems to me that you can learn to play golf quicker as a “wheeler” than as a “footer” because you don’t twist the upper body during the shot due to the belts.
It is a lot of fun, I can recommend it to everybody to give it a try.
Wheelchair golf is also possible on Mallorca, this is there offered by “FUNDACIÓN HANDISPORT Mallorca”.
With them I was already sailing last year. It was a perfect day then, (see older blogpost).
A roll of duct tape is necessary per hole…
After I unpacked my “secret weapon”, the golf-ball from Eintracht Frankfurt which I brought along, Christian virtually didn’t have a chance any more
Translator BL
Rollator Part II
星期日, 五月 26th, 2013On Friday I was at the discount supermarket with the big L and looked at the offers for the coming week.
You should have taken a picture of my face, I am still a bit speechless!!!
As far as I remember we have in Germany doctors, health insurances and medical supply stores who take care about the patients supply of medical devices, and not the supermarkets…
Why does a discount supermarket suddenly sell rollators???
Did I miss something???
I am missing a medical device number in the flyer.
Who will adjust the rollator to the user, and what about maintenance, repair and liability???
Please post a comment…
Do I have to buy my next wheelchair at IKEA and screw it together myself out of two Billy shelves?
Photo Source Lidl
Translator BL
Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXIV
星期一, 五月 13th, 2013I have already pointed out several times that you are hardly seen by the car drivers as wheelchair user in the dark, and that the upgrade with reflectors on the wheelchair can actually prolong one’s life (see older blogpost).
For the 18-year-old kids who think their highly tuned 65 hp small car would need apart from the blue-red blinking footwell area illumination an absolute highlight on the outside there are luminescent valve caps.
When the wheels are turning the battery-driven lamps in different colours are starting to glow or blink.
It’s quite impressive and immediately attracts the attention of the police… wasn’t there something about road traffic regulations…
For us wheelchair users these little lamps are great. You are turning the wheel a little bit, it is blink-blinking, and you are well noticed in traffic and also at street fairs by pedestrians.
You can buy them for just a few Euros in Ebay, partially even directly from Hongkong. So far all shipments from China have arrived undamaged at my home.
These lamps are working for months without changing the batteries.
I am using them on my beloved FreeWheel (see blogpost), a single spoke wheel which is clamped to the footrest of the wheelchair.
I have given a set of these lights to my wheeler friend, and he screwed them directly onto his wheelchair.
He was really stopped by the police when he was just coming out of the pharmacy, and he should have paid a ticket because of the illegal illumination of his wheelchair.
For each running wheel 5 Euro fine because of blue instead of orange illumination, and because the valve caps didn’t have an off-switch another 2 x 5 Euros on top.
What a nonsense… these are the regulations for a bicycle…
20 Euro fine because the police can’t distinguish a wheelchair from a bicycle…!!!
My friend asked the officers to send him the ticket with the corresponding paragraphs home and announced the probable publication of the incident on the EIGUDE internet blog.
Unfortunately we are still waiting for the ticket to be sent since a couple of months now
Translator BL
Technical Aids for Quadriplegics Part XII
星期二, 三月 12th, 2013It doesn’t always have to be the expensive aids from the medical supply stores which make one’s life easier.
If you have finger motor functions as if you are wearing boxing gloves the little metal clip on the toast packaging becomes your object of hate.
These clips are “Newton’s” best friend.
For some time, I am only using re-usable
plastic fasteners
for plastic bags.
Simply great, these little clips.
They are available in some supermarkets or for little money at the yellow Swedes!
Translator BL
Technical Aids for Quadriplegics Part XI
星期四, 三月 7th, 2013Around 30 years ago I tried to learn to play guitar.
The success was so limited that I put the career aspiration to be a professional musician on hold for an indefinite period.
As mentioned already several times, my finger function is very limited since my accident so that playing the guitar was not necessarily on my priority list.
Many quadriplegics like me with our cervical spine injuries have difficulties with gripping.
Therefore it was so much surprising when Mary from Scotland (quadriplegic as well) showed me her self-constructed
guitar plectrum holder.
When she told me that in spite of her handicap she is able again to strum around on her guitar her eyes were sparkling.
A really great idea, we need more of these.
Tips as usual to contact: rollinator@eigude.de
Click here on “Quadriplegic Tips”, to read other tips!!!
Translator BL
Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXIX
星期五, 三月 1st, 2013Flying with a wheelchair!!!
It is actually no big secret, but I am asked again and again how I make it into the plane, because as is known I am neither able to walk, jump nor hop.
The answer is very easy, with a plane wheelchair and two strong guys!!
When the plane has docked at the gate I move with my own wheelchair to the plane door.
If you have an outside position you drive to the plane with a normal bus.
From there you move upwards to the height of the plane with a
plane lifting bus
If this “Beam me up Scotty Bus” is even working properly you should be the first at the upper door (the other passengers are coming from the other side of the plane).
I have already experienced this differently, (see older blogpost).
In this bus two kind airport employees help you with the transfer from your own wheelchair to the worldwide similar
plane wheelchair (model on the left)
On this piece of equipment you are pulled through the plane until you arrive at a special seat row where you can fold up the armrest to the aisle.
Then the famous “dwarf tossing” to the window seat can start…!!!
Don’t be afraid, the guys know what they are doing!!!
This time we have set a new record on the return flight, only 1 hour 40 minutes from landing until leaving the airport building. 
Click here on “Flying” to read stories all about “Flying with a wheelchair”.
Many years ago, I have worked at a beverage wholesaler, and the plane wheelchair always reminds me a bit of a sack truck with chair.
Translator BL
Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXVIII
星期五, 一月 18th, 2013The medically proven positive effect of hop blossom ice tea, or disdainfully just called beer, is generally known.
“Cold wheat soup” dope
is extensively carried out, especially in Bavaria with state recognition.
If you are not able to remove the crown cap of the medicine bottle any more due to the paralysis of your hands, illness, stroke or too much doping, there is only one thing to help, the
One-arm-hop-blossom-ice-tea-bottle-opener
Source of supply of this ingenious aid without medical device number is amongst others
the company www.Mehal.de
I have already reported about their knife holder (see older blogpost).
Here is a link to other helpful special openers:
2. self-developed technical aid, my medicine bottle opener
Security advice: Too much doping can influence the driving characteristics of your wheelchair substantially.
Special thanks to Technical Aids Stuntman Ochim, who immediately volunteered to test the opener with video evidence.
Translator BL
Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXII (Competitor)
星期三, 十一月 21st, 2012At the Rehacare fair I had the world’s lightest wheelchair on my knees, the
Panthera-X carbon fiber wheelchair
of the Swedish company
www.Panthera.se
weighs only 2,1 kilo (4,61 lb) (without wheels).
As light as the wheelchair, as heavy is the price for this wheeler Ferrari .
Further information e.g. www.aktiv-rollstuhl.de
Translator BL
