In a recent post I mentioned some of the products that have been essential to successfully living my life as a quad (C5 –6, 38 years post surfing injury). I wanted to expand upon and share my list with everybody. I think it would be really interesting to hear everybody else's list as well.
Products that change my life: Sure Hands Lift – – I'm still using the lift I bought 20 some years ago when doing board and pivot transfers became too rough on me and my attendants. it has never broken down and only needed a replacement battery once. nothing gets me in and out of bed faster-- no Hoyer type sling. It also places me in exactly the right spot in my wheelchair. I only wish they had a travel version. Peristeen Bowel management program-- there is more about this my last post, but basically it is made my bowel program faster, more dependable, easier on my body, and easier on my attendants. Dragon dictation system-- I use this every single day and if I didn't have it I wouldn't be able to work, right creatively, keep up with friends, etc. Ride wheelchair cushion – – I lost a year to pressure sores when every other wheelchair cushion failed me. I tried EVERYTHING. The ride cushion ( which, counterintuitively, is made of hard foam) is fully customized to each user. It got me back in my wheelchair and back to work, spending time with my kids, and enjoying life. Alexa for smart home control-- turning on lights, controlling my bedroom fan, calling attendants hands-free, listening to music, ordering groceries, etc. etc. etc. it's amazing being able to do so many things by voice that once forced me to constantly ask for help. accessible minivan with EZ lock-- after my wheelchair and I fell off of an old school van lift, the ability to just quickly roll up the ramp and into a self locking tiedown was revolutionary. I take it too much for granted. Fully tilting power wheelchair-- my Permobile 300's tilt function has extended my functional time in my chair and made pressure relief much less of a hassle. It's also been my most dependable wheelchair ever. It's going strong at 10 years and has never needed anything more than batteries and replacement cushioning on my armrests. Lithotripsy kidney stone removal-- like many quads I have chronic kidney stones and this tech replaced difficult surgery. now, every 2 to 3 years, I go for a cleaning and I'm up at around in a week. iPhone/ iPad and Siri-- the touchscreen, and later the voice assistant, changed everything about communication, making me much more productive at work. apps made so many life management tasks incredibly easier-- banking, shopping, reading books, listening to books, tracking my kids, scheduling help, paying bills, ordering meds, taking family pictures... couldn't we all go on and on here? Viagra and Ferticare vibrator-- getting erections and ejaculating aren't required to have a lot of fun in bed, but they sure are nice. wheelchair accessible RV by Newmar-- our first accessible RV was a DIY project that mostly worked, but wasn't all that comfortable. Newmar's line of wheelchair accessible RVs were designed from the ground up for comfort and ease of use. they are by far the best product on the market. the family excursions it enables have given me some of my favorite memories thank goodness for these products and technology. I hope they stay on the market forever. so, now it's your turn. WHAT IS YOUR LIST OF CAN'T-LIVE-WITHOUT PRODUCTS? Ed Tessier
