Archive for June, 2012

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks Part LI

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

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As offered on my front page, you can ask me all kinds of questions relating to technical aids, para- or quadriplegia etc. using rollinator@eigude.de.

I always try to answer these questions independently and free of charge.
Depending on the handicap the usually easiest activities become small and big challenges.

There are no problems, there are just challenges and a big challenge is a project.

Recently I received a most interesting enquiry, original text:

Because I am hemiplegic on the right side, you might know how I can stir the contents of a cooking pot on the stove without the pot stirring as well.

Maybe you have FINALLY an answer to that question!

I discussed with highly qualified colleagues to find a possible solution.
After several weeks of intensive research we came up with two solutions.

Option 1:
For e.g. sauce Bolognese you don’t only buy 500g of minced meat, but at least 2 kg, so that due to the gravitational force of the earth and the law of mass inertia according to Newton, at simultaneous roasting of the 2 kg meat with non-excessive stirring, the pot on the stove will not stir as well.

Option 2:

Silicon pot holders

Currently you can buy these again at the big coffee roaster (2 pieces for 4,95€).

You can not only use them as pot holders.

According to manufacturer instructions the pot holders can also be used as trivet.
They would be temperature-resistant until 230 degrees Celsius.

These are referred to in our specially developed

Glass ceramic stove top one arm pot stirring method

Before cooking, one of the silicon pot holders is placed next to the glass ceramic stove top.

If you feel the need to protect the hopefully later delicious food from the roasty flavour and stir the contents of the pot, you just pull the pot on one handle with one arm half or a little more on the silicon pot holder.

If the pot is pulled completely on the pot holder there will be difficulties with pulling it back to the stove later.
Now you can stir, stir, stir,… with one arm to your heart’s content without the pot stirring as well.

Then you pull the pot again back to the stove.

Sounds easy, and it is ;-)

Best try it before with the stove switched off.

These silicon pot holders are also perfectly suitable as non-slip mat and allegedly as jar opener as well.
Best technical aid in my opinion to open jars and bottles, see older blogpost.

Security advice:
I strongly advise against placing especially cast-iron and other pans and pressure cookers on the silicon pot holders because they may exceed the maximum temperature of 230° C.
Never place the pot holders on the stovetop!!!
Application of the tip on your own risk, I assume no liability.

Translator BL

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Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic | 1 Comment »

Eigude Shame XVII

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

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Wheelchair Ramp Occupier

I have currently started to write a few new blogposts.

But these have to wait to be published, because what happened yesterday has to be told…

When I bought a flat back in 2005 still as pedestrian together with my wife and a friendly bank, a parking place directly opposite the entrance was included for a little surcharge as well.

Awesome… Our own parking place in Frankfurt!!!

Unfortunately the parking place is too narrow for me to transfer from the wheelchair into the car, so that I have applied for and got a disabled parking place in the street (see older blogposts).

I have a lot of visitors like physiotherapists, friends and other people who are helping me with various things.

They probably only come that often to use my parking place… ;-)

I have a good relationship with all my neighbours.

One of them owns a couple of taxis which are sometimes parked in our courtyard or street a little unconventionally during driver change, especially when he has new drivers.

Last week at least three times such a beige vehicle was standing on my labelled parking place (see lifter picture), and this even when I had a visitor on Sunday morning, when you don’t know anyway where to park your car!!!

When I met my neighbour on the same day I told him in round terms to tell his drivers that I don’t want to see one of his taxis on my parking place any more.

Yesterday on Friday I descended with my

platform lifter

from my flat in the 1st floor and wanted to leave the house on my Flower Ramp (see older blogposts).

My low blood pressure was healed promptly.

I don’t tend to hyperventilate, but yesterday it was almost the case.

After about 2 minutes and the photo I had calmed down again a little and rang at my
Wheelchair Ramp Occupier:

REMOVE THE TAXI IMMEDIATELY!!!

 

I should mention as well that no car was parking on my parking place.

Translator BL

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Posted in General, Handicap Parking, Chock, Eigude- Shame | 6 Comments »

Football Euro 2012 Part I

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

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2nd win after 1:0 against Portugal.

My car is of course flagged with the “mirror socks“(see older blogpost).

Germany : Holland

2 : 1

Cheers, and bottoms up!

Go Germany…

Click on tag Football to read a lot of stories around the most wonderful pastime in the world.

Translator BL

 

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Posted in General, Car and Hand Throttle, Various, Simply great | No Comments »

Eigude Shame XVI

Friday, June 8th, 2012

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Yesterday, after a long time, I wanted to see a movie at the cinema with my wife.

The seat reservation proved to be a little difficult because this was only possible online, and although you could click on the “one” wheelchair place nothing happened.

I tried to call the cinema several times and learned that after around 30 times ringing you get kicked out the line by the telephone system.

We reserved the two seats next to the wheelchair place (apparently the places were next to each other) and drove with the car to the cinema.

Surprisingly there were actually all two disabled parking places at the rear exit vacant, whereas on one two pedestrians with lots of tools were standing who immediately made room for my “parking”.

I turned my car in a one-way-street and parked the wrong way round because at the pavement side getting off the car is hardly possible for me even with assistance, and my wheelchair loading system is not working properly.
For this purpose I made up an additional “permit card” so that our friendly officers hopefully won’t find a new parking place for me.

“Due to wheelchair loading system parking in opposite direction of travel.”

In the meantime a hired minivan arrived, parked on the other disabled parking place, and the two guys stored away their tools. I didn’t say anything, the loading couldn’t last forever.

At the cinema box office I got the explanation that it was possible to book the wheelchair place online, but sometimes it wouldn’t work. Great…!!
Nevermind, we just had to pay for one ticket, and the wheelchair place was still available.

At half height in the cinema, nobody directly in front, that’s quite nice.
The seat numbers were a bit strange, seat 13 and seat 91, but that would be right.
Some construction engineer has excelled himself. It was probably built according to the latest EU directive for inclusion (equal treatment of handicapped and non-handicapped). Ingenious, our own

wheelchair waiting zone in the cinema.

Praiseworthy, the emergency telephone on the wall and the spacious place directly next to an emergency exit.

Please note the especially high raised

Anti-Snogging-Wall,

which also prevents rigorously undesirable conversations with the companion during the movie.

There was actually just a wall between us and a romantic cinema date.

The movie was great, it even had a guy in a wheelchair.
It played in a country where traditionally fried, amputated amphibian extremities are eaten*.

When I was back at my car I was a little bit annoyed that the minivan was still standing on the second disabled parking place.

I know that the fire protection requirements in a cinema are strict, but

TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!!!

I am still a little unclear about what I should actually wait for in the waiting zone, there was not even anybody coming to sell ice cream.

*France, (frog’s legs) ;-)

Translator BL

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Posted in General, Car and Hand Throttle, Handicap Parking, Chock, Eigude- Shame | 7 Comments »

Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXI

Monday, June 4th, 2012

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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

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Posted in General, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride, Wheelchair Tuning Workshop, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part III

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

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I recommend to each wheeler to ring around 30 minutes before landing for the flight attendant, provided that you can reach the buzzer… and point out that you need assistance at destination to leave the plane.

To be on the safe side I ask additionally that my wheelchair and Minitrac, like officially tagged “Delivery at aircraft” (see older blogpost), should please stay at the plane and not be treated as piece of luggage.

If the wheelchair is lying on the belt for bulky luggage and you are still sitting in the plane the whole thing gets a little annoying.

I also ask for the reason that the pilot can leave some time because he has to wait until I have left the plane.

This can easily take 30 minutes until a kind assistant is coming who might even ask you if you are the “wheelchair“ and able to walk… everything already experienced!!!

During this waiting period you can kill the time by joking with the crew, bumming some nuts and watching the cleaners at work.
Don’t forget to send a crew member down the gangway to look for the wheelchair so that nobody throws it to the baggage cart.

Well, fine…!!!

We were on Mallorca!!!

As usual it took a little longer to leave the plane. I was pleased to hear from a flight attendant that my wheelchair was still standing in front of the plane. Ufff…

I could receive my Minitrac, as “NOT desired” at the baggage claim in the terminal.

A lady from the Spanish handicap service at the airport

sin barreras

with which I already made very good experiences in Tenerife and Lanzarote accompanied me to the baggage belt.

She reminded me a little of the stereotype about the grumpy Spanish waiters…!

The luggage was found quickly, it is anyway always the last on the belt. After the 50th round the sun lotion turns into butter ;-)
The lady wanted to back off already, but there was still something missing, where was my Minitrac!!!

There was no real consent where the Minitrac could be.

After around 20 minutes “Gate 2“ opened and I had won, my Trac was found. Yippie…

Quickly got out of the terminal, the taxi service to the hotel was already waiting, and in record time I was in the hotel in Palma Nova in my room!!!

To be continued

Translator BL

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Posted in General, Holiday | No Comments »