Posts Tagged ‘Tipps und Tricks’

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXVIII

星期五, 一月 18th, 2013

The medically proven positive effect of hop blossom ice tea, or disdainfully just called beer, is generally known.

“Cold wheat soup” dope

is extensively carried out, especially in Bavaria with state recognition.

If you are not able to remove the crown cap of the medicine bottle any more due to the paralysis of your hands, illness, stroke or too much doping, there is only one thing to help, the

One-arm-hop-blossom-ice-tea-bottle-opener

Source of supply of this ingenious aid without medical device number is amongst others

the company www.Mehal.de

I have already reported about their knife holder (see older blogpost).

Here is a link to other helpful special openers:

Type I bottle / jar opener

Type II bottle / jar opener

2. self-developed technical aid, my medicine bottle opener

Type I canpull opener

Type II can opener

Security advice: Too much doping can influence the driving characteristics of your wheelchair substantially.

Special thanks to Technical Aids Stuntman Ochim, who immediately volunteered to test the opener with video evidence.

Translator BL

 

(Deutsch) Hilfsmittel Tipps und Tricks XXVII Angebot 2013

星期三, 一月 9th, 2013

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Winter tip

星期一, 十二月 10th, 2012

Prepare – put salt on the ground BEFORE the snow falls!

2 years ago I had the biggest difficulties in winter to get from my wheelchair into the car.

After the snow fell, it froze on the ground to a single layer of ice right next to my door. This caused my wheelchair during transfer to constantly slip which was terrible :-(

After my friends had removed the ice shelf next to my “Ferrari”, came the nice men from the county road service to clean the street and pushed a mountain of snow right next to my car.

So I still could not get in to the car!!!!!

Before the next snow fall I had all of a sudden salt already laying there next to my door for immediate defrosting. Miraculously, the salt seems to be falling from the sky, as there is hardly ever any ice and snow on the road next to my “Pole”…!!!!!

Translator BW

Winter Special 2012

星期五, 十一月 30th, 2012

Here is a collection of links with tips and odd stories around the subject winter.
Sorry, but not all blogposts referred to are translated yet!!! More to follow…

Wheelblades, wheelchairski

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=9362&lang=en translated!

FreeWheel

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=15468&lang=en translated!

Put salt next to the car before snow falls…!!!

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=15740

Reflectors and Illumination

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=5699&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4162&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=882&lang=en translated!

Moutainbike Winter Tyres

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=1311&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4829&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=2068&lang=en translated!
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4759&lang=en translated!

Wheelchair auxiliary snow chains

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4928&lang=en translated!

Running direction of “Schwalbe” tyres

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=2271&lang=en translated!

Wheelchair tyre cleaning carpet

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=1328&lang=en translated!

Wheelchair tyre slippers

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=3298&lang=en translated!

Christmas Tree remote control

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4397&lang=en translated!

Special wheelchair for removing snow

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4239&lang=en translated!

Story referring to the picture

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4582

Miscellaneous

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=750
http://www.eigude.de/blog/?p=4636

If you have good ideas, as usual e-mail to rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks IXL

星期四, 十一月 15th, 2012

对不起,此内容只适用于EnglishDeutsch

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XLVIII

星期五, 十一月 2nd, 2012

Since I am rolling through the world for 5 years now, I have another enemy besides disabled parking place occupiers, namely doors.

These mostly white pieces are slowly turning into a phobia.

Not so easy to pull the door shut when you are standing… eh, sitting in your own way.

Hold the handle tight, roll backwards and mind not to fall forward if possible, or to do a backflip with the wheelchair.

In hospital I already had a long ribbon with which I was always fishing for the door handles. This ribbon is still hanging on the door of my flat and is serving its purpose.

I hate my own kitchen door, it is one meter wide. I only say:

No arms, no cookies…!!!

Only the door knows why I haven’t hung such a ribbon on my beloved kitchen door during the last 4 years.

The blue-yellow nordic timber worms offer drawer handles in all designs, sizes and colours. There were no more hurdles for the

kitchen door tuning.

A mate has screwed such a handle on my favourite door from the inside.
Now I can eventually close the door even when I am already standing in the corridor.

Because the screws have to be very long I recommend to immediately take threaded bars (on IKEA handles mostly thread M4), and saw it off to size only at the end.

If you leave the bars a bit longer you can even mount two towel hooks at the inside on the door.

Tip, always drill the holes from outside to inside and use an air level.

Looks a bit like a towel rail, I like it. Next, the door of my flat will be refurbished.

Before spot-drilling the entrance door it can’t do any harm to integrate the landlord in selecting the handles.

Translator BL

 

Wheeler book tip part I

星期四, 十月 25th, 2012

One of the reasons why I was at the book fair 2012 in the beautiful Frankfurt was to meet again my friend and author Roberto Sastre in person.

Many fellow wheelers keep a diary already in the hospital after their accident. Writing as is known is medicine as well. So did my friend who wrote down his experiences from the start (as skilled IT guy of course in an internet blog).

This blog has been so successful that he was forced a little to publish it as a book.

His writing style is unique. He manages with his easy cynical style to describe the beginning as wheeler rookie so that articulations like ehhh, ouch, ahaaaaaaaaaaa are totally normal while reading.

The book may not be so suitable to read in a train.

Everybody who liked the movie “The Intouchables” gets his money’s worth with Sastre. The book is called

Rolling Thunder,

(ISBN/EAN: 9783845006550) you have to read it, a little bit like:

” Everything you always wanted to know about spinal cord injury but were afraid to ask”

 

His next literary act is a crime story,

Bender’s 1st case “Blackout”

(ISBN/EAN: 978-3-8450-0962-9) which is set in Frankfurt. An excellent book!!!

Private investigator Bender is of course a wheelchair using ex-commissar, with a van type “A-team” and an a little bit modified electric wheelchair with the name Elsbeth.

His own vehicle is a bit customized as well.

The book starts with the sentence: This book is made-up from the beginning to the end…

I don’t believe this, I even have the suspicion that he has hacked my computer, stolen my latest research results of most innovative wheelchair reconstruction and published them in his book. ;-)

Extract from this novel:

As already said, you can build a lot into such an electric wheelchair.
In Rehab I have met Steffen.
He is totally nuts, has the weirdest ideas, and I and my electric wheelchair always have to suffer. With the result that my batteries are constantly empty.

Until Steffen had the idea with the fuel cell. Had almost cost me my wheelchair.
Because my bottom sustained a slight fire damage I let the hospital check it first…

“Now you’ve got a micro turbine.
There is a new bearing material. Special ceramics. Doesn’t need greasing, nor cooling. Is whistling a bit, but I’ll still carry that off.

From naught to fifty in 2.6 seconds. A bottle of camping gas every 4 weeks.
And I built in a small surprise for you.”

I can recommend those two books out of my deepest conviction, there is so much info inside, and even in a splendid packaging!!!

Translator BL

Technical Aids for Quadriplegics Part X

星期四, 九月 27th, 2012

One of the biggest difficulties for us quadriplegics is opening screw caps of jars and bottles.

The variant to beat them up with a hammer or to throw the jars and bottles in the easiest way on the floor to open them is working excellently, but proved out to be inefficient in practice after a longer test phase.

I have reported already several times about special openers, (see older blogposts).

As self-confessed roamer on websites of the most different online medical supply stores I have found two new models made from silicone. The sunflower bottle opener

Model Geniosa

is working quite well, but needs getting used to. The

blue jar opener

has convinced me completely with its splines on the in- and outside whereby it gets a good grip, and is in my opinion even a little bit better than its competitor product of the company Dycem, whose products I think are excellent.

Source of supply of both items at www.dein-sanitätshaus.de

I assume no responsibility for an aching head on the next day after an extensive test series of the openers with e.g. a bottle of vodka and a jar of figs ;-)

Translator BL

Sport News IV

星期五, 八月 31st, 2012

Paralympic Computer Tip

After the broadcasting marathon of the TV stations at the Olympic Games I am a bit disappointed that no live sport from the Paralympics is broadcasted in the evening programme.

Yesterday evening at wheelchair basketball there was right in the opening match of the group stage a new edition of the European championship final

Germany vs. Great Britain.

No German TV station has broadcasted the match, it’s a shame!!!

On the official website of the Paralympics http://www.paralympic.org there are several live streams in English and Spanish available with the various disciplines.

It was working for me only after installing the Plugin “octoshape streaming service” and “Adobe Flash Player 11.4″.

I had then connected my laptop with a HDMI cable to my TV and watched the match!!!

After a thrilling match revenge was taken and

Germany won 77:72 after extra time!!!

Translator BL

Addendum Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XLVI

星期五, 八月 24th, 2012

Addendum to blogpost from 01. November 2011 about a self-constructed

window opener for wheelers.

From a fellow wheeler I have got the tip that she is using a window opener of the company

www.w-invention.de

for years and is very happy with it.

Source: w-invention.de

I had a closer look at this part in the internet and agree with her.

For buckled fingers like me with limited finger function the handle would have to be modified a little.

I consider the price as fair, which is probably because this window opener unfortunately doesn’t have a medical device number.

If someone should manage to convince his health insurance to cover the costs for this useful technical aid please send me a short message.

Again thanks for this tip to Bärbel from Berlin.

If you have more tricks on your mind, as usual e-mail to: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

Addendum article Cooling Vest

星期三, 七月 18th, 2012

对不起,此内容只适用于Deutsch

Addendum Technical Aids Tips and Tricks VII

星期四, 七月 12th, 2012

I have already reported on 01.04.2010 about a

vertical magnet key holder

(see older blogpost).

It is nothing new that a wheeler is wearing a couple of key chains every now and then.
Slowly this technique gets a little annoying and a bit out of hand…!!!

(picture is not faked!!!)

If the chains are collectively lying around, for no apparent reason a Gordian knot is formed again and again. I explain this by the momentum.

Therefore I have meanwhile established a key chain

hanging board parking place.

Maybe I should sort the key chains by spectral colours.

Translator BL

 

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks Part LI

星期三, 六月 27th, 2012

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

 

Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXI

星期一, 六月 4th, 2012

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

 

Technical Aids and Tricks Part L

星期一, 五月 7th, 2012

I have found a great technical aid to open canned staple food, with fish, instant noodles, goulash soup, wieners, Coke, Bed Rull, beer and cider.

The Canpull opener was awarded with a design prize, the unofficial Oscar for household items of all kind.

One reason more for an extensive Rollinator test as I always had ambivalent feelings towards designer parts. From experience, unfortunately modern appearance and functionality rarely fit together.

This is not the case with the

Canpuller and Soda Snap

With one side

dog, cat and human food cans

can be opened tetra easily.

A small plastic nose clicks into the ring-pull of the can so that the Canpuller doesn’t slip off when it is bent for opening. This is working without problems.

Unfortunately the Canpuller doesn’t help against the burning lips if three chilli peppers are displayed on the “devil’s goulash” can. I am currently a little handicapped.

The other side of the award winner is suitable to open beverage cans in record time.

Thus you can pass an opened can of Prosecco to your colleague even after the eight successful test series with hop blossom ice tea cans of which the content was professionally disposed into the gorge.

This can opener is a well-thought-out and functional technical aid.

Source of Supply: http://www.desicare.de

I give to the Canpuller 4,5 out of 5 possible Golden Steering Forks.

Half a steering fork had to be deducted because manual hands-on is still necessary.

Another type of can opener, (see older blogpost).
An ingenious bottle opener, (see older blogpost).

Translator BL