Posts Tagged ‘Tetra Tipps’

Wheelchair Tuning Part XVI

星期二, 十月 26th, 2010

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

Technical Aids Tips und Tricks XIX

星期日, 十月 10th, 2010

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

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XVIII

星期六, 十月 9th, 2010

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

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XVII

星期二, 九月 7th, 2010

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

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XV

星期二, 八月 24th, 2010

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

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XI

星期四, 七月 8th, 2010

Viele Rollifahrer mit einem Rückenmarkschaden können nur noch ein bisschen, oder auch gar nicht mehr schwitzen. Das hört sich im ersten Moment ja ganz nett an:
Keine nassen Klamotten mehr, Knoblauch so viel man will, aber der Deostift trocknet wegen nicht benutzen im Badschrank ein. Ich gehöre auch zum Volkstamm der

Antitranspirantaner (Nichtschwitzer).

Die ganze Sache hat einen kleinen Haken:
Wenn es über 25° C sind und ich mich körperlich ertüchtige, oder auch nur sinnlos in der Sonne herumstehe, steigt meine Körpertemperatur stetig an.
So ab 40° C entschließt sich dann mein Körper den Rolli in Form eines Bodentransfers zu verlassen.
Um diesem entgegenzuwirken bewaffnen wir uns mit einem handelsüblichen

Blumenzerstäuber.

Ich war der festen Überzeugung, dass jeder betroffene Rollifahrer dies kenne, daher hatte ich es noch nie erwähnt, ist aber leider nicht so!
Bei den letzten WM-Spielen, hatten sich ständig Fußgänger meine

Thermospritze

ausgeliehen.
Es lag möglicherweise nur daran, da wir das Dach und die Seiten der Überdachung mit schwarzer Folie abgespannt hatten, damit das Beamerbild besser zu sehen war.
Es waren gefühlte 80°C, aber höchstens 58°C!
Wenn man einen Klettbandabsturzgurt besitzt kann man sich den Zerstäuber ankletten.

So ein Blumenzerstäuber ist Spitze, aber ich warne, der Suchtfaktor ist groß!

Wheelchair Tuning Part XI

星期三, 六月 30th, 2010

Aus gegebenen Anlaß, draußen sind es derzeit um 10:08 Uhr bereits 25,4° mal was aktuelles.

Da ich mit meinen Fingern kaum zugreifen kann, ist es mir nur möglich, meinen Rolli zu bewegen, indem ich mit den Händen gegen die Greifringe/Greifreifen der Laufräder drücke und diese dann nach vorne schiebe.
Dies ist für mich ausschließlich mit gummierten Greifreifen möglich, es sei denn man schiebt mit den Speichen, was doch etwas lästig ist und nicht “geht”, wenn man einen Eingreifschutz für die Speichen hat.
Die Greifringe gibt es schon fertig mit Gummi überzogen, oder als

„Aufgeschnittener Gartenschlauch“ (Greifringüberzug),

den man dann auf einen Standartgreifring aufzieht.

Was da besser oder schlechter ist, muss jeder selbst für sich entscheiden.
Es heißt immer die Greifringüberzüge würden im Sommer wenn es warm ist und das Gummi weich wird, immer von den Greifreifen rutschen.
Diese negative Erfahrung hatte ich auch gemacht.
Man kann da ganz einfach gegensteuern indem regelmäßig so ca. alle 2 Wochen die Greifringüberzüge innen und außen bzw. die Greifringe mit einem alkoholhaltigen Reiniger wie Fensterputzmittel, Spiritus… reinigt.
Die Teile halten dann am Greifring wieder wie festgeklebt.
Jetzt noch ein bisschen Haarspray außen auf den Geifringüberzug und der Ausfahrt zum Baggersee “steht” nichts mehr im Wege.

Ob die am Baggersee eine Hebeanlage zum Wassern haben?

Quadriplegic Tips XVI

星期四, 五月 13th, 2010

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

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks VII

星期四, 四月 1st, 2010

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

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks V

星期二, 三月 2nd, 2010

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

 

Quadriplegic Tips XV

星期二, 二月 23rd, 2010

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

Quadriplegic Tips XIV

星期五, 二月 12th, 2010

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

 

Quadriplegic Tips XIII

星期三, 二月 10th, 2010

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:

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XLVIII

about a really good quadriplegic special knife

from the company www.mehal.de.

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Workshop III

星期二, 二月 9th, 2010

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

 

Quadriplegic Tips XII

星期二, 二月 9th, 2010

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