Jun 28

These statistics are appalling. Only three out of 10 adults are active enough to stay healthy and fit. Almost four out of 10 admit that they are not active at all, despite reams of research proving that exercise is a powerful defense, and sometimes an antidote, for disability and illness.

Regular physical activity makes an enormous difference to the quality and length of your life, a fact underscored by hundreds of concrete studies. Briefly, exercise does the following:

1. It lessens the likelihood of getting heart disease. Exercising regularly may increase the number of blood vessels feeding the heart, help prevent plaque buildup by striking a healthier balance of blood lipids, and help arteries retain resilience despite the effects of aging. Even if you already have heart disease, exercise lowers your chances of dying from it.

2. It lowers blood pressure, a benefit for many body systems. Long-term high blood pressure doubles or triples the odds of developing heart failure and helps pave the path to other kinds of heart disease, stroke, aortic aneurysm, and kidney disease or failure.

3. It helps prevent diabetes by getting rid of excess weight, modestly lowering blood sugar levels, and boosting sensitivity to insulin so that your body needs less of it. If you have diabetes, exercise helps control blood sugar.

4. It reduces the risk for developing cancers of the colon, breast, uterus, and prostate. By helping you attain a healthy weight, exercise also lessens your risk for other cancers in which obesity is a factor.

5. It helps support bones, which reach peak density and strength during the first three decades of life. Over time, bones become lacier and weaker as density slips away. When combined with calcium, vitamin D, and bone-saving medications if necessary, weight-bearing exercises such as walking, running, and strength training helps ward off bone loss. Balance-enhancing activities, like tai chi and yoga, help prevent falls that may end in fractures.

6. It helps protect joints by easing swelling, pain, and fatigue, and by keeping the cartilage healthy. Strong muscles support joints and lighten the load upon them. Activities that boost flexibility, including stretching, yoga, and tai chi, extend range of motion.

7. It may limit and even reverse knee problems by helping you control your weight, which is a big deal because for every step taken, each additional pound of body weight translates to four additional pounds of load on the knee.

8. It lifts spirits by releasing mood-elevating hormones, relieving stress, and promoting a sense of well-being. It also helps ease mild to moderate depression as effectively as medications. Combining exercise with medications, therapy, and social engagement is even better.

9. It may boost your ability to ward off infection since it prompts a modest, short-term upswing in natural killer cells and white blood cells, which help kill infection.

10. It adds years to your life. Studies show that moderate activity can add 1.3 years of life to men and 1.5 years of life to women. Raising the bar to high activity added 3.7 years for men and 3.5 years for women. Even current couch potatoes cannot wiggle out of this. A separate long-term study of 10,000 men ages 20 to 82, who were examined and given two fitness tests at five-year intervals, found those who made the attempt to shift status from unfit to fit cut their likelihood of dying by 44% compared to those who stayed inactive.

Jun 28

DoAbility UK features toilet seats for kids of all sizes with special needs.

These children toilet seats, which are made from strong plastic are stable and safe.

Your child can sit straight with a pair of reins, which are easy to adjust. The seat is also furnished with arm rests and a splash guard. A hook and butterfly nut placed at the back of the back rest fixes the seat. The hook can be adjusted and locked so you do not have to unscrew it when the toilet seat is lifted off.

Many parents worry about potty training their children with special needs since they tend to be more difficult to potty train.

Toilet training children with disabilities and some other related disorders is fraught with countless challenges stemming from the very core of their unique characteristics. The communication and sensory issues alone can create formidable barriers. As a result, typical strategies are frequently ineffective when used with children with special needs.

A major factor in the success of potty training is based on the development of an effective toileting schedule. To determine the right schedule for your child, data needs to be taken for at least 2 days on how often the child goes to the bathroom.

To do this, you should check for dry pants every 20 minutes. If you are lucky, you can find diapers, which have color indicators when the child voids.

Write down what times of day your child defecates since most people defecate at approximately the same time each day.

Once you have gathered enough data for 2 to 3 days, figure out approximately how often the child goes to the bathroom. Divide the number of minutes awake by the number of times the child went to the bathroom.

As a rule of thumb, the child should be taken to the bathroom, twice as often as the child’s average for urinating and defecating. So, for instance, if the child goes to the bathroom at an average of once every hour, the child should be taken to the bathroom every half hour.

When setting up the toilet schedule, always remember the times of day your child is most likely to defecate, and try to have the toilet schedule occur close to these times.

Before taking your child to the bathroom, give the child a cue that it is time to go to the bathroom. I suggest helping the child make the sign for toilet until they can make it independently.

It is necessary that the bathroom be a very fun place. Reserve a couple of the child’s favorite toys or books, which they can only have access to while they are seated on the toilet. Additionally, music can be very helpful.

Do not force your child to seat on the toilet because the experience needs to be a positive one. If your child does not want to sit on the toilet, leave the bathroom, and try again at the next scheduled time.

Moreover, do not let your child sit on the toilet for more than 5 minutes. If he/she is going to void in the toilet, they will usually do it within that time frame.

If your child voids in the toilet, make a big deal out of it. Praise your child verbally and give them a little reward.

One modification that can be made to increase your child’s rate of success at voiding in the toilet is to give them something to drink 15 minutes prior to the scheduled toilet time.

Jun 20

Considering that most of us learned to walk approximately a year after being born, you might make fun of the idea that you might need to take a refresher on proper walking. We should be experts on walking by now. However, the truth is, over time, people can get walking habits and patterns of movement that are not well organized or essentially unhealthy.

Walking is so natural to us that it is frequently prescribed without hesitation. All adults, regardless of age and health status, are advised to walk vigorously for a total of at least two and a half hours per week.

For adults who are in good physical shape, walking is a routine that it is impossible to consider how they learned how to do it. Nevertheless, it is likely that as we have logged pedestrian miles, many of us have picked up a small number of dreadful habits along the way that are making our walks less efficient, and maybe even harmful.

Ideally, by adulthood, you should walk with head erect, back straight and upright, arms bent, knees extending and flexing, feet striking the ground with the heel and pushing off with the toes. The pelvis should rotate back and forth about 8 degrees and list a little downward on the side that is not bearing weight. The knee of the weight-bearing leg should flex as you push off your toes. Moreover, while you bob up and down a little when you walk, the pelvic rotation and list, in combination with the movements of the knee, ankle, and foot, manage to smooth out that vertical movement.

Our upper bodies also get into the action. At reasonable speeds, rotation of the trunk and shoulders should be out of phase with the pelvis. Consequently, the forward swing of one leg is matched by the forward swing of the arm on the opposite side, a balancing act clearly visible in the overstated movements of a marching soldier.

Regrettably, only a few of us accomplish the ideal gait, and even fewer uphold it. Eventually, we may lower our heads and thrust our trunks forward at the waist, so our center of gravity is pitched as if we are always about to tumble forward. Instead of swinging elegantly, our arms may dangle lethargically at our sides. The rhythmic heel-to-toe movement may become a smack on the pavement.

Tips on Walking the Right Way:

It is doable to correct decades of ingrained walking habits with a little work. Actually, even if you do not think your gait is graceless, you might gain something from the following tips:

1. Look ahead. Lift up from the top of your head. Do not tuck your chin or look at the ground, but train your sights 10 to 20 feet ahead of you. If you need to check the ground to avoid obstacles, lower your eyes, not your head. An erect head reduces the likelihood of neck and shoulder pain.

2. Stretch your spine. Your shoulders should be level and square, neither thrust back nor slumped forward. Tuck your buttocks in. When your body is in alignment, you should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from your ear to your shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle when viewed from the side. Maintaining correct posture while you walk will help you to avoid hip and lower back pain.

3. Bend your arms. Flex your elbows at close to 90-degree angles and let your arms swing at waist level. Your fingers should be curled, but not clenched in a fist. If you have gotten into the habit of dangling your arms, it may take some conscious effort to keep them raised.

4. Swivel your hips. A slight pivot at the hip can add power to your stride.

5. Flex your feet. Come down on your heel; lift up off your toes. Assume that the person walking behind you wants to see the sole of your shoe as you walk.

6. Take measured steps. Too long a stride throws you off balance. Concentrate on taking shorter steps, but more of them.

7. Share your load. There is a lot to be said for carrying parcels on one’s head; any load on the back or shoulders is likely to affect posture by thrusting the trunk forward. A backpack, which distributes weight evenly across the shoulders, is the best choice for carrying objects. If you use a shoulder bag, transfer it from one side to the other every few minutes as you walk.

Jun 20

If you are struggling to keep your body clean when you have restricted movements due to a disability or injury, then you might be able to make more out of DoAbility’s special brushes.

The Back Brush Reach helps get those hard to reach places on your back when in the shower or while bathing. It is made of plastic with a sturdy grip handle. Its special construction gives you secure leverage as you scrub away. The extra-long curved handle makes it easier to clean those hard-to-reach places on your back. Its bristles provide just the right degree of friction for a thorough, invigorating scrub.

The Body Brush Reach comes with a long, plastic handle also for those hard to reach spots. It has been ergonomically designed for superior massage leverage while bathing. Regular scrubbing is important because it unclogs pores allowing skin to release toxins trapped inside the body. A plush matting of natural bristles gently exfoliates and stirs up circulation, while the deluxe long-reach handle gives you a helping hand to get at those hard-to-reach places. Body brushing is used by many health professionals for acupressure therapy.

The Hair Brush Reach is an ergonomic extender for your daily hair care. It is approximately 14 inches long and is made of plastic as well. With the Hair Brush Reach, you can brush your hair with ease. It features a lightweight, comfortable handle that enables you to groom your entire head without any pain or discomfort. It is perfect for people with limited arm, back, shoulder, or hand mobility.

If you suffer from arthritis, the Extension Comb Reach is an ingenious long reach comb that lets you groom your hair without moving your shoulder or lifting your upper arm. It also features a lightweight, ergonomic comfort handle that enables you to groom your entire head without any pain or discomfort.

To learn more about these products and find out where you can buy them, visit DoAbility UK today.

Jun 14

Stairlifts are useful, and not only for the elderly!

You surely know someone in your family who has got some difficulties climbing stairs, either your grandparents, your parents, or a disabled person in your environment. Or you might yourself find it quite difficult to climb stairs every day.

In this case, the best solution to help you, your relatives,  or friends to become or to stay independent is to install a curved or straight stairlift in the house. These stairlifts are not the cheapest, but at least they are very useful and they are in use for a long time, so it’s worth the investment!

You have several companies on the market for stairlifts, so plenty of choice. However, I strongly recommend you to go and see a specialist who can advise which stairflift is the best for you or your relatives or friends, in order to get the most suitable one, which will definitely make life so much easier!

Jun 14

Arthritis pain can be frustrating.

Nagging and crippling arthritis pain can continue day after day.

How much happier would you be if you could stop your arthritis pain right now and feel great all day?

Knowing the nature of the disease can really bring you the right answers.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis comprises over 100 different diseases and conditions. The word arthritis means, “joint inflammation.” When joints are inflamed, it causes pain and usually limits movement of the joints that are affected. For many people, arthritis pain has a large impact on their lives.

Arthritis is second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability. It limits everyday activities such as walking, dressing, and bathing for more than 32 million people all over the world. Each year, the condition results in 1.5 million hospitalizations and 72 million outpatient visits.

Arthritis is not just an old person’s disease. Nearly two-thirds of people with arthritis are younger than 65 years including nearly 600,000 children. This disease affects children and people of all racial and ethnic groups, but is more common among women and older adults.

Arthritis can affect different parts of the body. Two of the most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of the body’s immune system activity. RA is one of the most serious and disabling types, affecting mostly women. It is two to three times more common in women than in men and generally strikes between the ages of 20 and 50. Both sides of the body are usually affected at the same time. Symptoms of RA differ from person to person but can generally include:

· Joint tenderness, warmth, and swelling.

· Pain and stiffness lasting for more than 1 hour in the morning or after a long rest.

· Joint inflammation in the wrist and finger joints closest to the hand.

· Fatigue, an occasional fever, and a general sense of not feeling well.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage that covers the ends of bones in the joint deteriorates, causing pain and loss of movement as bone begins to rub against bone. OA commonly affects the joints of the fingers, knees, hips, and spine. It is more common in older people because they have been using their joints longer. Using the joints to do the same task over and over or simply using them over time can make osteoarthritis worse.

Younger people can also get osteoarthritis. Athletes are at risk because they use their joints so much. People who have jobs that require the same movement repeatedly are also at risk. Injuries to a joint increase the risk of arthritis in the joint later on. Excess weight can accelerate arthritis in the knees, hips, and spine.

The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joints after repetitive use. Joint pain is usually worse later in the day. There can be swelling, warmth, and creaking of the affected joints. Symptoms of OA may greatly vary. Some patients can be debilitated by their symptoms. On the other hand, others may have remarkably few symptoms in spite of dramatic degeneration of the joints apparent on x-rays. Still, symptoms also can be intermittent.

What are the causes of arthritis?

Primary OA is mostly related to aging. With aging, the water content of the cartilage increases and the protein makeup of cartilage degenerates. Repetitive use of the joints over the years irritates and inflames the cartilage, causing joint pain and swelling. Eventually, cartilage begins to degenerate by flaking or forming tiny crevasses. Inflammation of the cartilage can also stimulate new bone outgrowths to form around the joints.

Sometimes osteoarthritis follows an injury to a joint. For example, a young person might hurt his knee badly playing soccer. Then, years after the knee has apparently healed, he might get arthritis in his knee joint.

RA is an autoimmune disease. This means the body’s natural immune system does not operate, as it should. It attacks healthy joint tissue, initiating a process of inflammation and joint damage. RA is a type of chronic arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body, such as hands, knees, or wrists. This symmetry helps distinguish RA from other types of arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs most frequently in the 30 to 50 age group, although it can start at any age.

Other conditions can also cause arthritis. Some include:

· Gout, in which crystals build up in the joints. It usually affects the big toe.

· Lupus, in which the body’s defense system can harm the joints, heart, kidneys, skin, and other organs.

· Viral hepatitis, in which an infection of the liver can cause arthritis.

What can you do about it?

Some people may worry that arthritis means they will not be able to work or take care of their children and their family. Others think that you just have to accept things like arthritis.

While there is not yet a cure for arthritis, much can be done today to reduce pain and boost joint function. Learning how to manage pain over the long term is essential to maintaining a good quality of life. There are things you can do to keep the damage from getting worse. They might also make you feel better. Here are some simple things to do:

· Lose weight, if you are overweight.

· Exercise regularly for short periods. Going for a walk every day will help, too.

· Use canes and other special devices to protect your joints.

· Avoid lifting heavy things.

· Don’t pull on objects. To move something, push it.

· Use heat or cold compress to reduce pain or stiffness.

The pain and disability that accompany arthritis can be decreased through early diagnosis and appropriate management. Therefore, if you have persistent symptoms lasting more than several days, go see your doctor. The doctor will examine you and may take X rays of your bones or joints to decide if you have arthritis and what kind you have.

After the doctor knows what kind of arthritis you have, he or she will talk with you about the best way to treat it. The doctor may give you a prescription for medicine that will help with the pain, stiffness, and inflammation.

Jun 6

DoAbility UK offers walking frames for children that are made of steel tubes, lacquered with a blue and red strong powder coating. It is furnished with four wheels and a removable sling seat. The sling seat is furnished with Velcro closings on both sides, which makes it easier to adjust the size. The sling seat is pinned on the waist ring by strong push buttons.

Suitable for both mobility and physical therapy purposes, the walker is extremely flexible and adapts to the individual needs of most children, with its multiple adjustments and posture support.

With its standard features alone, it will easily support a child with mild to moderate physical disabilities.

It is designed to make walking less energy consuming, while improving rhythm and timing.

Nevertheless, it is very important to have the frame at the correct height. If it is too high, your child will find it difficult to straighten out their elbows sufficiently and will not take enough body weight through their arms. If the frame is too low, it will encourage your child to bend over, resulting to poor posture.

The most effective way of ensuring the frame is at the correct height is for your child to wear their regular, supportive footwear and be measured by their physiotherapist.

Regular maintenance of walking frames is essential to ensure safety. Checks should be made for signs of wear and tear, particularly at the site of screws and height adjustment mechanisms.

For the best information on the latest walking frames for children, visit DoAbility UK today.

Jun 6

There are a few conditions that are disheartening and tragic as cerebral palsy, but there is nothing more heartbreaking than a child struggling with the dreadful disease.

Cerebral palsy is a group of diverse conditions that cause varying levels of motor and, sometimes, mental dysfunction. Most children who suffer from cerebral palsy experience difficulty performing simple functions, such as eating, moving, and speaking, due to damaged bones, muscles, and nerves. There is also an increased chance of mental retardation in children who have cerebral palsy.

Unfortunately, there is no way to project whether or not a child will suffer from cerebral palsy. Even though there are certain controllable variables during early stages of pregnancy that can predict a possibility of cerebral palsy, most of the situations that may cause a child to develop this devastating and life-changing condition occur just before or during childbirth. An experienced and vigilant obstetrician can address a large number of these problems. Nonetheless, a moment’s distraction, hesitation, or incompetence can inflict a lifetime of misery on a child and their parents.

On the other hand, with proper therapy, many people with cerebral palsy can still lead normal lives. Even those with very severe disabilities can improve their condition significantly, even though they will never be able to live independently.

Approximately 25% of children with cerebral palsy have mild involvement with few or no limitations in walking, self-care, and other activities. Approximately half are moderately impaired to the extent that complete independence is unlikely but function is satisfactory. Only 25% are so severely disabled that they require extensive care and are unable to walk.

Of the 75% of children with cerebral palsy who are eventually able to walk, many rely on mobility equipment. The ability to sit unsupported may be a good predictor of whether or not a child will walk. Many children who can sit unsupported by age 2 years eventually get to walk, while those who cannot sit unsupported by age 4 years probably will not walk. These children will use wheelchairs to move around.

People with milder forms of cerebral palsy have the same life expectancy as the general population. Those with severe forms of cerebral palsy typically have a shorter life span, especially if they have many medical complications.

Some studies have found that abnormalities of muscle tone or movement in the first several weeks or months after birth may gradually improve over the first years of life. In one study, almost 50% of very young infants thought to have cerebral palsy and 66% of those thought to have spastic diplegia outgrew these signs of cerebral palsy by age 7 years. Many children do not manifest full motor signs that are suggestive of cerebral palsy until aged 1-2 years. Thus, some propose that the diagnosis of cerebral palsy should be deferred until the child is aged 2 years.

There are many cases of children with cerebral palsy who grow up to have a normal life. Although this is possible, it is surely not an easy feat. To bring positive change in the condition of children who have cerebral palsy, they would have to undergo several therapies and would also have to be given special attention in schools.

Every child with cerebral palsy may need a different kind of therapy, according to the severity of the disorder. Teaching and training a child with this disorder is not a single person’s job. The major contributors in this case are the parents, who have to first cope with the fact that their child is different from others. It also includes the combined efforts of the doctor, physical therapist, psychologist, and special education teachers.

Physical therapists help children with cerebral palsy in developing simple motor skills. Physical therapy helps them in learning how to walk with their braces, as well as to stand and move around without help. They may also be taught to kick a ball and to ride a bicycle, provided the disability allows such activities.

In addition to this, enrolling children in special schools will also do well with their development. Teachers at special schools are trained to teach children with disabilities. Teachers of special children are expected to show great patience with such children. In special schools, every child is given individual attention and the curriculum is also planned so as to cater to their individual needs. All this helps to develop the child’s abilities with a view to foster his independent / near independent functioning at a later stage.

Some children with cerebral palsy are capable of attending mainstream schools with normal children of their age. A teacher who has such child in her class need not change the whole curriculum, but needs to deal a little differently with the disabled child. One should understand that the child is not like the other kids and may take a little more time to understand or respond to what is happening in class.

However, they should not be treated very differently. These kids should not be judged only by their disability, but should be encouraged to think and participate in the activities of the class. It has been observed that children who attend regular schools from a very young age, show great improvement. It is also good for the other children in the class because this will develop feelings of compassion towards individuals who are different from them.

One very important thing to remember is that children with cerebral palsy may have a disability but that does not make them weak or incapable. Giving them training and teaching them skills to be independent from an early age would surely prove beneficial. One must keep in mind that children born with cerebral palsy are differently-abled kids, who have every right to live a normal and successful life.

For the latest mobility tools and equipment in helping your child cope with cerebral palsy, visit DoAbility UK today.