Posts Tagged ‘mobility cup holder’

A few words on Senior Mobility.

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

History is not what it once was. There are many seniors who are finding ways to get out and about as much as they can. But apart from the mobility scooters and the power chairs, mobility companies are making many other products as well. These can range from mobility accessories like a cup holder to an automated lift, which elevates a scooter or wheelchair into a vehicle.

Most power scooters for mobility can come either as a three-wheeled type or the one with four wheels. The main advantage of the three-wheeled type scores over the four-wheeled variant is maneuverability which allows for better control especially when negotiating sharp turns. Pride Mobility, for example, has emerged to become the market leader in the mobile scooter manufacturing industry over the years and sells to large retailers such as the Scooter Store. Both the Pride power chair and the Pride mobility scooters for seniors are extremely popular among customers and thousands see them as the ultimate in quality. Pride enjoys an edge in the market simply because no company can match their smooth and seamless turn made possible by their innovative mid-wheel drive design. This design is patented making the technology quite unique to the company.

Another organization getting involved in senior mobility is AAA. The automotive organization has launched a new senior safety and mobility Web site last June. It includes content and resources based on extensive research, provides families of older drivers with valuable information related to senior mobility challenges and tools to help extend safe driving. The site is called www.AAASeniors.com. There are also areas to assist in handling the difficult discussions about transitioning from driver to passenger.

The site also provides advice about how aging affects one’s ability to drive safely. Visitors to the site will find a step-by-step guide on how to begin a conversation with an older driver about working together to develop a plan for the transition from driver to passenger.

Drivers with peripheral vision loss have trouble seeing traffic signs or cars and pedestrians approaching from the side. Loss of any area of vision affects seeing any object or person and traffic lanes ahead of the driver. Other sites help to get the conversation about senior mobility going between adults and their parents too, and a quick search will yield such locations. A recent survey said 75 percent of adult children hadn’t spoken to their senior parents about driving safety issues.

Mobility Terminology.

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Most people are generally nervous in a new social situation. One of these situations might be when you are meeting an individual with a disability or a handicap. Which term do you use? Perhaps we can help with that.

Disability defines a person who has had an accident or an illness, or some definable medical condition, that results in impairment to their mobility, senses, or mental capacity. A few examples could be paralysis and using a wheelchair due to a car crash, chemical spill that resulted in loss of sight, etc.

Handicap refers to the barrier or difficulty that slows or halts a person’s progress as they try to do something. Think of it as a person in a wheelchair approaching a set of steps. Being in the wheelchair isn’t the handicap, the stairs present the handicap, as wheels on stairs don’t generally work. Mobility accessories generally eliminate or reduce the effect of handicaps.

If unsure, default to disability, but the proper way is to think of the person first, not the disability. For instance it’s not the “deaf person,” but the “individual who is deaf.” First it’s insulting to acknowledge the disability before the individual (the person is still a human being), but also remember there are negative connotations to the words handicapped. As technology advances, certain handicaps are being eliminated, bring us all closer as individuals regardless of our mobility issues. We all view the cup holder as an accessory to drinking.

Lastly the term accessible is used to explain that everyone can use something. There is no in between, either something is accessible or not. The term refers to the federal regulations requiring businesses, buildings, etc. to allow anyone to use their facilities, and easily get into them.

In closing, if you’re unsure on the proper terminology either wait for the person to address their disability or (to avoid awkward situations) just ask them. Not everyone is the same, so what is offensive to one person might not be to another. Just like ethnicities don’t assume that one person facing a handicap or dealing with a disability speaks for others, we’re all individuals after all.

Custom Wheelchairs

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Wheelchairs are a boon to the physically disabled people who cannot walk or move. With the help of these wheelchairs they can move around anywhere and everywhere. Wheelchairs are now often available free of charge at the Information desk of malls, airports, etc. (Although you will probably need to leave some form of identification as security.) Wheelchairs are also accessories to provide the numerous functions depending on the needs of the user. There are wheelchairs for people with extreme paralysis, which can be controlled from anywhere in the body, such as a power chair, whose owner can control the movements with a mouthpiece, but the simplest form is a lightweight manual model.

Wheelchairs are flexible enough to be tailor-made for your requirements by adding reclining and foot rests, seat and legs elevation, tilting, power stand, and spring suspension. You can also use motorized wheelchairs for tight and low-radius turning. Wheelchairs are available in all different shapes and sizes.

The electric powered wheelchairs have become more popular in recent times. Wheelchairs are great inventions that have provided increased mobility and independence for people with temporary or permanent disabilities. Wheelchairs were originally a basic platform on a set of wheels, but these machines have developed many accessories for improvement since they were first used to help people.

Wheelchair users regard their accessories as a form of expression. Wheelchairs have come a long way from the traditional kind of manual to electric and with the attachment of accessories now introducing a new generation of snazzy and jazzy electric wheelchairs for the younger generations. Wheelchairs can also assist those younger individuals who need assistance walking, not just those with paralysis.

Disabled equipment makes moving easier and sometimes help health professionals to better handle older people as well. Some products, like wheelchairs are mobility accessories designed to help with movement while others assist with daily tasks, sometimes things that seem as simple as getting in and out of bed.

Disabled people often want to travel alone, a way in which they can keep their independence, and for this reason lightweight travel wheelchairs are a very much desired piece of equipment. Walking long corridors, like those from check in to an airplane departure gate can cause a huge amount of stress, even to someone who is only partially mobility impaired.

Lightweight wheelchairs provide more flexibility regarding design options for upholstery, arms rest, foot rest, back rest, wheels and casters, and seats. They are made from high quality material like chrome, titanium, aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber. Lightweight travel wheelchairs have changed so much in recent years that they are now cheaper and much more affordable. Ten years ago no one would ever have dreamed that a wheelchair could weigh only 10kgs and still function properly.