Time to invest in new DME...Durable Medical Equipment .

Poles..

There are many to choose from.

At our condo we used the floor to ceiling pole.

When we moved to our home we have cathedral ceilings so we ended up going with a floor mount that we put next to the bed.

Both poles pivot which helps make the transfer much easier. On the floor mount, Curly has it one direction to get out of his chair and another direction to get out of bed.

We personally do not endorse anyone product but have found the ones above to be very useful.

The one that we experienced a problem with was the suction poles. They are approximately 12 “ in length. We tried them at the condo on the bathroom sinks and they let loose. We tried them on the tile in the pool and they would come loose. I noticed on one website they are no longer available. That may be a sign…

Shower wheelchairs... Curly’s original shower wheelchair was starting to rust on the steel frame. Hiede, our caregiver, had mentioned she was afraid it would fall apart. I had started looking a few months ago but there is such a wide range to figure out what you need. A traveling one may be nice, but I don’t think we need to add $600 to $2000 more to the actual price to purchase that type when if you are someplace for an extended time you could rent one.

Yesterday the day came, after Hiede mentioned it I went and looked at the old shower wheelchair and yes, it was ready to break away from the wheel. I searched shower wheelchairs on Amazon…the list went on forever…I thought, this could be a "Curly" project. He suggested we go to AZ Medical in Scottsdale and see if they have any that would work for him. I called first and yes they carried several types. When I walked to the back of the store, we saw the one that they had used when Curly was in skilled nursing.

A white tubular one that is larger than the standard which would fit Curly's frame better. The price was in the moderate range. This chair does not collapse for travel, however, it is so light weight that I can easily put this in the van when we travel. All the DME equipment is different, reason being, what works for one may not work for another.

Traveling ….

Moving forward, we are hoping to meet with major hotels to explain how convenient it would be if they had some of the listed items available for the disabled to use or rent while staying at their facility. We also would like to address the idea of why it would be more beneficial to have the bathroom grab bars go vertical instead of horizontal. Our reason for this is that they install the horizontal bars where the average person can reach. If someone is above average or below in height this makes it almost impossible to use the grab bars for dressing, etc. Vertical would give the different options for height.

One reason why we would appreciate having these items available...when we travel and I bring these items with us it means I need to load everything in the van after Curly gets locked in with his wheelchair. Then when we arrive at our destination I need to unload everything before he can get out of the van. We are spending sometime this summer exploring how hotels and resorts can better accommodate the disabled. Watch our blog for the answers.

Bed Cane

BEASY SLIDE BOARD

SLIDE BOARD

Our last suggestion, take the time to go to a DME store. They have many helpful items for purchase that may make your life easier. Looking on line sometimes we miss them if we don’t know what to look for.

Stay safe... be happy and make it a great week!