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With my finger function the opening of envelopes is really trying my patience. I simply can’t open the
envelopes
uninjured, undamaged or prompt. My shredder is usually not far away!!!
If you put a nail file in the
cutlery holder (see older blogpost)
it turns into an
excellent letter opener.
Let’s take it for granted that you can use the
nail file
in the cutlery holder coincidentally for
manicure
as well.
Translator BL
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As self-confessed hobbit with 1,38 m total height forehead top sitting in the wheelchair you have to confess every now and then that the upward reach is a little limited.
My well-tried
suddenly have a perceived height of 2,10 m after my accident.
If you aren’t a friend of the fishing sport then taking down the keys turns out to be a bit tedious and can be dangerous.
The usage of safety glasses and helmet is mandatory.
The
Yellow North European Furniture Elks
are offering a
magnet holder for kitchen knives,
which I have declared as
Watch out, there are two types.
One of the holders just succeeds to prevent a paper clip from falling down. 
Translator BL
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It is always a little difficult to switch on and off electric devices sitting in a wheelchair.
There are always missing the commonly known 2 cm.
Not 1 cm, or 5 cm?
There are always 2 cm.
I have the theory that this results from mass inertia, momentum and black holes.
Here is the solution:
A remote-controlled Christmas Tree lighting is quite nice.
Radio coverage allegedly until 25 m. (Probably only at full moon on April 1st).
You can get regularly special offers for a pack of 4!
(15 €, not much more.)
If you buy the pack of 4 twice from the same manufacturer, you should change the radio frequency with the little DIP switches, (in German) also known as
.
It might happen otherwise that the toilet light is switched on together with the coffee machine.
Well, maybe not so bad after all… let’s think about it again…
It is not complicated to change the switches.
Every quadriplegic who manages it should get a piece of cake or two from his occupational therapist.
Serious safety instruction:
Please always consider the max. switching power, around 1000 watt.
Never connect an electric heater, around 2000 watt!!!
The switches get hot and might start burning.
I have experimentally connected an electric heater, the electrical socket didn’t survive!!!
Should there be any difficulties with playing the keys (setting the switches) I am at your disposal as professional ”piano tutor” .
Have fun with the piano lesson.
Translator BL
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After the usual administrative chaos caused by all those who can cut a piece of paper gets currently out of hand, I feel a bit like the “Hauptmann von Köpenick” (synonym from German literature for a catch-22; without residence no work, without work no residence), and I have decided to take 3-4 valium more and turn again towards my
passion,
the technical aids for quadriplegics. What a sentence, the blue things are helping already, I am suddenly missing the fullstopslll
Knife, fork, scissors, flames, have no place in quadriplegic’s gamesl
That’s about true 
To cut paper with a scissor is not funny,
especially when you like me can’t even press a clothespin.
If
scissor-type silhouettes
aren’t going to be the new hobby I can highly recommend a
Paper Guillotine,
one-arm-usage guaranteed “fullstop”.
The blue pills are ttzzzzzzzzz
Translator BL
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Due to my spinal cord injury my blood pressure hardly rises above 100.
My mate always says:
Don’t get upset, otherwise you will get a blood pressure of 120.
To increase my blood pressure there is apart from pills a much faster method,
Just try to cook a 4-course-menu with winter mittens, then you know what I mean.
The ultimate discipline are ski jackets with double zipper.
Commitment to a psychiatric institution guaranteed.
Each quadriplegic has a key ring on the zipper.
With a
I now have 2 rings at the zipper start.
You “go“ with two fingers in the ring.
Now you have to practice, practice, practice,…
Then the zipper can be closed quite well…
If the zipper is not gliding well, there is the old skiing trick with a little spray of
and then it slides considerably easier.
See what is written on the can:
“Everything“ will glide faster, easier, and more quietly!!!
Listen, you don’t hear anything 
Translator BL
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Here comes a for insiders quite well-known technical aid!!!
I will call it
It’s a mystery to me how you can cut something with this knife without hurting yourself.
A first aid plaster dispenser on the handle would probably make some sense.
I would have to try to grip this sharp construct with two hands, and before the sausage should be nailed down to the table.
OK, enough nagging.
Look at it, maybe it can help some of you!
One might possibly change tyres with it.
I better shouldn’t have mixed Novalgin with Vodka.
Read the blogpost
Link:
about a really good quadriplegic special knife
from the company www.mehal.de.
Translator BL
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You have probably noticed already that I am a self-confessed pedant in the technical area.
I am very lucky that my family and friends again and again take their time to realize my sometimes a bit weird ideas in the area of technical aids.
It is hardly possible to do this myself with my handicap.
At this stage many, many thanks.
If I wouldn’t have this kind of help my technical aids would be a lot more basic.
Here is a great idea how you can help yourself as quadriplegic with the most simple means.
The tie wrap on the phone has amongst others the reason to hang the phone over the brake of the wheelchair.
Thank you for the tip, I need more of these!!!
Even I can write serious blogposts.
Where have my pills gone?
Translator BL
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The personal enemy of the quadri-(aka tetra-)plegic is, hardly to believe, the:
Tetra Pak beverage carton
These things are so smooth that it is hardly possible to decently pour something into a glass.
I was owning this
metal holder for Tetra Paks
already a couple of years before my accident.
It was revitalised from my
kitchenware graveyard
and does a good job for me now.
If somebody knows the source of supply of this extremely useful equipment, please send a short e-mail to me.
Have a look on to your kitchenware graveyard, maybe 10-15 pieces are lying around there which you have in excess?
Translator BL
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I have decided to occupy myself with
shoes
now.
Basically I don’t have anything against shoes, but I have entered the fray against the fastening laces.
Shoelaces
are getting me to the edge of reason, or it is already getting dark when I start tying them after breakfast.
I admire each quadriplegic who manages this in spite of a limited hand function.
It would be an option to switch to shoes with velcro tape.
But there is insufficient choice with my
flat splay drop feet.
An excellent option are special shoelaces which are nothing different than a
spiral round elastic band,
which is holding the shoe together.
I call them
They are available in white, black, blue and brown, but also as shoelaces fake with even a bow on it.
Source of supply Link: Reha Handel
Now it is about time to consult my psychologist!
I am showing off my feet/shoes to the world.
Let’s see when it’s the turn of the next extremities.
Translator BL
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At the moment everybody is only talking about snow, snow, snow.
Therefore now:
Summer, sun, holiday, heat, heat, heat…
Whenever somebody is lamenting how much too much he is sweating (I knew that well enough), I am introducing my ultimate remedy:
Such a spinal cord injury can work miracles!
(OK that was too hard).
Well, not to be able to sweat any more sounds rather helpful initially, but there is a severe hitch.
E.g. if I am standing in the sun in the summer my body temperature is rising constantly and rising and rising…
So far I could avoid something worse happening.
Water, water, water …
Such a water sprayer for flowers is tailor-made as medical device, but quite bulky and falls constantly off one’s knees.
After longer research, a battery-operated
“hand fan with integrated water sprayer”
has flown to me.
Typically one should apply for a medial device number for this thing.
Then the fan would probably cost 265,23 €.
To prevent price rigging I reveal the source of supply only personally under:
Translator BL
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It was used already in the mid of the 1980’s:
The 512 kB USB Stick Version Tetra 1.0 with tie wrap
Each quadriplegic manages to pull out this USB stick.
Translator BL
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I received this photo a couple of days ago.
Look closely,
the plumber didn’t have 2,5 per mill blood alcohol level and mounted the clamp incorrectly.
With this hose clamp you can easily regulate the thermostat.
Great idea!!!
Security advice:
If possible you should upgrade it with a child safety feature in form of a cork.
A wrong grasp could end painfully.
Translator BL
Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.
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Many quadriplegics don’t work anymore.
To improve one’s budget Poker or Skat are gambled quite often.
In order to better hold the cards,
a tool is used which was thousand fold field-tested
by the German disaster relief organisation (THW).
Translator BL
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Such an active wheelchair is in no way comparable with such a mobile garden bench as you know from the hospitals.
The manufacturers offer the most different wheelchair accessories which might be completely reasonable. You should negotiate about sponsoring in your individual case with your health insurance or bank. Don’t exaggerate, always use original parts of the manufacturer and let professional personnel mount it.
Only screw with your eyes
I have tetra clips at the wheelchair tyres, i.e. the chrome clip is folded forward, then you put the hand into it and pull the wheel off.
It’s not “going“ any easier.
If the driving wheels are dangling, DON’T take it as given.
The length of the axes can be adjusted optimally, even if it is rather inconvenient.
Addendum: The tetra clip is not recommendable if not absolutely needed, because thereby the wheels always have a little “play”, and the metal holders are rattling on the spokes.
Translator BL
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