Archive for the ‘Tipps und Tricks’ Category

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXXIII

星期三, 十二月 11th, 2013

It 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 XXXII

星期四, 十一月 28th, 2013

For me a dirty and squeaking wheelchair is an absolute NOGO…ehhh… NODRIVE…!!!

Even shoes are every now and then cleaned and injected with impregnation.

A wheelchair may also look nicely (see older blogpost).

Quite often the small plastic parts on the frame e.g. on the joint of a foldable wheelchair are the squeaking originators which are stressing my nerves a little.

Inject all moving parts with silicone spray*…!!!

Attention: If possible use silicone spray only outside, because if the silicone film gets on e.g. laminate this becomes so smooth that the next pedestrian can fall badly. Also use a mask over mouth and nose!!!! (see additional security advice below)

For wheelchair maintenance I recommend to clean the wheelchair beforehand with common cleaning agents. This may also happen more often than only before Christmas and Easter. At the same time you should also put oil or grease on the axes (see older blogpost).

Stainless steel cleanser is due to its lubricants not recommendable for footrest and hand rims, unless you would like to go downhill without braking the wheelchair.

Tips for hand rim covers click here

If the wheelchair is a bit more dirty only the car wash will help… ;-)


It is not my wheelchair which you can see on the picture above, but its brother, last shower about 2 years ago. If you have a closer look, the wheelchair is not dirty, but has a protective coat ;-)

I got stuck in the mud once in Austria with my wheelchair… to see the blogpost click here ;-)

But seriously, the guys from the car wash almost all have a steam blaster!!!

Security advice*:

Allegedly silicone vapours can accumulate in the lung. As a precaution you should use a mask or at least put a tissue on mouth and nose.

With a clean and de-squeaked wheelchair you can even go again to the opera :-)

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXXI

星期五, 十月 11th, 2013

对不起,此内容只适用于EnglishDeutsch

Ingenious: A cooling vest and Cap which only needs water!

星期六, 七月 27th, 2013

Due to the rather tropical outside temperatures I would like to call your attention like every year to two older blogposts!

One is about a

Cooling Vest

(click here)


and the other one about a

Cooling Cap

(click here)


Since the summer 2013 has found us as well I have the prototype of a cooling shirt, also from the company E-cooline in permanent test mode, and I am happy.

Read the comments to the blogposts, there are some tips of other readers!!!

Translator BL

Technical Aids for Quadriplegics Part XI

星期四, 三月 7th, 2013

Around 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 XXVIII

星期五, 一月 18th, 2013

The 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:

Type I bottle / jar opener

Type II bottle / jar opener

2. self-developed technical aid, my medicine bottle opener

Type I canpull opener

Type II can 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

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XLVIII

星期五, 十一月 2nd, 2012

Since I am rolling through the world for 5 years now, I have another enemy besides disabled parking place occupiers, namely doors.

These mostly white pieces are slowly turning into a phobia.

Not so easy to pull the door shut when you are standing… eh, sitting in your own way.

Hold the handle tight, roll backwards and mind not to fall forward if possible, or to do a backflip with the wheelchair.

In hospital I already had a long ribbon with which I was always fishing for the door handles. This ribbon is still hanging on the door of my flat and is serving its purpose.

I hate my own kitchen door, it is one meter wide. I only say:

No arms, no cookies…!!!

Only the door knows why I haven’t hung such a ribbon on my beloved kitchen door during the last 4 years.

The blue-yellow nordic timber worms offer drawer handles in all designs, sizes and colours. There were no more hurdles for the

kitchen door tuning.

A mate has screwed such a handle on my favourite door from the inside.
Now I can eventually close the door even when I am already standing in the corridor.

Because the screws have to be very long I recommend to immediately take threaded bars (on IKEA handles mostly thread M4), and saw it off to size only at the end.

If you leave the bars a bit longer you can even mount two towel hooks at the inside on the door.

Tip, always drill the holes from outside to inside and use an air level.

Looks a bit like a towel rail, I like it. Next, the door of my flat will be refurbished.

Before spot-drilling the entrance door it can’t do any harm to integrate the landlord in selecting the handles.

Translator BL

 

Wheeler book tip part I

星期四, 十月 25th, 2012

One of the reasons why I was at the book fair 2012 in the beautiful Frankfurt was to meet again my friend and author Roberto Sastre in person.

Many fellow wheelers keep a diary already in the hospital after their accident. Writing as is known is medicine as well. So did my friend who wrote down his experiences from the start (as skilled IT guy of course in an internet blog).

This blog has been so successful that he was forced a little to publish it as a book.

His writing style is unique. He manages with his easy cynical style to describe the beginning as wheeler rookie so that articulations like ehhh, ouch, ahaaaaaaaaaaa are totally normal while reading.

The book may not be so suitable to read in a train.

Everybody who liked the movie “The Intouchables” gets his money’s worth with Sastre. The book is called

Rolling Thunder,

(ISBN/EAN: 9783845006550) you have to read it, a little bit like:

” Everything you always wanted to know about spinal cord injury but were afraid to ask”

 

His next literary act is a crime story,

Bender’s 1st case “Blackout”

(ISBN/EAN: 978-3-8450-0962-9) which is set in Frankfurt. An excellent book!!!

Private investigator Bender is of course a wheelchair using ex-commissar, with a van type “A-team” and an a little bit modified electric wheelchair with the name Elsbeth.

His own vehicle is a bit customized as well.

The book starts with the sentence: This book is made-up from the beginning to the end…

I don’t believe this, I even have the suspicion that he has hacked my computer, stolen my latest research results of most innovative wheelchair reconstruction and published them in his book. ;-)

Extract from this novel:

As already said, you can build a lot into such an electric wheelchair.
In Rehab I have met Steffen.
He is totally nuts, has the weirdest ideas, and I and my electric wheelchair always have to suffer. With the result that my batteries are constantly empty.

Until Steffen had the idea with the fuel cell. Had almost cost me my wheelchair.
Because my bottom sustained a slight fire damage I let the hospital check it first…

“Now you’ve got a micro turbine.
There is a new bearing material. Special ceramics. Doesn’t need greasing, nor cooling. Is whistling a bit, but I’ll still carry that off.

From naught to fifty in 2.6 seconds. A bottle of camping gas every 4 weeks.
And I built in a small surprise for you.”

I can recommend those two books out of my deepest conviction, there is so much info inside, and even in a splendid packaging!!!

Translator BL

Sport News IV

星期五, 八月 31st, 2012

Paralympic Computer Tip

After the broadcasting marathon of the TV stations at the Olympic Games I am a bit disappointed that no live sport from the Paralympics is broadcasted in the evening programme.

Yesterday evening at wheelchair basketball there was right in the opening match of the group stage a new edition of the European championship final

Germany vs. Great Britain.

No German TV station has broadcasted the match, it’s a shame!!!

On the official website of the Paralympics http://www.paralympic.org there are several live streams in English and Spanish available with the various disciplines.

It was working for me only after installing the Plugin “octoshape streaming service” and “Adobe Flash Player 11.4″.

I had then connected my laptop with a HDMI cable to my TV and watched the match!!!

After a thrilling match revenge was taken and

Germany won 77:72 after extra time!!!

Translator BL

Addendum Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XLVI

星期五, 八月 24th, 2012

Addendum to blogpost from 01. November 2011 about a self-constructed

window opener for wheelers.

From a fellow wheeler I have got the tip that she is using a window opener of the company

www.w-invention.de

for years and is very happy with it.

Source: w-invention.de

I had a closer look at this part in the internet and agree with her.

For buckled fingers like me with limited finger function the handle would have to be modified a little.

I consider the price as fair, which is probably because this window opener unfortunately doesn’t have a medical device number.

If someone should manage to convince his health insurance to cover the costs for this useful technical aid please send me a short message.

Again thanks for this tip to Bärbel from Berlin.

If you have more tricks on your mind, as usual e-mail to: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXI

星期一, 六月 4th, 2012

When I was discharged from the hospital in 2008 I got the same wheelchair type which I used already in the hospital, but I had to realize that I could move significantly worse.

I have to mention that even today each 3-year-old leaves me easily behind with his wooden training bike (see older blogpost).

During the last years I have engaged myself intensively with the optimization of my wheelchair and have noticed in doing so that the exact calibration of the steering fork of the front tyres is extremely important. The axes must not be distorted either. This saves a lot of power of which I don’t have much anyway.

The steering forks are adjustable so that one can individually choose the size of the front tyres.

Although this makes sense it has the negative effect though that they could be shifted involuntarily. This happens e.g. when the taxi service fixes the hooks of the tie-down restraints at the forks of the front tyres instead of the wheelchair frame.

Sometimes even a curb is enough, or “qualified“ personnel at the airport to shift the forks.
No matter why, no wheelchair moves straight with crooked steering forks!!!

It can be referred to in each operating manual of the respective wheelchair how to adjust the steering forks.
Have a look at it, extremely interesting…

Such adjustments may only be executed due to insurance reasons by qualified personnel from the medical supply store.

You may have a look, only screw with your eyes…!!!

I have worked out a method, I call it Lucky Wheel, with which anybody can check the steering forks easily with an even wooden board and a stop angle, or a set square from school times. I cannot recommend a supposed even floor.

You put the wheelchair on the wooden board and twist a front tyre in a 90° angle to the wheelchair frame to the outside.
Now you hold the stop angle or the set square right and left to the tyre respectively the board.

If there is between tyre and angle, like my supervisor in my apprenticeship kindly used to say:

There is more light coming through than through a window…, a slot (see below in the picture), the steering fork is shifted, or something else is defective.

This slot could now be closed by rotating the steering fork which has an eccentric on my wheelchair model.

Of course we leave such adjustment tasks to the qualified personnel of the medical supply store…

When this is done after a couple of days you turn the tyre again by 90° for check-up, this time to the inside of the wheelchair, and hold your angle again to it.

 

In this case the aluminium has caved in, two big washers can work miracles (see pictures above).

I would like to point out again that I assume no liability for these check-up possibilities of the steering forks and all related consequences!!!

For any questions please contact: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

 

Technical Aids and Tricks Part L

星期一, 五月 7th, 2012

I have found a great technical aid to open canned staple food, with fish, instant noodles, goulash soup, wieners, Coke, Bed Rull, beer and cider.

The Canpull opener was awarded with a design prize, the unofficial Oscar for household items of all kind.

One reason more for an extensive Rollinator test as I always had ambivalent feelings towards designer parts. From experience, unfortunately modern appearance and functionality rarely fit together.

This is not the case with the

Canpuller and Soda Snap

With one side

dog, cat and human food cans

can be opened tetra easily.

A small plastic nose clicks into the ring-pull of the can so that the Canpuller doesn’t slip off when it is bent for opening. This is working without problems.

Unfortunately the Canpuller doesn’t help against the burning lips if three chilli peppers are displayed on the “devil’s goulash” can. I am currently a little handicapped.

The other side of the award winner is suitable to open beverage cans in record time.

Thus you can pass an opened can of Prosecco to your colleague even after the eight successful test series with hop blossom ice tea cans of which the content was professionally disposed into the gorge.

This can opener is a well-thought-out and functional technical aid.

Source of Supply: http://www.desicare.de

I give to the Canpuller 4,5 out of 5 possible Golden Steering Forks.

Half a steering fork had to be deducted because manual hands-on is still necessary.

Another type of can opener, (see older blogpost).
An ingenious bottle opener, (see older blogpost).

Translator BL

Winter Special

星期二, 十二月 20th, 2011

Here is a collection of links with tips and odd stories around the subject winter.
Sorry, but not all blogposts referred to are translated yet!!! More to follow…

Wheelblades, wheelchairski

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=9362&lang=en translated!

FreeWheel

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=15468&lang=en translated!

Reflectors and Illumination

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=5699&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4162&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=882&lang=en translated!

Moutainbike Winter Tyres

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=1311&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4829&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=2068&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4759&lang=en translated!

Wheelchair auxiliary snow chains

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4928&lang=en translated!

Running direction of “Schwalbe” tyres

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=2271

Wheelchair tyre cleaning carpet

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=1328

Wheelchair tyre slippers

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=3298

Christmas Tree remote control

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4397

Special wheelchair for removing snow

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4239

Story referring to the picture

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4582

Miscellaneous

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=750
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4636

If you have good ideas, as usual e-mail to rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

 

I am freezing, let’s get going!!!

星期五, 十一月 18th, 2011

I took the ad hoc decision to follow the established tradition as German retiree and drive around on the canary islands in the coming winter.
Because the journey with the boat would be “going” a little bit too slow (actually it wouldn’t matter, I would have time and could “sit” it out easily) I decided anyhow in favour of flying.

Because I have already gone through a couple of flight miles with a wheelchair and experienced some weird things here are some tips.

Flight trips with wheelchair made easy!

When booking at your travel agency specify already any required medical devices with indication of size and weight, and if required additional assistance at the airport. Medical devices will be transported free of charge anywhere.
It came to my attention that if you need to take along any hard drugs, especially at the entry of the United States, a medical certificate and a lot of time is required.

At the check-in, approach an airport employee and get to the check-in counter with him from the side without any bad conscience, independent of the length of the queue.
Alternatively there is a “handicapped meeting point” in the terminals with an assistance button, after pressing of which a professional wheelchair pusher is coming who will manage everything.

In Frankfurt it is allowed to sit in your own wheelchair until you reach the door of the aircraft. Usually you are the first passenger on the flight. Then you are carried by two “volunteers” in a small plane wheelchair which reminds a bit of a sack truck to your seat, and then the “dwarf tossing” to the window seat begins.

Now it is advisable to pray.
Will your own wheelchair find its way into the cargo bay of the same aircraft?
Will your wheelchair be available and navigable at the destination airport?

In order to avoid that your wheelchair will be treated like ordinary luggage at the destination airport, but hopefully will be brought to the exit of the plane instead there is a label:

Delivery at Aircraft.

This means for the luggage guys at the plane as much as: Please be so kind not to load the object adherent to the label on the luggage cart and leave it here!!!
Keep the labels, don’t throw them away, you might need them for the return flight.

Sometimes there are no more labels available, which might end up extremely annoying when you are still sitting in the plane, and the wheelchair is already lying on the bulky luggage belt in the terminal.

The airport employees around the world are trained so well, they even manage to fold a wheelchair with a rigid-welded frame.
Although I have a foldable wheelchair it has a cross bar to attach an electric wheelchair-tractive type Minitrac. What I have experienced with that, see older blog post.

When the luggage loaders tried to fold my wheelchair it ended with little crashes several times already. Meanwhile I have a reversible, bilingual label on the seat:

Wheelchair not foldable.

It helped the last two times.

I have another label to offer:

Handle with care!

It probably doesn’t help, but brightens the wheelchair up with its red and blue design.

You shouldn’t forget to remind a flight attendant approximately 30 minutes before landing that you are a wheelchair user.

The pilot then hopefully won’t forget the notification at the destination airport, and the probability to leave the aircraft in a reasonable time increases dramatically.

Have fun with your next flight trip!!!

When I think about it, maybe I should better take the boat after all!

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips und Tricks XLIII

星期三, 八月 31st, 2011

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch