Wheelchair Tuning Part XVI

October 26th, 2010

Frontpage

When I was at the last rehab fair I have tested an assumed new wheelchair drive. It is called

NuDrive

and is basically not a bad idea. For para- or quadriplegics like me without abdominal muscles and a disposition to fall forward out of the wheelchair it might not be suitable.

By pulling on two handles the driving wheels are turned independently from each other, and by pushing the brakes are applied. Unfortunately these things only have one gear so that you only get faster if you are “paddling” faster.

Even if I wouldn’t purchase this drive, it makes driving considerably easier if you don’t have much power. I like it that it has been thought about us quadriplegics as well with wristbands.

Somehow I think to have seen something similar on age-old wheelchairs


Translator BL

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Pimp My Ride | 2 Comments »

Online Again!

October 26th, 2010

Frontpage

After two weeks

 Technical Aids Testing

on Tenerife I am online again!

Here endurance test of the wheelchair tractive “Minitrac” in high temperature range.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Technical Aids, Holiday | No Comments »

Technical Aids Tips und Tricks XIX

October 10th, 2010

Frontpage

I think that this special pen might be quite helpful for many fellows who can’t grip very well any more. It is also available rubberized. This pen was probably developed by a concerned person.
I think the

special pen

is great.

If you don’t have much power to write I recommend DVD labelling pens.

Translator BL

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XVIII

October 9th, 2010

Frontpage

The market for technical aids is huge.

There is almost everything you can imagine in the broadest sense. The problem is not only that this stuff is unreasonably expensive, but also apparently nobody has ever tested it.

The Taiwanese fabricate a basically ingenious key holder, like a Suisse Army Knife.
This can be found in almost every catalogue for technical aids.
Because of its size the key holder can be grasped even with limited finger functions. If the key is stuck in the lock the holder is bent by 90° so that you can open the lock due to the big lever with your “little finger”!!!

Attention: If someone else wants to open a door with your key holder please point out to him that a key can be broken off quickly with this technical aid.

The bad thing is that our European keys are a little thicker than the Asian ones and therefore don’t fit in. Such technical aids disappear in the cupboard, like the food processer from the home shopping channel. I have adjusted my

Key holder

accordingly (filed the slots and provided with a longer screw), and I am using it daily.

Last year on the rehab fair I have pointed out this deficit to the Taiwanese. Yesterday I was at the Rehacare in DĂŒsseldorf, but I didn’t see the key holder any more.

Translator BL

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »

Signs Part IV

October 7th, 2010

Frontpage

We wheelers are often treated a little childlike.
I am not annoyed with anybody if he is patting my head in the last moment of saying goodbye.
That’s just the way it is if you are just 1,38 m small.
But if it will ever occur to anyone to spit on a tissue to wipe a spot off my face then only steel-toed boots protect him from my wheels.

For the city of Frankfurt all wheelers seem to be like children.
In the zoo a playground was built especially for us active wheelers. Actually this signage can’t be interpreted differently.

active wheeler’s playground

Translator BL

Tags: ,
Posted in General, Comedy | 1 Comment »

Wheelchair Tuning Part XV

September 26th, 2010

Frontpage

Every now and then even I am speechless.
It’s not a secret that I am football fan of Eintracht Frankfurt.
My cousin has given the official

Eintracht Frankfurt Fan Rucksack

to me as a present. Of course I have positively noticed that the rucksack has plenty of reflectors.
This rucksack has additionally two hangers on the side.
The only logically use of these hangers is to be able to hang the rucksack over the handles of a wheelchair.

Simply great, it fits!

Wheelchair hangers

Was it a manufacturing error, or did they have a wheelchair driver as designer?
This rucksack is of course “not“ available for other football clubs.

Translator BL

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in General, Simply great, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride | 2 Comments »

Please keep our disabled parking places free!

September 15th, 2010

Frontpage

At this stage I would like to ask all pedestrians NOT to park even only short-time on disabled parking places.

You get a disabled parking permit only when an exceptional walking disability is entered in the handicapped ID. We exceptionally disabled can’t walk anymore at all or very bad and thus are reliant on short ways.

Except for the old and frail people it could also be somebody out of the around 100.000 people in Germany who have the neurologic disease MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and are still able to walk a little bit. This disease can hit anybody.
Then there is also the fraction of para- and quadriplegics like me. I had a car accident through no fault of my own.

We para- and quadriplegics almost all can only get in and out of the car when the driver’s or front passenger’s door is opened completely.

This is the reason why disabled parking places are that big.

I totally understand that such a parking place with its wide is quite appealing when you drive with your SUV which is an absolute must in Frankfurt to the groceries.

Please imagine the following situation:

I am driving with the car to the post office at the train station. When the two disabled parking places are occupied it’s tough luck.

It absolutely doesn’t matter if somebody is parking 5 minutes
or 3 days on a disabled parking place.

I don’t see if there is a disabled parking permit displayed in those two cars and if the drivers might be gone by train to Munich, or if they will walk out of the post office in 5 minutes.

Thus there is nothing left for me except looking for a normal parking place.

I might find one eventually which is wide enough, another car is parking next to mine.

So far so good.

I am coming back to my car, but in the meantime the car next to mine has changed.

It is now parking 5 cm closer to my car, and I can’t open the driver’s door completely any more.

So much for that!!!

If it would be my “way” I already had abolished all disabled parking places on supermarket parking lots, then I wouldn’t get upset that often any more.

On those parking lots everybody can park as he likes. It is private property, and Mr. Aldi or Lidl are not interested who is parking there.

Address the people and explain it to them. Shouting unfortunately doesn’t help.

Click on tag Handicap Parking, to read more or less odd handicap parking stories .

Translator BL

 

Tags: ,
Posted in General, Car and Hand Throttle, Handicap Parking | 2 Comments »

Sometimes you have to be lucky!

September 14th, 2010

Frontpage

Some days ago I made a ride on my hand cycle.
(see older blogpost, trade hand cycle off for therapy pony).

My wife accompanied me on her bicycle.
I was more than positively surprised that the city of Frankfurt eventually managed to tar the old gravel path on the river Main after centuries.

It was going downstream, the cycle was rolling and rolling…

Unfortunately there is an express highway between the bicycle path on the river and two districts of the city. Because I can’t take the pedestrian bridge with my wheelchair and wanted to go to the street fair in one of the districts I had to ride further until after perceived 20 km, probably really 3 km, there was eventually a traffic light.

I had fairly shot my bolt.

After a bratwurst and a hop blossom ice tea * my motivation for the return ride was shattered.

When I was slowly riding home, I already fancied using the tram, I coincidentally met a former colleague, let’s call him Harald, with his

Didi Thurau – Memory Bicycle.

(translator’s note: famous German road bicycle racer from the 70’s and 80’s)

We had rather the same destination.

He pushed me sitting on his bike!

Without breaks, we reached a top speed of up to
26 Km/h on the 8 km way home.

My electric wheelchair tractive Speedy-Elektro only makes
max. 6 Km/h, otherwise it would need a license plate.

If Harald should have had a license plate???

Thanks again from this side.

Comment of my wife:
I am not used to such a speed any more as I usually roll with perceived 5 km/h behind the hand cycle and my biggest sporty challenge is not to fall from the bike at this “speed”, so that today my muscles are kind of sore for the first time.

*(In a narrower sense, beer is an alcoholic and carbonated beverage which is gained by fermentation mostly from the basic ingredients water, malt and hop). (Source: Wikipedia)

Translator BL

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in General, Simply great, Pimp My Ride, Sport | No Comments »

Apologies!!!

September 13th, 2010

Frontpage

On Sunday a young lady parked with her black New Beetle on my disabled parking place. I have completely overreacted and insulted this poor lady in the worst way possible when she came strutting with her noble handbag around her arm and the car key in her hand.

I would like to officially apologize for my slightly risen voice at this stage.

She explained that she hadn’t seen neither the signage nor the labeling, and she didn’t understand my reaction at all.

Retrospectively I am sorry that I didn’t believe her affirmation of innocence.

She had only parked for 10 minutes.

Kind of strange when shortly afterwards her mother, aunt or so came along and told that she stated at her visit that she was parking with her car on a disabled parking place.

A little suspect!

Perhaps she takes the same pills like me and is slightly confused as well.

When she was driving away she must have accidently slipped from the clutch with her foot, otherwise her racing start is not explicable for me.

As excuse I would like to offer her to please send me an e-mail before her next visit so that I drive away my car on time to make my disabled parking place free for her.

Comments requested!

Translator BL

Tags: ,
Posted in General, Handicap Parking, Eigude- Shame | No Comments »

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XVII

September 7th, 2010

Frontpage

With my

“Buckled Fingers”,

I know politically correct it is of course just an impairment of motor skills of hands and fingers, it is

not possible for me any more

to start a fire with a customary

lighter or matches.

A couple of years ago this was still essential for survival.

Nowadays it is fortunately not that important any more, provided that you are in possession of a functional microwave and central heating.

I had quit smoking a couple of months before the accident so that I didn’t bother specifically about making fire in the last 2,5 years.

Rather by coincidence I noticed that these

long gas lighters

can be operated without any finger function.

Now even I can light a tea candle again.

Translator BL

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XVI

August 29th, 2010

Frontpage

As wheelchair using quadriplegic rainy weather simply sucks!

With wet rubber hand rims it is hardly possible for me to turn the driving wheels so that I can’t move any more.
It would be just a bit inconvenient to take a shower undesirably for the second time in a day, but if I am standing on a hillside the braking gets a bit critical respectively almost impossible.
Such a big

rain cape for cyclists

is in my opinion a good and low price solution.
It doesn’t always have to have a medical device number.
My hand rims stay dry to a large extent.
The cape should be shortened appropriately.

Be careful that it doesn’t get in the wheels.
Spoke protector discs are beneficial.

Ducks like water, but I haven’t seen something like this before.
It is raining day and night there.
This duck probably has

neoprene feathers

Translator BL

Tags: , , ,
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »

Flower ramp

August 28th, 2010

Frontpage

Also this year, my neighbour has planted flowers at my

2 mÂł concrete ramp

and turned it to a

flower ramp

Simply brilliant, thanks from this side, looks great.

The floridity meanwhile turns into a jungle-like status.
It‘s growing and growing!

Another two weeks, and I need a machete when I want to leave the house.

I was training this situation already in the botanical garden in Frankfurt.

Click on tags “Ramp”.

Translator BL

Tags: , , ,
Posted in General, Various, Simply great | No Comments »

Signs Part III

August 25th, 2010

Frontpage

Although I am in possession of a valid driving licence for a car adapted with hand throttle (see older blogpost), I have never made a

wheeler driving test,

otherwise I would know this

floor labeling in connection with a parking restriction sign

in the middle of the street for sure.

“except ambulance vehicles”
I don’t understand it.

It is not a labeled disabled parking place.

Could it be the parking position for an ambulance vehicle driven by a wheelchair user?

Is a wheelchair a vehicle for the sick?

Help me, I’m confused…

Translator BL

Tags: , ,
Posted in General, Handicap Parking, Comedy, Various | No Comments »

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XV

August 24th, 2010

Frontpage

If you as quadriplegic like me or for which reason ever don’t have any power in hands and fingers, such a

turning knob on the inside of a toilet door

is getting a real challenge.
Closing the locks is “going“ rather well, but then!!!

If you are not particularly interested to meet consistently your friend from the fire brigade it is beneficial to always have a

Silicon cap

with you which you usually use to open bottles (see older blogpost).
This

excellent turning knob

I have discovered on a disabled toilet in Bregenz (Austria).

Did actually somebody put good thoughts on it, or was it all about the design?!

Translator BL

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »

Disabled Parking Permit

August 23rd, 2010

Frontpage

Since I belong to the users of

disabled parking places

I have noticed that very often the drivers of

SUVs and Cabriolets

forget to lay out their parking permit if they park on a disabled parking place. I don’t want to accuse anybody of the intent to park unauthorized on these parking places, only out of laziness, or because they can’t park, but I am always a bit astonished. The width of the parking places makes sense if you transfer from wheelchair to car, and the door has to be opened completely.

A friend of mine, wheelchair user as well, is driving a SUV, a Jeep Commander with 7 seats. It’s always an experience to watch him jumping in and out of his car.
He has always laid out his parking permit.

Free disabled parking places are scarce!!!

Every now and then I find a free one.

Here next to the “Old Opera” in Frankfurt

When I was at the opera “Aida” in Bregenz (Austria)

at the lakeside stage at Lake Constance I got hold of the last disabled parking place.
There was actually parking a

BMW Cabriolet

with a

disabled parking permit valid in California

and this with a

license plate from Vienna

behind me on one of the 6 disabled parking places.

I would have liked to meet the driver!!!

If he would have been American he probably would have hung the parking permit – as it is common in the USA – on the inside mirror. Thus the form like a door hanger in a hotel.

Translator BL

Tags: , ,
Posted in General, Handicap Parking, Eigude- Shame | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »