Frontpage eigude wheelchair blog

WHAT A WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR 2017!

In October 2016 I had to be transported to the hospital on a stretcher, my wheelchair in tow.

For days I had been lying in that hospital bed when my wife visited and tried to take a seat in my wheelchair. It was placed as usual at the head of the bed. Strangely, it would not move despite the released brakes.

It appeared that a nurse had placed the hospital bed by accident on one of the wheelchair brakes. The brake lever extension reached about 5 cm beyond the wheelchair and must have been in the way. When we learned that the frame had been damaged and there were no more spare parts available for this old wheelchair, I was close to tears. All the special parts and modifications: Speedy Electra/Bike, Stricker Bike, Mini-Trac, Free-Wheel, mountain bike wheels and – most importantly it fit on to the loading system of my car! Not to mention all the other special equipment (see older posts). What we have been through together… 500 blogs on the www.eigude.de by now!

There I was – dwelling on my total economic loss! After eight years we had built quite a relationship (sniff)!

Damage report was written, lots of phone calls were made. I spare you the details.

About three weeks later the clinic insurance asked to see invoices. Well, I had none because the wheelchair had been issued by my health insurance. They could not produce any papers either and since it was so old simply suggested to get a prescription for a new wheelchair. It would be handled between the insurances, nothing more required on my part.

On December 24th my first Christmas present arrived in form of a reimbursement confirmation for my supposedly new wheelchair. I was pleased!
Two weeks ago it was ready for pick-up at the sanitary supply store. We immediately switched a few parts over from the old one to the new Rolli (took 2.5 hours). The next day I already had to fill air in the tires and the day after I finally had a flat. The first flat tire in nine years!

Now look at what I have to get around with (click here).

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Wheelchair auxiliary snow chains

A creative Berliner

has mounted tie-wraps to his bicycle tyre so that he can better ride on snow and ice.

Self-made tie-wrap wheelchair snow chains

This probably works with wheelchair tyres as well.

He also rides on Schwalbe Marathon tyres, like most of the wheelers.

Have a look yourself, ingeniously simple and cost-efficient!

Link: Video at Spiegel-Online

Just try it out and write a comment.

In Frankfurt there is no snow anymore, so I can’t test it!

Thanks to Hajo for the info.

However, I wouldn’t ride across the parquet floor any more.

Read this old blogpost and exchange in winter right and left wheelchair tyre if necessary:

Link: Running direction of “Schwalbe” tyres

I assume no liability for this tip!

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It’s all a question of hardware…!!!

Today I was on tour with my Minitrac (see older blogposts) for the first time in the snow.

With its tractor tyres it is a perfect technical aid.

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My latest tool – an Overhead Lift

After half a year of “enjoying” free food and lodging in different hospitals while testing their equipment and treatment options, I am now back home. Let me introduce to you my latest support instrument.

As some sort of a “Christmas gift” my insurance kindly approved the overhead lift that I had requested out of necessity because of my increasing restrictions. (A mobile standard patient lift cannot be used in combination with my height-adjustable frame insert.) It took a few weeks of organizational back and forth between my insurance, the medical supply store and the manufacturer – you know how this goes – until the lift was finally mounted at the beginning of February.

The Lift is hanging from my bedroom ceiling and ensures a safe bed-air-wheelchair-transfer with the optional switch between wheelchair and shower wheelchair.

For people with back problems, instead of using belts for transfer I recommend a special lifter cloth.

With the three heavy duty anchors, each 1 ton load capacity, I do not need to be fasting right away

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Low Budget Wheelchair Lighting

It seems to be the general opinion that all wheelchair bound folks have got to be home before dark, which is currently in the wintertime at around 4 pm. Otherwise, those intelligent people who design wheelchairs would show a little more concern about the visibility of wheelchairs in the dark and in traffic.

I can’t fathom that hand-operated wheelchairs only have two tiny red reflectors in the back.
With a little luck there may be some reflective lights somewhere or better yet reflective tires.

I find it controversial that no active wheelchair that I know of comes with a reflector to the front, let alone a front or rear tail light.
I wrote about this problem in former articles (click here).

I recently installed a small red LED tail light that flashes when needed, at the rear of my chair frame. The light is quite bright and it is called Froglight.

Frog or Froglights

Froglights are originally made for handlebars and seats on bicycles. They are available in red and white LEDs and they flash.

For us wheelchair bound folks these little lights are great, because the rubber bands can simply be wrapped around the frame tubes and easily switched on by pressing on them.

They are available for a mere 3.00 € and up on EBay or Amazon.

In addition I attached the reflective tape of a 2.00 € safety vest to my backpack and the backrest of my chair.

Click on the image below to watch a small video that shows how bright the Frogligts are.

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Low Budget Wheelchair Lighting

It seems to be the general opinion that all wheelchair bound folks have got to be home before dark, which is currently in the wintertime at around 4 pm. Otherwise, those intelligent people who design wheelchairs would show a little more concern about the visibility of wheelchairs in the dark and in traffic.

I can’t fathom that hand-operated wheelchairs only have two tiny red reflectors in the back.
With a little luck there may be some reflective lights somewhere or better yet reflective tires.

I find it controversial that no active wheelchair that I know of comes with a reflector to the front, let alone a front or rear tail light.
I wrote about this problem in former articles (click here).

I recently installed a small red LED tail light that flashes when needed, at the rear of my chair frame. The light is quite bright and it is called Froglight.

Frog or Froglights

Froglights are originally made for handlebars and seats on bicycles. They are available in red and white LEDs and they flash.

For us wheelchair bound folks these little lights are great, because the rubber bands can simply be wrapped around the frame tubes and easily switched on by pressing on them.

They are available for a mere 3.00 € and up on EBay or Amazon.

In addition I attached the reflective tape of a 2.00 € safety vest to my backpack and the backrest of my chair.

Click on the image below to watch a small video that shows how bright the Frogligts are.

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It is rumoured that I am a bit like a woman with a quirk for shoes with my collection of various wheelchair tyres.

Well… ok, I confess guilty… see older blogpost concerning the subject wheelchair tyres !!!

It is difficult to explain to a pedestrian how much the driving characteristics of a wheelchair can change if you only change the tyres. Plus according to my opinion a wheelchair may also look nice.

The wheelchair mirrors a bit the soul of the driver!

Show me the wheelchair, and I prepare a complete psychological profile of the owner.

You need the right tyre for each occasion, or would you go into the opera with hiking boots… ehhh… mountainbike tyres???

I was somehow missing such an opera tyre…

Like girls fancy pink and bling-bling, boys have always been crazy about chrome.

Of course I have this Y-Chrome-osome as well.

When I saw in the depths of the internet this blinking wheelchair tyre with more than 140 spokes

and the mighty racing nut in the middle I immediately had to think of James Bond and his Aston Martin DB05 from Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Source: jamesbond.wikia.com

My second thought was, these wheels with their white sidewall tyres want to be put on my wheelchair quickly.

I think they look great, the chrome trims on the dress guard were there before. The blue steering forks will of course be exchanged.

What do you think, a chrome radiator grill between the legs is already under discussion

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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

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You 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

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