Bay Area Disability Network

Archived Mobility Advice

(also see Mobility Reviews and Recommendations)

Cane Lessons

Shoulder replacement

Hand Walker tips

Help with post polio syndrome

Help carrying books upstairs (bad back)

Two clever tricks

Wheelchairs in the street

Access as a houseguest

Flying Windows

Equipment for visiting in a wheelchair

Getting a digital camera mounted on a wheelchair

My doctor only really sees my disability - any time I want to talk about any medical issue, he always jumps to "it's because you use a wheelchair". I'm having a hard time convincing him that I do have medical concerns that are unrelated. Any advice?

I have diabetes and am a wheelchair user - what ways can I make sure I don't have more problems because of this?

I'm a 52 year old guy and I have a suspicion that I might have a heart problem - irregular heartbeats etc. I have CP and I can walk for short distances but I can't do a do a stress test where you walk on a treadmill for a lengthy period. I want to discuss options with my Doctor. Any suggestions?

I have an atypical body, and use a body brace to sit upright. Can I have a regular mammogram?

I can't reach the levers to turn on and off the water on my sink. I had the doors to the cabinet underneath taken off, but I still can't get my chair closer. Any ideas?

I have a grabber to get jars out of my cabinets, but I still haven't found a way of opening them. Who makes the best tools for this?

One of my neighbors (not someone I know) always park their car so it partially blocks the sidewalk. The other day, as I passed it, my wheelchair put a pretty ugly scrape on the door. My neighbor is threatening to sue me. Do I have to pay for this?

My doctor only really sees my disability - any time I want to talk about any medical issue, he always jumps to "it's because you use a wheelchair". I'm having a hard time convincing him that I do have medical concerns that are unrelated. Any advice?

• It's important to talk to your doctor about these issues and say, "We need to spend time to separate what is my disability and what is other issues" Using a wheelchair doesn't cause you to have a sore throat (unless you're using it wrong!)

I have diabetes and am a wheelchair user - what ways can I make sure I don't have more problems because of this?

• For anyone who uses a wheelchair, exercise is a critical issue. For you, even more so. You have to maintain circulation to your extremities. You need to find out more about fitness and exercise for people who use wheelchairs. You also have to make sure your diabetes is under control. You can't be slack on this - you have to monitor your numbers closely. You're at a heightened risk than most people with diabetes.

I'm a 52 year old guy and I have a suspicion that I might have a heart problem

• First - get in to your Doctor ASAP - let him worry about the options. If you think you have heart problems GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR. There is a chemical stress test you can do. However, it does give you uncomfortable symptoms for about 10 minutes. You have to lie still when the discomfort subsides for about half an hour. Your cardiologist should know about it (intravenous adenosine myocardial perfusion study)

• Everybody else probably wrote this but go see your doctor first and worry about test second. Especially if you think you have heart problems.

I have an atypical body, and use a body brace to sit upright. Can I have a regular mammogram?

• Usually not. You should try to get an MRI, or an ultrasound if you have a specific concern (if you found a lump in a specific part of your breast, for example). You should contact the Breast Health Access for Women with Disabilities www.bhawd.org Telephone: 510 204-4866 or 4522.

I can't reach the levers to turn on and off the water on my sink. I had the doors to the cabinet underneath taken off, but I still can't get my chair closer. Any ideas?

• Get rid of the vanity, and get a wall-hung sink. You loose the storage space, but you can get right up under it. Just make sure the contractor or plumber wraps the pipes with insulation (not only the hot water pipe - that drain pipe can get hot too) so you don't burn yourself on the pipes if you brush against them.

I have a grabber to get jars out of my cabinets, but I still haven't found a way of opening them. Who makes the best tools for this?

• Funny you should ask: I just saw an ad on television for a Black and Decker Jar Opener. I don't have any experience with it, but it seems like it should work on most jars. I don't know if anyone has bought one yet, but it looks good. I think it was like 40 bucks.

• You didn't say if how much dexterity you have in your hands, but if you can use a grabber you can probably use the Goodgrip kitchen doodads. They're made by OXO and they are really really well designed from an ergonomic standpoint - they have a jar opener that work really well. Bed bath and beyond carries their stuff - not sure if they have the jar opener but you can call and check - I think target also carries them, probably a lot more places also.

One of my neighbors(not someone I know) always parks their car so it partially blocks the sidewalk. The other day, as I passed it, my wheelchair put a pretty ugly scrape on the door. My neighbor is threatening to sue me. Do I have to pay for this?

• Blocking the sidewalk is against the law, and you have the right to an unrestricted right of way. If the car was in the way, tough luck. Tell your neighbor that you're going to counter sue for restricting access on a public thoroughfare. (Also: carry a digital camera with you, so you can take pictures of the car blocking the sidewalk). Just because they have always parked that way doesn't give them the right to do it.

• I often ram my chair into cars that block the sidewalk, and try to set off the burglar alarm. Then, once it starts screaming, I wait for the owners to come out and tell them to move the damn thing. All they got was a scratch? If I were you, I'd have it towed next time.

• I'd love to be in Small Claims Court the day this one comes up. What is this person's defense going to be: "The mean old crip ran her big power wheelchair into my poor defenseless car"? Give me a break. You should document what happened, how they blocked the sidewalk, and if you end up going to court, just present your side of it. Your neighbor will have to pay YOUR expenses if you win - which you will if you are calm, careful and prepared. Don't get mad, get even.

Getting a digital camera mounted on a wheelchair

• You might want to contact JC Santilli - he's very good with coming up with all kinds of accommodations. He invents/designs stuff. jcsantilli@sbcglobal.net
  Meriah

• Hi, you should give the Tinker's workshop a call. - http://www.tinkersworkshop.org/ They're usually willing to try anything and they've been very helpful whenever I called asking about something that I thought would be easy but turned out to be complicated.
  Good luck, Jonah
  

• Hi, I am new on this network but could not help but notice your question regarding mounting a camera on a wheelchair. I love designing, inventing, and solving little riddles that we often find in accomodation. I would be very interested in seeing how I might help. You can email me at jcsantilli@sbcglobal.net. Feel free to call me at 510-835-0345. Thanks, JC
  

I am a powerchair user who had a weeklong visitin the almost-accessible home of my sister that was a lot less fun because of struggling with her small grab bar-less bathroom and bedroom. I keep thinking some portable adaptation could have helped. Any Suggestions or recommendations?

• Why doesn't your sister install grab bars? They are easy to install, inexpensive, and can be useful for people who aren't wheelchair users. I have seen grab bars that are temporary, that fit over the side of a bath tub, but I wouldn't use them. Every bathtub is different sized, and if the bars are loose, you might be more unsafe than just having no grab bars. Ask your sister to have strong hooks installed in the ceiling over the bed and the toilet, and you can hang a trapeze-like grab bar from them That way, you could use it to transfer to the bed, and have one in the bathroom as well. When you aren't visiting, she could use the hooks for hanging plants.

• The answer to the person who had trouble with access as a houseguest made me wonder how many of us feel comfortable asking friends and relatives to make major modifications on our behalf? Installing grab bars and ceiling hooks is not that big a deal if you need them in your own home, but if an out-of-town visitor needs them for a week? Minimum cost to have it done would be hundreds of dollars, probably a lot more than a motel for the same period. I wouldn’t count on a host wanting to have grab bars—plenty of people don’t like the way they look, and don’t expect to need them. I have a portable toilet which I use for camping—its frame makes transferring fairly easy. I replaced the bolts that hold it together with thumbscrews so it can be assembled in a few minutes. It could also be used without its seat to provide grab bars for an otherwise accessible toilet in someone's home, though I haven’t had occasion to do this. But temporary grab bars for bathtub and bed are a problem I haven’t solved yet. In motels, I’ve had trouble with getting in and out of bed. Has anyone tried traveling with the kind of grab bar that fits under the mattress?
  

My living room has big windows(the old fashioned wood kind that go up and down) and they work great. In fact, that's the problem - when I push open the window, it flies all the way open - and then I can't reach it to close it! This is more than an inconvenience. I can't leave my house if the windows are stuck open (seems like a perfect invitation to be robbed). I want to make the window so it won't open past half way up. Any advice?

• Ask the hardware store for 'sash stops'. These are screwed to the window frame and they limit how high a window can open. Fairly cheap.

• This is a very simple fix. Nail a block into the track where the window slides up, to stop it at whatever position you prefer. If you want the option of opening the window all the way when someone is with you, fasten the block with removable pins. This method is often used to keep a window from opening more than 8 inches or so, to keep a burglar from getting in by breaking the glass and reaching in to unlatch and open a double-hung window. Sounds like a precaution you might want to consider.
  Ann Sieck

• You can buy a cheap, nifty little metal wedge-shaped stop at a hardware store. You install it on the inside of the outer window at whatever point you want the inner window to stop going up. It can be swung out of the way if you sometimes want to open the window all the way.
  

Wheelchairs in the street

Why do some people ride their wheelchairs in the street instead of on the sidewalk? It can be pretty crowded and I’m really worried that I’m going to hit them. Is it legal to ride on the street?

• In fact it’s not legal to ride in the street, and in some places people have been cited for it. Fortunately, as far as I know, our local cops have bigger fish to fry, and for years now I’ve been enjoying my power chair’s 7+ mph cruising speed with no trouble for almost all trips within 4 miles of my south Berkeley home. I slow down and use the sidewalk only on busy streets, or if someone is walking with me. Why use the street? You really don’t want me passing you at high speed on the sidewalk, any more than you want to be buzzed by speeding bicyclists. And if drivers can avoid hitting bicyclists, it’s even easier to keep from hitting a wheelchair user, since we’re a little slower, and most of us are fairly cautious. It’s true there’s a little ambiguity since whether we ride in the street or not, all wheelchair users have to be pedestrians on occasion, and supposedly have right-of-way at crossings, while bicyclists often don’t. As a “virtual bicyclist” I try to guess what motorists expect, make my intentions clear and cause them as little inconvenience as I can. Speaking of inconvenience, you should consider that like many bicyclists, I have a car, so my choice not to drive reduces traffic and pollution and in theory at least leaves an unused parking place everywhere I stop. If electric scooters like the eGO (about $1000, quiet, egovehicles.com) were in general use maybe communities wouldn’t be at daggers drawn over traffic and parking. By the way, sometimes wheelchair users are forced into the street because some clown has blocked the sidewalk with a car, and that’s a whole other can of worms. I hope everyone is aware that many wheelchair users can’t or don’t want to do the “virtual bicycle” act, and blocked sidewalks and curb cuts are not just a minor inconvenience. And if a wheelchair is out on a busy street most likely it’s on a terrifying forced detour. Confronting someone who is leaving their car across the sidewalk isn’t easy, and I don’t always have the stomach for it, but I sure appreciate people who do. Ann Sieck

Two clever tricks

• Two clever tricks that might work for you if you use a wheelchair: To reduce the inevitable scratches and gouges my chair inflicts on doorways, baseboards and other innocent bystanders, I finally got smart and taped padding on its protruding edges. Along with making small collisions less damaging, it helps prevent scrapes and bruises to my ankles during transfers. I have no idea why such padding isn’t standard-issue.

• If you are able to open doors but have trouble closing them behind you, this trick might be of use. We’ve put a spring on our bathroom door that is just strong enough to close but not to latch it. The door opens outward, and closes behind me so I can easily reach to latch it. When no one is inside, the fact that it isn’t latched tells us it’s not occupied. (There’s also an easily set mechanical stop that can hold it open when desired.) I find this easier to use than a strap hanging from the doorhandle which is another cheap fix I’m aware of.

Help carrying books upstairs (bad back)

I am a librarian. One of my patrons is homebound and lives on a second floor. She reads immense quantities of books. She says her new attendant has a bad back and can't carry all those books up to her, so she may have to give up reading so much. I tried JAN (Job Accommodations Network) and they recommended a stairclimber cart but it cost $1,300. Any other cheaper ideas, other than a different attendant? Thanks!! Anonymous

• You might see if you have a neighbor who is willing to help out by carrying the books upstairs. This could be a great job for a teenager. It also might be a fun way to get to know your neighbor(s) better -- I'm always looking for ways to build community! Diane Dew

• If a stack of books is too heavy, then the simplest solution is to make multiple trips with fewer books. Additionally, it may be possible to get a volunteer group -- Scouts, religious school kids, etc. to commit to delivering a stack of books weekly as a two-legged bookmobile. Anonymous

Help with post polio syndrome

I'm a wheelchair user, and now developing signs of post polio syndrome (having a lot of weakness in my shoulders and elbows). Any tips on ways to avoid these problems would be greatly appreciated. Luis

• It’s important for people with post polio syndrome to get involved in support groups so you can share wisdom with other people in similar issues. Phyllis Hartke (223-4772) has run groups (her last name is pronounced 'heart-key') One thing you should be finding out about from these people are names of good Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists who can work with you now to avoid problems you might have later. For example: if you are a computer user, or work at a desk, ergonomics are an important consideration for anyone - but for those of us with post polio syndrome, it's a critical consideration. Repetitive strain injuries, which can be problematic for other people, can be completely debilitating for us, and can exacerbate post polio syndrome. Don't wait - get out there and find the people who can help you get information. Bruce

Hand Walker tips

I recently acquired a new walker that I thought would allow me to get more exercise, since it has wheels and hand brakes like those on a bicycle. I thought it would be a great improvement, but I find that I can't control it going downhill, and I'm afraid I'll have a bad fall if I try. Is there a secret to using it that I don't understand? Anonymous

• I had the same problem with my 4 wheeled walker and found that there was an adjustment near the wheels where they meet the brakes that you can tighten - the only problem is that the wheels will rub when you are walking on straight ground. The only other thing I can suggest is to hold the brake partially down when you are on a hilly surface (if you are lucky enough to have the grip to do it safely). Good luck! Cheryl Moslowitz

• Try squeezing the brake handles lightly as you go down a slant or slope. That has helped me...especially after wiping out pushing a shopping cart down a slope from the grocery store with just a very heavy watermelon! The cart got away from me and i went down. So i am very careful about slopes now. I feel much safer with my walker than shopping cart. MJ.

• This is the kind of situation that makes nuts - why in the world would someone be provided with a walker and no training on how to use it? It's even possible that this is the wrong piece of equipment for you. You should contact whoever gave you the walker and tell them about this - and for God's sake, DON'T USE IT OUTDOORS UNTIL THEN! You could seriously (and permanently) injure yourself. Tell your doctor you'd like a referral to someone (an OT or PT) who can show you how it works and make sure you have the right one. Sometimes, the wrong piece of equipment is worse than no equipment at all. Kevin

Shoulder replacement

I have RA and my Doctor has told me that I should start considering a shoulder replacement to deal with the pain. Has anybody had this done? Could you tell me about your experience? Did it make a big improvement in the pain? What sort of mobility do you have now? Would you do it again? I’m pretty apprehensive about the surgery. Carol.

• I have had adult onset JRA since 1979, which has pretty much affected most of the joints in my body. I just had bilateral shoulder replacements in 2003 (one in January and one in June). Over the years I had adapted to the pain by being very careful not to make certain movements. My range of motion (rom) was very limited in both shoulders. Today, two years later, it is unbelievable how much range I have in both shoulders. They said it would help with pain, but might not improve range of motion. I do rom exercises every day in the shower. I incorporate rom in my daily routines so I don't have to think about it. It is worth it!
  
  If you wait too long before having the surgery, then there can be more damage. For example, you can tear your rotary cuff. This happened in my right shoulder, but luckily it was a minor tear. However, the right shoulder is not as stable as the left – I don't know if this is due to the tear. With my hips, I waited 7 years to have my second hip replaced and I continue to suffer terribly because of it. I would start by talking to an orthopedic surgeon and find out what he/she thinks of the cartilage damage. For me the surgery went fine (CPMC in S.F).
  
  Everyone scarred me with stories of how painful the PT would be afterwards, but I never experienced pain from PT (Alta Bates PT on Telegraph. There is parking and the Alta Bates shuttle goes to and from the Rockridge BART). It is really, really helpful to have someone stay with you during the first few weeks or so after the surgery. You can't do a whole lot on your own, at least in the beginning.
  
  To sum it up: range of motion is so improved that I can't compare it to before -- night and day difference, but I'm consistent with rom exercises .the surgery itself was fine. The only hard part was waking up and not being able to move the shoulder. Physical therapy was great - I did enjoy it. It became my 'job'. Yes, I would do it again – but I wouldn't have waited soooo many years. .My most impressive movement is that I can wrap my arms around each other like a pretzel -- not the smartest thing to do, but I was inspired by my nephew. I can reach for things off of top shelves, I can reach both arms in the air above my head, and each arm individually. I can put my hands behind my head with bent elbows and lean into a doorway with my elbows, and my body is pretty straight. I'm careful about lifting, though and, with bent arms, squeeze my elbows into my body before lifting. if you have any other questions, let me know.

Cane Lessons
I recently injured my leg, and my wife suggested that a cane might help me get around. She bought me a cane at a store, and it came with the instruction to "cut it to the appropriate length". What is the appropriate length? And how to I use this thing, anyway? It hasn't been that helpful, but I'm really not that immobile, nor will I have this long enough, to go to a Physical Therapist for cane lessons.

Using a cane is not as intuitive as it seems - most people start off by using it on the wrong side. If you have a "bad" side that needs more support, hold the cane in the opposite hand. Start by placing the cane one small stride ahead and step with your weaker leg, finishing with your better leg. As you walk, your weaker leg and the cane should strike the ground at the same time. To adjust a cane to the proper length, stand upright with shoes on, letting your hands hang at your sides. The top of the cane's handle should come up to the crease on the inside of your wrist. Good luck, Mark.