Posts Tagged ‘Quadriplegic Tips’
Tuesday, 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:Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Quadriplegic Tips
Posted in Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Pimp My Ride | 2 Comments »
Saturday, 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 Düsseldorf, but I didn’t see the key holder any more.
Translator BL
Tags:Grip, Opener, Key, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Tuesday, 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:Fire, Grip, Heater, Technical Aids, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Tuesday, 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:Rotary Knob, Fire, Bottles, Grip, Technical Aids, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Frontpage
Many wheelchair drivers with a spinal cord injury are only able to sweat a little bit, or not at all anymore. This sounds rather nice for one moment.
No wet clothes any more, garlic as much as you like, and the deodorant stick dries from non-using in the bathroom cabinet. I also belong to the tribe of the
Antiperspirantians (Non-sweaters).
There is just one hitch:
If it is more than 25° C and I am physically active, or just standing around meaningless in the sun, my body temperature rises constantly.
From 40° C my body decides to leave the wheelchair with a floor transfer.
To counteract this we arm ourselves with a customary
water sprayer for flowers.
I was absolutely convinced that each wheelchair driver concerned would know this, thus I had never mentioned it before, but unfortunately this is not the case!
At the last World Cup pedestrians have constantly borrowed my
thermo sprayer.
It was possibly due to the fact that we covered the roof and the sides of the roofing with black plastic sheets in order to better see the beamer picture.
There were perceived 80° C, but maximum 58°C!
If you have a belt out of Velcro tape you can fix the sprayer to it.
Such a water sprayer is great, but I am warning it’s highly addictive!
Addendum, an ingenious aid: Click on tag “cooling vest and cooling cap“
Translator BL
Tags:Flowers, Blumenspritze, Football, Technical Aids, Cooling Cap, Cooling Vest, Sweat, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Selbstgebaute Hilfsmittel, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Frontpage
In light of the current situation, outside we have currently at 10:08 h already 25,4° C, something topical.
Because I can hardly grasp with my fingers it is only possible for me to move my wheelchair when I press my hands against the hand rims of the driving wheels and push them forward.
This is only possible for me with rubberized hand rims, unless I push with the spokes which is a little inconvenient and not possible if you have spoke protectors.
The hand rims are available readily coated with rubber, or as
“sliced hosepipe“ (hand rim cover),
which you pull over on a standard hand rim.
Everybody has to decide for himself what is better or worse.
It is said that the hand rim covers would slip from the hand rims in the summer when it is warm and the rubber gets soft.
I have made the same negative experience.
You can counteract very simple if you clean the hand rim covers approximately all two weeks from in- and outside respectively the hand rims with an alcoholic cleaner like window cleaner, rubbing alcohol,…
The covers stick afterwards to the hand rim like glued.
Now a little bit of hairspray outside on the hand rim cover, and there is nothing in the way of a trip to the swimming lake.
If they have a lift to water at the swimming lake?
Translator BL
Tags:Grip, GreifringĂĽberzug, Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Quadriplegic Tips
Posted in General, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Pimp My Ride, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Frontpage
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
Tags:Letters, BĂĽro, Grip, Technical Aids, Nail File, Paper, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Selbstgebaute Hilfsmittel, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Frontpage
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
key hooks
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
vertical magnet key holder.
Watch out, there are two types.
One of the holders just succeeds to prevent a paper clip from falling down. 
Translator BL
Tags:Fishing, Grip, Technical Aids, Magnet, Key, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks, Home
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Selbstgebaute Hilfsmittel, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
Frontpage
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:
remote-controlled electrical sockets!!!
A remote-controlled Christmas Tree lighting is quite nice.
(see other blogpost)
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
mice piano
.
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
Tags:Funksteckdosen, Grip, Technical Aids, Light, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks, Christmas, Home
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Frontpage
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
Tags:Grip, Technical Aids, Paper, Cut, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Frontpage
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,
zip fastener
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
clip for braces + key ring or tie wrap
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
silicon oil
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
Tags:Grip, Technical Aids, Tie Wrap, Zipper, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Selbstgebaute Hilfsmittel | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Frontpage
Here comes a for insiders quite well-known technical aid!!!
I will call it
Angle knife.
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.
Addendum:
Read the blogpost
Link:
about a really good quadriplegic special knife
from the company www.mehal.de.
Translator BL
Tags:Food, Grip, Technical Aids, Kitchen, Cut, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Frontpage
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
Tags:BĂĽro, Grip, Technical Aids, Tie Wrap, Telephone, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Selbstgebaute Hilfsmittel, Quadriplegic Workshop | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Frontpage
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?
rollinator@eigude.de
Translator BL
Tags:Grip, Kitchen, Tetra Pak, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks, Drink
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
