Equipment

I thought it might be useful if I did a blog, about the equipment I use to help me in my everyday life.  I hope some of the things I use will be helpful to others, and will help people to see what options there are available.

The biggest piece of equipment, and here I'm using the term in its loosest form, is where I live.

In 2005, I was living in a two bedroom terraced house on the outskirts of Croydon.  I had bought the house cheaply, as it needed quite a lot of work doing to it, some I could do myself as it was mostly cosmetic.  But the big draw back with the house was the stairs.  These were very steep and climbing them was a bit like scaling the north face of the Eiger, especially at the end of the day, and coming down, once gravity got to work, was a bit like going down the Cresta Run.

Well one Sunday morning I got up to go to the bathroom, which was downstairs at the back of the house, and I lost my footing on one of the top steps and fell all the way down.  I wasn't hurt and was able to reach a phone and called a friend to come and help me up, but as I lay there I started to think about how easily I'd gone down and what a struggle the stairs were, and decided I needed to sell up and get somewhere on one floor.

I had also been told on many occasions that I was heading for a wheelchair - that's a story for another time - so my current house was also completely impractical if that were to happen.

I was lucky to sell the house for almost double what I had bought it for, and this allowed me to buy a bungalow in a nice area.  I moved in on 19th December 2005.

Front of the bungalow - hiden by the bushes

 



 

Back of the bungalow

 

The bungalow needed some work, but it gave me a chance to live in it and take my time to adapt it to my needs.  One of the first thing I did was get the back garden, dug up and replaced with paving with raised beds, and generally make it more wheelchair friendly.

 

One year after

 

A rare photo of me, stood up, and displaying my Pred/Guinness gut.  Now you can see why I don't have many picture's of myself!

 

I then went to work on the front garden, getting all the bushes covering the windows dug out, and then removing all the grass, which was basically the foxes playground.  I then had a new wall built at the front, with a flower bed behind, and then  put in hard standing for a car, and paved the driveway properly.

 

The front of the house revealed

 

I had grab rails placed outside both the front and back doors to help me get in and out of the doors.  Along the side of the bungalow, social services fitted a bar from the front corner to the front door, to provide support walking to the door.  The irony is, that they fitted this whilst I was in hospital, and when I came out I could no longer walk, so I've never used it.

 

Once I had sorted the exterior out, I started to look into what needed doing inside.  The bathroom is small, but was very cramped as whoever had designed its layout before had tried to cram one of everything in.  Again, thinking ahead to a potential wheelchair and the access needed, I decided to look into getting a wet-room fitted.

 

The cost of this wasn't actually as high as I had anticipated, and with good design, I managed to maximise the space, as well as making it a functional area for a wheelchair user.

 

One thing I did spend a lot on was the shower.  Having a nice hot shower first thing in the morning is one of lifes great pleasures - for me anyway - so having a good, reliable shower is important to me.  I purchased an Aqualisa shower.  These were recommended to me as being one of the best showers arround, and it has certainly proved to be money well spent.  It has a processing box in the loft, which the water is feed through and mixed so that when it comes out of the shower head, its at exactly the temperatiure you require, and once at that temperature, it stays there. 

 

It also has a remote control.  This means that I can turn the shower on, without sitting underneath it, and let it get to the required temperature, before going under.  Now having to use a mobile shower chair, under normal circumstances my carer would put me in the shower and turn it on, and I'd have the cold water go over me.  With this I can sit to one side and then wait until the water is going through at my required temperature and then move underneath it.

 

I also have a tap that activates with a sensor when you put your hands underneath.  This saves me having to reach for a tap lever to turn on/off.  It has a battery unit in the cabinet underneath, which powers it, and uses 4 x AA batteries.  It is a mixer tap and you can pre-set the maximum temperature, so that it doesn't run too hot.

 



Sensor Tap

 



Unfortunately, as my bathroom is fairly small, its difficult to photograph, but there are some pictures of it, along with the remote control for the shower, on the video I've done to accompany this blog.

 

To help me shower, I use long handle sponges, which can be bent so that you can reach all your bits!.  Using these I can pretty much shower myself without my carer having to help me, except for washing my hair.

 

 

 

Long handle sponge

 



I also have a shower chair/commode, which I use to showr on, and which we also use to push me over the toilet if I need to open my bowels.

 

If, like me, you have difficulty in reaching to clean yourself after opening your bowels, then you might find a "Bottom Wiper" useful.  When I was in rehab, about 5 years ago, the OT looking after me, suggested that I use one.  She described it as,"A metal bar, with a spikey bit at the end for wiping your bottom."  Ouch!!!

 

Well, its not very much like that, as you can see from the picture below.

 

 

 

Bottom wiper

 



Basically, you wrap toilet paper round the end - in the pictire its the end at the bottom of the picture -  and then holding the other end you can reach under and wipe yourself.  Its great - easy to use, hygienic, gets the job done - and saves any embarrassment if you need help, and you can keep your dignity.  They also come in a folding travel versions, which can be discreetly carried with you.  I'm always surprised that me carers have never seen one, as it would save them needing to clean people, and give people more independence.

 

The floor in the bathroom is a non-slip flooring, which covers the whole floor, and even when wet it is completely non-slip.

 

I also have two grab rails either side of the shower which I used for stability in the shower when I used to be able to stand, and which now, mum finds useful.

 

Shortly after having had the bathroom done, I was the hospitalised, and when I came out I was in the wheelchair. 

 

One of the first jobs that needed doing was to make the kitchen accessible to me.  When I moved in the kitchen was a very narrow, galley style kitchen, and I would not have been able to get in it, in my wheelchair.  So we knocked out the wall between the kitchen and living room, and made it open plan, with one of the work surfaces in the kitchen, making the division between the two areas.  This then allowed us to pinch some of the living room space to make the kitchen wider.

 

The worktop on the area which forms the division, is the normal height for a kitchen worktop, with the units being a standard size, and housing the fridge, freezer and a small dishwasher.  On the other side of the kitchen, the worktop has been designed to be at a lower lever, with some lower units, and a gap between the units and under the sink, so that I can pull myself upto the work surface with my legs and wheelchair fitting underneath.  This allows me to be able to work, on a work surface at a height, that suits me.  You'll be able to see this in the video, when you see me making a cup of tea.

 

Instead of conventional cupboards below the worktops, I have draw units of various sizes.  These are easier for me to open and reach into from my wheelchair, rather than having to bend and reach the shelves in cupboards.  Both the fridge and freezer have pull out draws.  All the draws and the upper cupboards, have soft closing mechanisms.

 

In the kitchen, I use a Tefal Express Boil, which you can see me use in the video.  Basically you can put a cup under the spout, press a button and get a cupful of boiling water.  You can set the cup size, so you only get enough water for whatever size cup you are using, and as it only boils the water you need, its more enegry efficient, and therefore better for the environment.



Tefal Express Boil

 

 

I also use an electric tin opener, which you just put on top of the can, press a button and it the works its way round cutting the top off the tin, and a jar opener, which gives you extra leverage on those difficult to open jars.

 

Electric tin opener

 

Jar opener

 

In the living room I have two pieces of equipment.  The first is my riser/recliner armchair.  This is a Doge armchair, and is basically a standard riser/recliner, with two adaptations.  The arm on the right hand side pivots up and back, so that I can pull my wheelchair along side and transfer in and out using my transfer board.  This arm is shown in the video.  Also when it rises, rather than tipping forward as most of these armchairs do, this just rises vertically.  This allows me to adjust the height of the seat to enable me to transfer safely, without changing the angle of the seat. 

 

The cushion on the seat of the armchair is a water cell cushion, which effectively means that it is made up of small cells filled with water.  This allows the seat to move to fit how you are sitting, to provide the most support and comfort, and, most importantly, to prevent pressure sores.

 

The other piece of equipment in the living room is an electronic door opener that is fitted to the patio doors.  My front door is too narrow for me to be able to get through it in my wheelchair, and as we have a shared driveway between properties, it would be impractical to have a ram outside the front door. 

 

Opening and closing doors is one of the most difficult things to do on my own from my wheelchair.  It means leaning forward and reaching for a handle, which is often too high to reach, and then trying to pull the door, whilst manoeuvring the wheelchair, all without falling out of the chair and holding a door that's usually too heavy.

 

The patio door is fitted with an electronic door opener.  I simply push a button on a key fob, a bit like a car remote, and the door is released and opens.  I can go out and the press the fob again and the door closes, and locks behind me.  This enables me to be able to go in and out as I want, when I want, and to be able to lock the door securely behind me.  This is demonstrated on the video, but unfortunately the device isn't shown very clearly.

 

The patio door has a level threshold, with the floor inside, so there is no framework from the door to get over, and this leads onto my ramp, which was built for me by a friend.

 

In my bedroom I have an electric bed that works like a hospital bed, but doesn't look like one.

 



My bed

 

When I first bought the bed it was a double, as in the picture, but when I was in hospital, and it was apparent that I would need help from carers, and we needed more room in the bedroom.  A friend, who is a carpenter, came and cut the bed in half, fitted extra feet, and then on the sides he had cut fitted leather to hide the cuts.  This then gave me two electric single beds, and mum now uses the other.

 

On the side of the bed I have a bed lever, similar to the one shown in the picture below.  The upright part of the bar can be lifted out, so that it isn't in the way when I'm getting into bed, but I can hold the bar and pull on this, as my carer helps me get upright and sat on the side of the bed in the mornings.

 

Bed lever 

 

I also have my BiPap machine which I use during the night to help me breath properly.  I have been using this for about 8 years and find that using it gives me a full nights sleep, usually without me snoring, and that I wake up refreshed in the mornings.  There is a picture of this shown in the video.

 

At night I use a fleece neck support pillow.  I have used this for about 2 years now.  I started to find that in the morning my neck would be stiff and weak.  I tried various different neck support pillows but found that this fleece one provides the right amount of support, still allows me to be able to move my head and neck, and also that the fleece keeps me neck warm, stopping any stiffness.

 



 

 Fleece neck support pillow - not modelled by me

 

I also have an Oxycycle, which I can use to exercise my legs, with the help of an electric motor, which helps to maintain the movement in my legs.  I don't use this as much as I should because it's exhausting to use, but mainly, as I need help getting my feet into the pedal straps, which means mum lifting my feet.

 

 

Oxycycle

 

I do find this is very useful, and although it is exhausting, it always feel nice to get my legs moving, and my heart pumping a bit more than normal.  You could also use this to exercise your arms and shoulders, but its too heavy for mum or me to lift onto a table.

 

I have long handle grabbers in most rooms, in case I drop things, and I've become pretty adept in picking up most things, even my pills on the odd accasions I drop these.

 

Long handle grabber

 

I also have a system which was set up by a company called Possum, which is an electronic device that allows be to perform certain functions from an electronic box and screen.  With this I can open and close the patio door, I can turn on and off lights, without using the switches on the wall, I can answer the phone or make calls without having to pick up the phone, I can control the TV and DVD player remotely.  It also allows me to answer the door remotely, by activating an intercom so I can speak to the person at the door and the release the door if I want them to come in.

 

This system can be set up for a whole range of different options depending on the users needs.  This was given to me by a charity so I only have a very basic package, but you could use it for a far wider range of options.

 

 

Possum control box

 

This box can be fitted to my chair, or to a bar on my bed, so that I can use it anywhere without having to carry it around in my hands.

 

I have had one small internal wall taken down, which just makes it easier getting from the bedrooms, and front door into the living room.

 

In addition to this I have a least one double electical socket in each room raised to a height where it is easy for me to reach, and all of the light switches have been lowered and fitted with large switches, making them easy to reach but also easy to turn on/off.

 

I only have one internal door in the bungalow, which is the door to my mums bedroom.  This just makes it easier for me getting round in my wheelchair and lessens the chances of me chipping paintwork.

 

Shortly after being in a wheelchair I had all the carpets removed from the bungalow and replaced by wooden flooring.  This flooring is used in small shop and office units, and can withstand a greater weight than most domestic flooring.  This is important with the weigth of my powered wheelchair. Its amazing how much muck I bring in on the tyres of my wheelchair and having wooden floors just makes it easier to keep clean.

 

 

Inside with the wooden floor

 

I think that just about covers everything, but I'm sure as soon as I post this I'll remember something else.  The video below just gives a brief view of some of the items shown above.  Its not quite as good or clear as I had perhaps intended, but then again I'm no Steven Spielberg.  I do not have a proper microphone so have put on a soundtrack to cover my various noises.  The music is "A Design for Life" by Manic Street Preachers.  The title just seems appropriate.  I hope is gives you some idea.

 



 

I hope you have enjoyed what has become a rather longer than anticipated look at the things I have and use to make my life easier, and to help me live as independently as possible.  If you have any questions about anything, please ask, or if you have equipment you use that you think may help me, then I'd be happy to hear from you.