Mobility Equipment Supplies

A person who is bound on a wheelchair usually have difficulties taking a bath. What is ought to be an enjoyable cleansing act becomes a burden to people who have physical limitations. There are even those who come to a point when they no longer desire to take a bath nor shower because of the uneasiness and hazards related to bathing.

When taking a bath gets difficult for a person with disabilities, using a shower bench, chair, or stool may assist in making bath time accesible and a little more agreeable for them.

Shower benches are adjustable benches designed to allow people to sit after getting out of the bath or shower. Shower chairs with armrests make it easy for a person to rise from the shower and move to a wheelchair.

People with restricted physical capabilities still want to live independently, especially when it means doing private stuff, such as bathing. Nevertheless, because of its design, the bathroom is one of the most dangerous places in the house for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Wet areas, as well as perilous floors and electrical appliances in the bathroom are regarded as hazards for people with limited physical abilities. Considering that they have difficulty moving, falling, losing balance, or breaking a bone is likely.

Shower stools answer what the disabled requires to survive independently while accomplishing body-cleansing customs. A caregiver’s help would no longer be necessary since this specific type of seats are durable and secure.

For individuals who have handicaps, who avoid trips to the bathroom due to difficulty or fear, shower chairs are the perfect tool to make them enjoy bath time. It provides the person with a feeling of being normal and self-reliant.

Although aging puts people at greater risk for serious eye disease and other eye problems, loss of sight need not coincide with growing older. Practical, preventive measures can help protect against a disastrous impairment. An estimated 40 to 50 percent of all blindness can be avoided or treated, mainly through regular visits to an eye specialist.

Regular eye exams are the key elements of visual health as people age. People who have a family history of eye disease or other risk factors should have more frequent exams. Do not wait until your vision degenerates to have an eye exam. One eye can often compensate for the other while an eye condition progresses. Usually, only an exam can detect eye disease in its earliest stages.

You can also take other steps on your own.

First, if you smoke, stop. Smoking increases the risk of several eye disorders, including age-related macular degeneration.

Maintaining a nutritious diet, with plenty of fruits and vegetables and minimal saturated fats and hydrogenated oils, promotes good health and may increase your resistance to eye disease. Carrots, which contain vitamin A, are one of several vegetables that are good for the eyes. However, fresh fruits and dark green leafy vegetables, which contain more antioxidant vitamins such as C and E, are even better. Antioxidant vitamins may help protect the eyes against cataract and age-related macular degeneration. Nevertheless, eating any vegetables or supplements containing these vitamins or substances will not prevent or correct basic vision problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Wearing sunglasses and hats is important for individuals at any age. If you need glasses for distance or reading, use them. Attempting to read without reading glasses will simply strain your eyes and tire them out. Using your glasses will not worsen your vision or lead to any eye disease. Taking the time to learn about the aging eye and recognizing risks and symptoms can alert you to the warning signs of eye problems.

Eye exercises will not improve or preserve vision or reduce the need for glasses. Your vision depends on many factors, including the shape of your eye and the health of the eye tissues, none of which can be significantly altered with eye exercises.

Although eyestrain, spending many hours in front of the television or computer screen, or working in poor light do not cause harmful medical conditions, they can tire the eyes and, eventually, their owner. Dim lighting will not adversely affect your eyesight, however, it will tire your eyes out more quickly. The best way to position a reading light is to have it shine directly onto the page, not over your shoulder. A desk lamp with an opaque shade pointing directly at the reading material is the best possible arrangement. A light that shines over your shoulder will cause a glare, making it more difficult to see the reading material. In addition, when you are working on a computer or doing other close work such as sewing by hand, it is a good idea to rest your eyes briefly every hour or so to lessen eye fatigue.

Finally, people who stare at a computer screen for long periods tend not to blink as often as usual, which can cause the eyes to feel dry and uncomfortable. Make a conscious effort to blink regularly so that the eyes stay well lubricated and do not dry out.

The eyes are priceless and deserve to be treated with care and respect, whether you are 80 or 18.

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.

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.

Let us see how they work:

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 moving, speaking, and eating due to damaged nerves, tendons, muscles, and bones. 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, clumsiness, or hesitation 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 physical therapist, doctors, special education teachers, and psychologists.

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.

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 the 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.

Pain is a common health problem, which afflicts one out of every two to three people around the world at any given time. However, even though acute and chronic pain can both be debilitating, chronic pain is one of the major causes of mental and physical disability, commonly misdiagnosed and inappropriately treated.

Pain sufferers frequently feel frustrated and depressed and consider their lives as an endless misery.

Pain is an unpleasant, emotional, and sensory experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

Pain is not a just a mere perception or a one-dimensional entity but a multidimensional complex problem with many attributes. Acute and chronic pain can happen to any person of any age or gender.

Chronic pain is a multifaceted medical problem than affects all aspects of a person’s life. Patient involvement and education are important components of a pain management program.

We know that there are physiological shifts in chemicals that bring about some changes in the nervous system and the brain. This in turn leads to changes in the neurotransmitters that perpetuate the pain. We feel in some ways that the nervous system can only generate pain instead of the usual mixture of discomfort and pleasure. And we are not really sure why this happens to some people and not to others, although, we know for sure that emotions and stress play a role in this.

Most experts define chronic pain as pain that continues beyond two months. In actuality, chronic pain is determined more by our response to pain.

When most of our waking hours are spent trying to control or endure the pain, when we cannot work any longer because of it, when our relationships are torn apart by the stress of it, we have developed the chronic pain syndrome.

Patients are often frustrated with the way doctors treat them. Nevertheless, they need the expertise of a doctor to make the right decisions regarding treatment.

The first thing you need to find out on your way to recovery is to find out what kind of pain you have and to find the right health care provider.

A physician who has a comprehensive knowledge of pain and empathy would be the best choice. Many specialists are well trained in techniques of pain treatment, but if they do not really understand what you are going through as a person, you are missing out on a vital element in your recovery.

Once you have found the right health care provider, get your pain under control. Get into physical rehabilitation to recover your functional abilities. If need be, utilize some support aids.

Use some type of communication therapy, like counseling or group therapy, to help you get over the emotional scars left by the pain.

Then, get back to work or at least go back to doing the things you used to enjoy.

For people beyond their 50s, aging gracefully is often a challenge. While bones and muscles begin to deteriorate as we grow older, these have more to do with inactivity than aging.

Usually, at this age, people change in lifestyle and they start spending more time at home or under the close supervision of caregivers. Thus, the consequences are rapid muscle deterioration and increase in fat deposits.

Unexpectedly, cardio exercises alone are not as successful in older people as compared to those who are still at their prime. Once we reach 50, we must combine exercise with a balanced diet. An ideal combination of cardio exercises and healthy meals will make sure that we maintain flexibility of muscles and slower weight gain.

Unless you are stuck on a wheelchair, you should try to have an active lifestyle by doing some simple activities. Gardening, playing golf, or walking regularly are some of the easy ways to keep you active.

A good and balanced diet is important for all age groups. You cannot remain fit and fat free unless you take proper care of what you eat. Go for nutritious, fiber rich food as much as possible. Avoid eating fast food and junk food as much as your grandchildren should.

You can easily stretch yourself whenever you get the time. Simple activities help a lot in maintaining flexible muscles and strong bones. Even if you have limited walking abilities there is always a way round that. Proper walking equipment, like the ones available at DoAbility, can you help in getting you active again.

In our 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, it is not always easy to stay upright. That is because after age 25, our balance begins to decline. Falls in the later years often result to wrist and hip fractures, which can have a devastating effect on our lifestyle or even threaten our life.

We juggle many activities, responsibilities, and people in our lives with grace. But sometimes we can be physically tossed off balance by a wet floor or uneven pavement. Falls can occur anytime, anyplace, and to anyone while doing everyday activities, such as climbing stairs or getting out of the bathtub.

As we age, our sight, hearing, muscle strength, coordination and reflexes change, weakening our balance. Also, some health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and circulation problems, affect balance. Even some medications have been known to make people dizzy.

Unfortunately, all of these factors make falls more likely. But then, you do not have to be one of them. You can take simple steps to improve your balance and reduce your risk of falling.

And since balance tends to erode over time, regularly performing balance exercises is one of the best ways to protect against falls that lead to temporary or permanent disability. Balance exercises take only a few minutes and often fit easily into the warm-up portion of a workout. Many strength-training exercises also serve as balance exercises. Balance-enhancing movements may simply be woven into other forms of exercise, such as tai chi, yoga, and pilates.

Balance exercises can help us maintain our balance and confidence at any age. This can also improve our coordination. For older adults, balance exercises can promote independence.

Balance may be improved with exercises that strengthen the ankle, knee, and hip muscles, and with exercises that improve the function of the vestibular system, which regulates ones balance.

Nearly any activity that keeps us on our feet, such as walking, can help us maintain good balance. You can also include balance exercises in your daily routine. Try balancing on one foot while waiting in line, or stand up and sit down without using your hands. For a more targeted approach, try specific balance exercises. If you have severe balance problems or an orthopedic condition, get your doctor’s approval before doing balance exercises.

Once a physical therapist has reviewed a complete medical history and thoroughly examined you, he or she will develop a personalized plan. This may include a walking regimen with balance components such as changes in surfaces/terrains, distance, and elevations. The physical therapist may also teach specific strengthening and balance exercises that can be performed at home.

Exercise A:

* Stand directly behind a table or chair and place your feet slightly apart.

* Lift one leg six inches out to the side.

* Hold this position for 10 seconds.

* Repeat with the opposite leg.

Exercise B:

* Stand directly behind a table or chair and place your feet slightly apart.

* Slowly bend one knee toward your chest lifting your foot six inches off the floor.

* Hold this position for 10 seconds.

* Repeat with the opposite leg.

Exercise C:

* Stand directly behind a table or chair and place your feet slightly apart.

* Lift one leg straight back, keeping your knee straight.

* Hold this position for 10 seconds.

* Repeat with the opposite leg.

The above exercises should be performed two to three times a day.

Balance Exercise Safety Guidelines:

* Be aware of your posture. Try to maintain your weight over your ankles.

* Avoid fast movements including quick turns or changes in position.

* Use a chair as a place to not only perform seated exercise but also to hold on to while standing.

* Always get up slowly when rising from a chair.

* Don’t close your eyes when exercising or standing from your chair.

* If you are taking medications, ask your doctor if there are any side effects which may cause light-headedness or decreased balance.

*** Lost your balance and fell? Visit www.doability.co.uk. We might be able to help you.

You have a wonderful family and a great circle of friends until one day, something very unfortunate happens to you. You get into an accident and you find out that you can no longer enjoy life as you used to. In an instant everything seems to be falling apart. You dreadfully thought that you might no longer be in a position to support your family financially; that you could lose your job; and that simply, all your dreams can crumble into pieces.

Disability may come in many forms. Some disabilities have to be faced from birth; others are developed during a person’s course through life. They can manifest suddenly, or gradually develop over the years.

A sudden disability is really hard, and naturally, you will be down about it, yet with a few changes you might still be able to live your life to the fullest.

1. Give yourself time to come to terms with your disability.

The whole world is upside down and you are in the middle of it believing life will never be the same again with you just being miserable fighting your disability. You might lose your friends because you will no longer be able to socialize as you used to. But this is also the time to find out who your real friends are, who will be there to support you no matter what. Allow yourself time to let all the negative emotions go away. It is good to know that there are people who you can talk to, and counseling might be appropriate at this time.

The process of accepting your disability can be a long one. But you should soon start to realize that feeling sorry for yourself will get you nowhere. You still have a life that you can enjoy. Now is not the right time to dwell in the past, but concentrate on the things that you still can do in the future. Consider all your strengths and the qualifications you have. Seek the help of a career consultant who will be more than happy to help you find a suitable job you might still be able to do bearing in mind your limitations.

Thinking positively is no easy matter but it is important to be enthusiastic about life again. There are only two choices for you to make. You can stay depressed and complain about your disability for the rest of your life, or you can try to make the most of your life.

The important point to realize is that a disability is not a punishment for something wrong you have done.

2. You are not alone.

There will be times that you might want to share your problems with your friends but you do not want to bore them with it. At the end of the day if you recount to people how hard life is treating you, they will only tell you how much harder their life is. Rarely will you come across somebody who understands and will be willing to listen to you, but aside from that, you have to find those who can share their own problems with you. It is therefore advantageous to join support groups.

It is important to appreciate those who organize these support groups and put disabled people in contact. Enjoy the support of your like-minded friends but only to enrich your life. Do not get stuck in complaints about your misfortune. Surround yourself with people with whom you feel great. Avoid people who are distracting you from achieving your goals. Just be yourself. Do not listen to criticisms.

You are not on your own. There are others with similar problems you can join forces with. Use the support of others who are in a similar position as you to improve each others’ lives. It is alright to complain about your condition in the short term, but in the long term, concentrate on the positive. Feeling sorry for yourself will take you nowhere.

3. Nurture yourself.

The only person you can always trust is you. I know it sounds funny but you will always be in your own company. You can either cheer yourself up or make yourself miserable. But first and foremost, you need to take care of yourself and keep yourself as healthy as possible.

You cannot always cure your disability but you can learn how to live your life the best possible way. There is so much you can do to help yourself feel better. Try and find something that you enjoy. Develop an interest or a hobby. Praise yourself for any little achievement you have, no matter how small. If it helps, put your favorite poem on the wall, or any positive quote to remind you every time you pass by it.

4. Concentrate on the present, do not dwell in the past, nor worry about the future.

The present is the most important part of your life. Take a moment to reflect on how you feel. Meditation techniques are beneficial because they help us discover more on who we are. That is not an easy matter in today’s extremely stressful society.

As a result of your disability, you might have less power to influence matters in your life now. Worrying only makes our worries come alive. Do not worry of what could go wrong in the future. Just let anxiety go, and allow reality to happen instead. Do not believe things will always end up badly.

5. Try to eliminate stress from your life.

We should try and live in harmony with everybody else. This might not always be easy. If you are angry with somebody, take a few deep breaths and explain calmly to the person why you are angry and what you would like the person to do instead. Do not swear at anybody or accuse them of being an idiot, the response you will be getting should be less hostile.

Social contact and support from members of familar organisation and community can help contribute to happiness in great amounts.  Sending positive thoughts to others can help you live a stress-free life.

6. Get yourself a mobility equipment.

Mobility equipment can make you feel less incapable of doing things on your own. These are available at www.doability.co.uk

‘Tis the season to be jolly.. however, some people go into depression during the Christmas season. This is mostly true for those who are away from their loved ones during this time of the year, and also for our disabled and elderly loved ones who feel that they cannot be part of the merriment and celebration.

Depression is often synonymous to being sad. Sadness is a part of being human, a natural reaction to painful circumstances. All of us will experience sadness at some point in our lives, although not everyone will really succumb into depression.

Depression is not just limited to sadness. Sometimes it is caused by discouragement, helplessness, and a lack of self-worth. In some cases, it becomes a medical condition, a physical illness with many other symptoms than just an unhappy mood.

While depression can hit any one in all ages and in all walks of life, nobody is more prone to it than people with disabilities and the elderly. For the disabled, depression comes from the feeling of helplessness experienced as a result of their disability and lack of independence. They feel and believe that there is nothing they can do on their own, and worse, it leads to a feeling of emotional and mental emptiness. The elderly are at high risk for depression, too, because they are more likely to have experienced illness, death of loved ones, impaired function, and loss of independence compared to younger people. The cumulative effect of negative life experiences may be overwhelming to an older person. Not to mention the physical impairments caused by old age. In general, they pretty much have the same experiences as the disabled.

There is hope though for these people, since in many cases depression can be avoided or eliminated all together. Here are a few helpful tips to reduce depression:

• The first and most important thing to do to get out of depression is to set your mind. You have to convince yourself to stop becoming a “victim” of depression. Stop dwelling on what you cannot do or what you cannot control. Believe that you are not helpless. Think positively.

• Once you have set your mind to it, the second step is to consider what you can still do. In short, count your blessings. Focus on what you have, what you can do and what you can use. Plan to use them to your advantage.

• The third step is to take action. Execute your plan. Of course, if depression is a reaction to an illness, or caused by a disease, then the best way is to cure that disease or illness first. For the disabled and elderly, there are living aids that help reduce the feeling of helplessness causing the depression. Mobility equipments aid people with disabilities and the elderly to be more independent and live a normal life, and this is really the most important step in battling depression. These devices have been specifically designed to aid people in maneuvering around with minimal effort and facilitating tasks, from opening a jar of jam to using the bathroom.

Depression can be beaten. It is just a matter of having the personal will to get out of it. Of course, a little bit of support from friends and family wouldn’t hurt as well.

*** For all your disability equipment needs to assist in getting rid of depression, visit www.doability.co.uk.