Posts Tagged ‘Hilfsmittel’

Technical Aids Tips und Tricks XLVI

星期三, 二月 24th, 2016

It is due to the small fouls that wheelers are exposed every day to new challenges. You are blocked in from the side so that you can’t get into your car anymore, during cleaning the toaster is moved back to the wall, or the installation CD is put out of reach on the cupboard. My last week’s highlight was a beeping smoke alarm because the battery was empty when I was lying in my bed. All this is causing an uncontrollable neuron tornado in my head.

Among my favourites are open windows.

In the summer it’s getting warm and in winter quite cold, if the heater below is not running on full power which I can’t reach either.

There are definitely more important reasons to ring at the neighbour’s door than asking them to close an open window. Grrrrrrrrr…

The do-it-yourself store with 20% on everything except for the parts you really need offers a

Hobbit & wheelchair window closer

„almost“ usable in their assortment. However, small construction work needs still to be done.

Just take:

  • min. 1 meter aluminium pipe, thickness 12mm
  • 1 meter aluminium flat bar 15m x 1mm
  • 30 cm hose inner diameter 10mm- 12mm
  • 2x screw M4 x 25mm
  • 2x screw-nut, self-locking M4
  • 1x drill 4 mm with drive mechanism
  • Construction tools for screwing, or a set of healthy teeth ;-)

Cost of material ca. 10,00€

Saw the aluminium bar in ca. 2x 36 cm long pieces and pull the hose on one of the pieces.

Drill a 4 mm hole into all sides of the aluminium bars and the pipe centered with a space of 15 mm from the edge.

Bend the aluminium bar with hose oval e.g. using a bottle and bolt it two-sided with screw and screw-nut on one end of the pipe. This is going to be the window side.

The other aluminium bar is going to be the handle. This can be formed according to hand function or artistic freedom oval, square, round or even heart-shaped, main thing is that the bolting on the pipe is not forgotten.

(My white Vespa scooter from 1992 in the picture below with kick starter is looking for a new master!)

The operating mode of the window closer should be comprehensible, but could on special request be explained personally under phone number 00907/40059449665 for only (1.000.000.000 €/min) by “Bernd das Brot”. (Translator’s note: Reference is made to a satirical sketch to spoof call-in shows on TV, (see also other blogpost).)

All open windows can be closed again now.

And how to open them we will learn tomorrow!!!

The certified re-constructor is obligated to send to the Rollinator a Chilli Pizza online.

Contact: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LXIV

星期日, 二月 14th, 2016

Frontpage

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 ;-)

Translator BW

Wheelchair expedition Sri Lanka Part IV

星期六, 五月 30th, 2015

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Wheelchair expedition Sri Lanka Part II

星期四, 五月 28th, 2015

Next we needed to select the airline. Since Sri Lankan Airlines is the only one that offers direct flights from Frankfurt and also because our friend is a flight attendant with them (a few connections can’t hurt – see older Blog: food on wings), this was our choice. Various airlines from the Gulf States also offer flights to Sri Lanka, but of course not direct.

Sri Lankan Airlines allows 30 kg free baggage per person plus carry-on; my wheelchair plus a second one if needed, would also be free.

However, I had to make some phone calls (my “favorite activity” ), until I got the confirmation that both my bathroom chair “Artosy”, which can be folded to fit in a hard case, as well as other medical aids would be carried for free, even without prior notification.

(Up to then I only knew that all expedients must be declared in advance. This info is as always without guarantee.)

In addition Sri Lankan Airlines still wanted some a kind of a medical form signed by my family doctor. Always something new…

The “International Medical Information Form” was what felt like the eighth fax copy of a micro script in English, which was hard to decipher before translation.

For a readable PDF-version of the questionnaire of Air Berlin click here.

Medizinisches Informationsformular (deutsch): Teil I und Teil II

Medical Information Form (englisch): Part II and Part II

Since I needed some additional vaccinations for precaution, and also a certificate for my meds, my Doc got to see me quite often during the weeks before the vacation.

At the end our luggage pile equaled that of an emigration! Between the 4 of us we hauled 5 suitcases incl. bathroom chair, 3 carry-ons, 1 XL-Wheelchair Backpack and 2 oversized women’s purses. Had there been a film crew from VOX, it wouldn’t have surprised me. However, despite shower chair and other tools we still had 30 kg unused capacity. We only declared my Rolli as special baggage.

Yay, 30kg free luggage for Souvenirs on the return flight – … the creditcard might get hot!

To be continued…

Click here to go to older blogs on the subject of “flying with a wheelchair”

To read all parts of the “Sri Lanka-Series” click here.

Translator BL

Sport News IV

星期一, 四月 27th, 2015

Frontpage

I’ve always been passionate about sport, in particular the Olympics of course, even though I’ve never been there at a live event. Summer or winter Olympics, makes no difference to me. In my previous life I was more of a winter sports enthusiast. For evidence click here.

When I was still in the hospital after my accident in 2008 the Paralympics Games in Beijing were shown on big screen TV during my physiotherapy.

I was particularly impressed with the incredibly fast racing wheelchairs, because at that time I was just able to move about 50 yards in less than six minutes in the hospital hallways without my oxygen tent, or without qualified pushes ;-)

Last week I met with the Tunisian racing wheelchair guy Ahmed Aouadi, who participated in the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 in London. He currently trains as a “lone warrior” for Rio de Janeiro 2016 at a sports club close to my home.

Racing wheeler Ahmed Aouadi

It came to the battle…

Ahmed Aouadi with a racing wheelchair vs.

Rollinator (Wheelynator) with a e-handbike

Even with my motorized hand bike under full engine assistance I didn’t stand a chance against Ahmed. If you look closely, you can see that at about 20 km/h (12.5 mph) every now and then he’s waiting for me.

His INVACARE -Racing wheelchair weighs a mere 6 kilograms (13.4 lbs), which equals the weight of one of the two batteries on my bike. Nevertheless, that is no excuse!

My highest respect for such athletic performance!

I’m not giving up that easily! I might be slow in a wheelchair, but I know how to tune engines ;-)

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LXIII

星期一, 四月 20th, 2015

Rollinator (Wheelinator)-Smartphone-Charging-Plug-Clip

Ever since I joined the folks on wheels, I carry my mobile phone/smartphone on a lanyard close to my heart ; -)

In the rare event that some cable gets wrapped around the rear wheel of the Wheelchair and therefore vehemently denies me to continue my ride, at least then should there be a phone in range.
I don’t think I need to elaborate about the extremely modest battery life of smart phones. Of course, the battery should always be full when out in the wild.

With my crooked fingers it takes me an estimated three minutes daily to stick the Micro USB charger in to the phone to be charged. I just realized that in the last three years I have rendered two full days of my life to my cell phone plug… just great!

The easiest solution to counter this waste of my time appeared to be in the purchase of a cradle charger. Unfortunately, it was not compatible with the leather cover of my phone.
A few years ago I built a holding device for the TV Magazine with just a small metal paper clip. This gave me the idea (see older post).

The perfect size to hold the Micro USB Plug is 20mm x 10mm x 8mm (0.8“ x 0.4” x 0.3”)

Attach a small cable tie and you practically get to plug it in without any finger function and daily blood pressure increase.

The paper clips can be found on the internet, in the stationery shop or after several days of searching maybe in one of your clutter trays.

For other tips on the subject of “tools for restricted finger and hand movement” like me, click here.

Translator BW

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LX

星期五, 一月 16th, 2015

对不起,此内容只适用于EnglishDeutsch

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LVI

星期四, 十月 30th, 2014

 

Startseite des Eigude Blogs

Warme Beine find ich gut!

Nachdem sich der Sommer, sofern man die paar helleren Tage diesen Jahres so nennen kann, sich mit dem nassen Herbst für den Winterschlaf fertig macht, beginnt damit definitiv nicht die Lieblingszeit eines jeden Rollifahrers. Wohl dem, der im Mar y Sol in Teneriffa überwintern kann.

Ich weiß nicht wie es euch geht, aber in dem Moment, nachdem ich die Heizung in der Wohnung aufgedreht habe, ist wird mir und insbesonderen meinen Beinen plötzlich kalt.

Alle Besucher loben die “Sommerlichen Temperaturen” bei mir Zuhause, was ich jedes Jahr mit der Nebenkostenabrechnung bestätigt bekomme, aber meine Beine sind trotzdem kalt, was u. a. mit der fehlenden Bewegung zu tun hat.

Der kälteste Platz ist bei mir ist natürlich unter dem Schreibtisch im Büro, was ich mittlerweile auf “Polar-Trolle” oder “Thermische Eigendynamik” zurückführe.

Ein Bekannter von mir auch Tetraplegiker (Tetra) wie ich, völlig ohne jedes Temperaturempfinden mehr erzählte mir vor ein paar Jahren, er habe sich einmal so lange mit dem Ellenbogen auf dem noch heißen Ceranfeld abgestützt, bis er seinen eigenen Arm gerochen hätte.

Daher kommt bei mir kein Heizlüfter unter den Schreibtisch. Auch ich habe in den Beinen kein Temperaturempfinden mehr.
Nach langer Suche hatte ich mir November 2013 eine

Mobile Infarot- Schreibtischheizung Modell TH190

http://www.schreibtischheizung.de

gefunden. Das Teil ist genial, die Heizung benötigt nur zwischen 90-220 Watt und wird laut Gespräch des Herstellers nicht heißer als 45°C, so dass man diese sogar über den Beinen, unter die Tischplatte schrauben kann.

Die Perspektive täuscht, das Gerät ist ca. 65cm x 45cm x 3cm groß und arbeitet völlig geräuschlos.

Ich benutze meine “Beinheizung” mit dem recht teureren Metallfußständer von rund 40,00€, der nur eine M-förmige verbogene Metallplatte ist, als Standgerät.

Das Gerät hat zwei Temperatur-Einstellungsmöglichkeiten mit kabelgebundener Fernbedienung.
Der Preis der Infarot- Schreibtischheizung liegt mit 189,00€ noch im vernünftigen Rahmen.

Ich kann die Schreibtischheizung wärmsten empfehlen.

Schaut euch doch einmal die Kategorie Winter auf dem Blog an, da gibt’s eine Menge Tipps für Rollifahrer!!!

Hier geht’s,…ääh… fährt man direkt zur

Startseite des Eigude Blogs

Warme Beine find ich gut!

Nachdem sich der Sommer, sofern man die paar helleren Tage diesen Jahres so nennen kann, sich mit dem nassen Herbst für den Winterschlaf fertig macht, beginnt damit definitiv nicht die Lieblingszeit eines jeden Rollifahrers. Wohl dem, der im Mar y Sol in Teneriffa überwintern kann.

Ich weiß nicht wie es euch geht, aber in dem Moment, nachdem ich die Heizung in der Wohnung aufgedreht habe, ist wird mir und insbesonderen meinen Beinen plötzlich kalt.

Alle Besucher loben die “Sommerlichen Temperaturen” bei mir Zuhause, was ich jedes Jahr mit der Nebenkostenabrechnung bestätigt bekomme, aber meine Beine sind trotzdem kalt, was u. a. mit der fehlenden Bewegung zu tun hat.

Der kälteste Platz ist bei mir ist natürlich unter dem Schreibtisch im Büro, was ich mittlerweile auf “Polar-Trolle” oder “Thermische Eigendynamik” zurückführe.

Ein Bekannter von mir auch Tetraplegiker (Tetra) wie ich, völlig ohne jedes Temperaturempfinden mehr erzählte mir vor ein paar Jahren, er habe sich einmal so lange mit dem Ellenbogen auf dem noch heißen Ceranfeld abgestützt, bis er seinen eigenen Arm gerochen hätte.

Daher kommt bei mir kein Heizlüfter unter den Schreibtisch. Auch ich habe in den Beinen kein Temperaturempfinden mehr.
Nach langer Suche hatte ich mir November 2013 eine

Mobile Infarot- Schreibtischheizung Modell TH190

http://www.schreibtischheizung.de

gefunden. Das Teil ist genial, die Heizung benötigt nur zwischen 90-220 Watt und wird laut Gespräch des Herstellers nicht heißer als 45°C, so dass man diese sogar über den Beinen, unter die Tischplatte schrauben kann.

Die Perspektive täuscht, das Gerät ist ca. 65cm x 45cm x 3cm groß und arbeitet völlig geräuschlos.

Ich benutze meine “Beinheizung” mit dem recht teureren Metallfußständer von rund 40,00€, der nur eine M-förmige verbogene Metallplatte ist, als Standgerät.

Das Gerät hat zwei Temperatur-Einstellungsmöglichkeiten mit kabelgebundener Fernbedienung.
Der Preis der Infarot- Schreibtischheizung liegt mit 189,00€ noch im vernünftigen Rahmen.

Ich kann die Schreibtischheizung wärmsten empfehlen.

Schaut euch doch einmal die Kategorie Winter auf dem Blog an, da gibt’s eine Menge Tipps für Rollifahrer!!!

Hier geht’s,…ääh… fährt man direkt zur

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LV

星期四, 十月 23rd, 2014

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Addendum Technical Aids Tips and Tricks IXL

星期一, 十月 6th, 2014

Frontpage

I have nominated the FreeWheel 2012 as technical aid of the year.

I don’t want to repeat the whole blogpost here, so please see yourself the Blogpost 2012 FreeWheel.

It is a spoked wheel in the size of a children’s bicycle which you can clamp to the footrest in front of your wheelchair. This thing is ingenious and in permanent use for me.

Uneven paths, curbs, cobble stone, sand, gravel, grass and of course snow are no barrier anymore with the FreeWheel.

In the past the FreeWheel was only available for rigid frame wheelchairs. I bought from the inventor Patrick Dougherty his sample wheel for the trade fair and clamped it by magic on my foldable wheelchair with end-to-end footrest.

I sent him the pictures of my variant of wheelchair adaption, and he gave some thought about an adaptor.

After 2 years of development there is officially a FreeWheel Adaptor for foldable wheelchairs available since spring 2014.

Unfortunately only for wheelchairs with split footrest, as far as I understood.

FreeWheel adaptor for foldable wheelchairs

For questions as usual please contact: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LIV Rehacare 2014

星期三, 十月 1st, 2014

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Technical Aids for Quadriplegics Part XVII

星期三, 九月 17th, 2014

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LII

星期三, 七月 16th, 2014

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Wheelchair Tuning Part IXXXX

星期四, 四月 10th, 2014

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks LI

星期三, 四月 9th, 2014

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch