Categories
Medical Practice

Prosthetics in the Real (British) World

Sally Young, a Blogger from the UK, has written a self-described “rant” about prosthetics. Sally lost a leg to cancer in 2005, and writes about the changes and events of her life since. Her real-life post about her own experience acquiring a prosthetic through the NHS (British National Health Service) is an interesting counterpoint to my post about high-tech comesis (specifically, silicone coverings for prosthetics) like the one used by Heather Mills. Sally’s Blog is called Out on a Limb: Life After Cancer; her article’s called Grrrr.

Categories
Travel Wheelchairs

EZ Lock to Secure a Wheelchair in a Vehicle

ezlock-bracket.jpgThe son of the previous owners of my dad’s van used a Permobil power wheelchair, and they had installed a Permobil-specific EZ Lock system on the floor of the van. It’s simplicity itself: there’s a bracket on the van floor; a bdocking base attached to the bottom of the power wheelchair clicks into the bracket.

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At Home Books DIY Everyday Gear Gifts Nursing Home

Handmade Helps for Disabled Living

Image of Cover of Handmade Helps BookThe other night when my husband was searching our bookshelves for a copy of Eros and Magic in the Renaissance (don’t ask), he found a copy of a marvelous book I’d picked up years ago. Handmade Helps for Disabled Living (by Stuart Grainger) is a compendium of ideas and projects designed to make living with various disabilities easier.

Categories
At Home Nursing Home

When Food Is More Than Mere Nutrition

Carmen Miranda at the BuffetA few weeks ago, in celebration of National Nutrition Month (that would be March), one of the dietitians at my dad’s nursing home hosted a informational get-together for residents, staff and family members. I wasn’t sure what to expect — probably I had in mind some kind of a part-lecture, part-seminar type of thing — but it turned out to be more like a party than anything else. A party with a message — no, a party with several messages, only some of which turned out to be about nutrition alone.

Categories
Clothing DIY

Bras That Open in the Front

Image of a Zip-Front BraWhile engaging in one of my least favorite activities the other day — bra shopping — a woman standing next to me began grumbling. She was having surgery next month, and her doctor — male — told her to pick up a front-opening bra. “Where am I going to find one of those?” she asked. “Any store,” he said.

Categories
At Home Games/Recreation Gifts Nursing Home

Stimulating Imagination – Storytelling Images

Image of Endless Landscape Laid OutVisits to a nursing home are a critical component of caring for a resident, and rewarding for everyone involved. There’s no denying, though, that they can be difficult as well. If the visits are daily, the difficulties compound — how do you make the time interesting rather than dull and repetitious? Conversation can falter, imagination fail. How do you make interactions mentally stimulating?

Categories
Travel Wheelchairs

Buying a Used Accessible Van – Part 8, Securing the Wheelchair

Image of Wheelchair Vehicle Restraint StrapsIn Parts 1 through 7 of this series of posts, I’ve written about how I found and purchased my dad’s used wheelchair-accessible van. In this, the final article of the series, I explain how we anchor his chair in the van.

Categories
At Home DIY Games/Recreation Gifts Nursing Home

Marble Run for Dexterity and Better Hand Coordination

Image of Wooden Marble Run GamesWhen coordination is difficult, whether from age, injury, surgery or a disability, playing can be the best medicine. These marble run sets are made of wooden blocks with grooves or holes. You stack and arrange the blocks so that marbles roll through them, practicing dexterity all the while.

Categories
Medical Practice

Conceiving a Baby – Fertility in Men with Spinal Cord Injuries

A Stethoscope on a TableI’m old enough to remember the good old days when doctors knew everything, and were mightily insulted if anyone suggested otherwise. I’m smart enough now to recognize that medicine has changed plenty since then, and that it’s patients who had better know as much as possible about their own medical needs. No way a modern doctor will, or can, bring the same focus to your situation that you can and must.