Hi, My son, Jack is in his final year of his Engineering Degree and is looking for ideas for a design project. The brief is to design something to help a disabled person but it has to be mechanical. Has anybody got any ideas they might like to come to fruition?
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hi sallum
iām too tired now but iāll sleep on it and let you know if i come up with anything.
well done jack
carole x
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Hi,
I like to draw and paint but the carpet, tablecloth and walls suffer from indelible spills and stains.
Whatās more I have to waste a lot of time setting up and packing away as my small flat serves as a home for my wife and cat as well as a studio-workshop.
A portable, self-containing work area that could be readied and cleared away in seconds would be a winner in my book. It should be capable of storing water as well as wet paintings.
Good luck, Jack, whatever you decide.
Anthony.
(Dip AD, MCSD retd)
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Thanks for that Anthony,
Iāll pass on your comments.
Sharon
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Any more suggestions?
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Hi
Iām a wheelchair user, and if Iām feeling very tired I can find it difficult to pull my trousers up - itās sometimes tricky to lift my bum up enough! I had a nasty relapse about ten years ago, and could barely move below the waist, so getting my trousers on took an age. Something that could help with that, but wasnāt as big & cumbersome as a hoist, would be useful. No idea what it could be though - Iām not very imaginative like that.
Dan
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I second this suggestion. Often when I visit the loo, I have to shout out for my OH to come and pull up my trews. I tend to be just about able to shuffle round and stand hanging onto the grab bars attached to the wall in order for him to put me back together. Or when getting dressed in the morning, sometimes I can manage alone, other times I have to (again) call out for the forbearing assistance of Mr Ssssue in which case I keep a frame in the bedroom to stand up holding onto while he does his thing with the trousers.
But Iād like to always be able to pull up my own pants and trousers.
Sue
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I appreciate that this option isnāt possible for everyone, but a good bottom raising exercise is the āsit to standā.
The āseated rowā at the gym has the useful effect of improving my ability to pull up trousers and worth trying. Pulling on a thera band should also do the trickā¦
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Itās a good exercise to do, but sadly the combination of my leg strength & dodgy balance mean I still need a bit more assistance!
Dan
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Yup, I struggle with the āsit to standā exercise too. Itās more like half stand, fall back down, quarter stand, give up. Or stand all the way up, try to make a controlled sit, collapse in a heap. Btw, I only yesterday discovered that I have a bruise the size of my hand with all the fingers spread out on my rear end. This came about from a collapse onto the loo seat. I had been wondering why it hurt so much.
Sue
For what itās worth, I think that doing what you can manage is exactly the right approach and should be applauded. I find starting from a higher chair makes the exercise possible and if you need to use your hands for balance, or even bear some weight, then no harm in improvising.
Whatever you can do is an awful lot better than doing nothing.
Incidentally, a raised toilet seat might help avoid those troublesome injuries.
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Thanks Whammel, I do try to keep doing what I can, including the tiniest bit of walking, using the FES and a walker, just for the sake of doing some walking. As you say, better to do what little we can rather than give up.
However, a raised loo seat might make sitting/standing easier, but it doesnāt help with the purpose of sitting on it!!
Sue
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Some previous suggestions given for a similar project last year
Thank you all for your comments, I will pass this on to Jack to see if it can give him any ideas.
Itās people like your son that we need!
A lighter weight wheelchair for going in the back of a car, my thought is as compact as an umbrella that a disable person could manhandle. Still self propelled and maybe a w/c with gears!
Iāve tried all sorts of braces to lift my MS leg - now with foot drop. If something could be devised to lift my bad leg but also enables me to balance.
Bless your son and I wish him all the very best.
You did ask M
HI Salam and Jack.
How about a folding walking stick with a āhelping handā attachment, I have seen something with a magnet on the bottom.but an actual claw grip would be helpful as a 2 in one.
Something handy to use without having to change product.
Good Luck Jack xxx
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Some fab ideas everyone. Thanks
A manual wheelchair that folds as small as a brolly? I donāt think the technology exists yet!
Iām sure wheelchairs have been researched extensively but I would like to find a self propelled wheelchair that will work on a rutted and potholed road.
I push myself backwards using my left leg to get up inclines and out of ruts and holes but I canāt always get out and need help.
Orā¦my wheelchair problems again!
I have epilepsy too and am not allowed to use a motorised chair in case I have a seizure.
There is no such thing as an intelligient chair that senses obstacles or kerbs and automatically stopsā¦I might be allowed to use one of those if it existed.