Tips + Tricks

BrookeU · January 23

What little tricks have made your life easier? Do you attach a key ring to the zippers on your boots so you can put them on more easily? Share all your secret tips here!

jaarch · January 28

For power wheelchair users, most chairs have rails used to mount various items to the chair, Those rails can also be used to attach additional items like reach tools, bags, and just about anything else you can think of.

Sterlion · January 31

It can be hard to grip and turn keys with being a quadriplegic, to help with this I put a screw through the keychain hole for leverage when turning them.

BrookeU · February 3

Sterlion said:

It can be hard to grip and turn keys with being a quadriplegic, to help with this I put a screw through the keychain hole for leverage when turning them.

Hi, @Sterlion! If possible, could you attach a photo of this? You're so right about gripping and turning keys being difficult as a quadriplegic, so I want to make sure everyone knows exactly how your trick works! If uploading a photo isn't possible, could you describe a little more? Thanks for contributing!

Sterlion · February 13

BrookeU said:

Sterlion said:

It can be hard to grip and turn keys with being a quadriplegic, to help with this I put a screw through the keychain hole for leverage when turning them.

Hi, @Sterlion! If possible, could you attach a photo of this? You're so right about gripping and turning keys being difficult as a quadriplegic, so I want to make sure everyone knows exactly how your trick works! If uploading a photo isn't possible, could you describe a little more? Thanks for contributing!

iamdadman · February 14

That is ingenious!!! Awesome.

LemonZest · February 14

I keep a telescoping magnetic pick-up tool in my side bag in case I drop my keys

SpearJanis · February 14

The key thing is great.
I made a lifting belt for my hubby that works around his waist and under his legs to pick him up for transfers. There was nothing like it available here and we needed one.
I also find that it is useful to run his urine bag (day bag is 750ml) into an evening bag that holds 2l so I don't have to get up and empty it every 4 hours. I was going psychotic with lack of sleep and this has helped SO much.

I will take photos and upload here in case they can help someone else.

Emms · February 14

Removing metal marks on porcelain .. aka chair bumping onto the toilet and leaving grey markings. If you don't have front protectors!!.... Bar Keepers Friend, aka oxalic acid, works like magic!

Emms · February 14

Roho cushion repairs.. my cushions range from 10- 20 years old now, I stopped using the patches because after a few years they'd either peel a bit round the edges and start leaking, and be sticking paches over patches, and not for a permanent fix! If you try to take them off even with a little heat they'll tear the cushion.

Black Witch neoprene glue will permanently bond the neoprene rubber the rohos are made from. If you have a tear... bridge the glue like sutures on the tear first and wait for it to cure, then apply a second thick coat over the top to seal the hole. The secret with this stuff is not to apply too thinly. You need it to be at least the same thickness of the rubber when applying to large holes.

Some previously patched tears and holes.

Fixing...

jaarch · February 16

After crushing my big toenail while trying to open a spring loaded door, I came up with the following design for a set of wheels to assist me in opening doors and providing protection for my feet. I used 1"x 1/4" steel to make the brackets, one straight and one with an offset bend to allow for the thickness of the wheel. For wheels I used Rollerblade wheels and they are mounted horizontally to the bottom of my foot plates. I attached the brackets to the foot plates with carriage bolts and nylon insert lock nuts. I used grade 8 bolts, speed washers, and nylon insert lock nuts for the axles on the wheels. I did have to remove some material from the underside of the foot plates to allow the brackets to fit flush to the bottom of the foot plates. The remaining foot plate material is 1/4" thick aluminum and shows no sign if being weakened. I have been using this set of wheels for just over three years and, other that the occasional scrape on the ground, I have had no major issues with them. Care must be taken during the install to ensure there are no exposed sharp edges that could cause injury during transfers. I ground down the exposed bolt threads with a Dremel tool.

BrookeU · February 24

Thank you SO much for the photos, @Sterlion! As @iamdadman said, ingenious. I'll definitely be passing this idea onto my brother.

BrookeU · February 24

Nice, @LemonZest! Do you have a favorite or a suggestion on where to find one of these tools?

BrookeU · February 24

Thanks for all the tips (and photos), @Emms!

BrookeU · February 24

You're quite the engineer, @jaarch! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Homeskool · February 25

Sterlion said:

It can be hard to grip and turn keys with being a quadriplegic, to help with this I put a screw through the keychain hole for leverage when turning them.

That's a great idea! Crazy how the easiest things are not so easy anymore.

Homeskool · February 25

Sterlion said:

It can be hard to grip and turn keys with being a quadriplegic, to help with this I put a screw through the keychain hole for leverage when turning them.

That's a great idea! Crazy how the easiest things are not so easy anymore.

Mnichols23 · March 8

@jaarch that’s a great idea! I never thought about injuring my feet by opening and closing doors. Thank you!

Monica.T · March 11

We use traffic cones to mark-off space for the van's wheelchair ramp. There are NEVER any parking spaces for van's with side ramps. So I find two empty spaces side-by-side (park in one space, drop the ramp in the other space) and then set up traffic cones to avoid idiots pulling in and hitting the ramp.

iamdadman · March 12

@Monica.T
The able bodied population is blissfully unaware or in some cases simple doesn't care about handicap parking spaces. It sucks. Between there not being enough handicap spaces and able bodied people illegally using them, parking is a major challenge. A couple of my doctors are located in downtown Seattle and the handicapped parking spaces are limited and if you find two spaces together that you can use, you are forced to walk in the flow of traffic to get into the building. Crazy...

BrookeU · March 14

@iamdadman, it’s truly amazing to me how many people don’t realize what the blocked off space is for. I guess it’s something people just don’t notice if it doesn’t apply to them 🙄

On a similar note, I’ve had people admit to me that before they knew me, they would occasionally park in an accessible spot to run in somewhere quickly. But after hearing my rants (not purposefully directed at them, since I didn’t know they were guilty), they’ve totally stopped 🙌🏻

Monica.T · April 9

iamdadman So sorry about your parking issues, I understand how frustrating it is. We live in a small town but handicap parking is limited and even then the spaces often do not offer enough room to drop a ramp and unload, so we rarely ever get a handicap spot. In a couple of weeks we have to travel to Knoxville for a UroDynamics test and will be forced to park on the street, because the van is to high for the parking garage; I still have no idea where I'll park and still be able to drop the ramp. I worried about it for a while but now I just tell myself we'll figure it out somehow. I can not imagine the problems of living in the city and being forced to deal with no accessible parking.

iamdadman · April 10

@Monica.T
Hi Monica,
After I was first injured, I had a Honda Odyssey VMI conversion van with a ramp. Depending on how high the sidewalks were, I would pull up to the curb and deploy the ramp. It worked just fine. You do have to be careful because if the sidewalk is too high, you can damage or get your ramp stuck. I don't know if you can speak with the manufacturer to see what they have to say...

Monica.T · April 10

iamdadman Hey, Thanks! I hadn't thought of that. Knowing that info will be so useful and will give me a better peace of mind when forced to drop the ramps on uneven surfaces.

ambercollie · April 11

These are some Great tips and ideas!! Thanks everyone!

iamdadman · April 11

@ambercollie
@Monica.T
It is my pleasure to share information with others. It might even prevent some of the mistakes that I made after I was first injured.

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