Ditto Don
I've been at it for 43 years now.
And that email contained some gems, peer support info the best, most
concise one pager I've seen.
I tip my hat to you Ed.
Many thanks.
Best
Philip
On 16/10/2022 7:23 am, Don Price wrote:
This list is AWESOME. Thank you for sharing that, Ed!
I use most of those products you described but some were new to me as
well. I’ll put together a list as well.
Thanks,
Don.
On Oct 13, 2022, at 3:10 PM, Edward Tessier <e...@artecopartners.com>
wrote:
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
