Category: Helpful Products

Get your wheelchair on a boat

youshouldgoanyway

I had a great time the 4th of July weekend up at my aunt and uncle’s cottage in northern WI. Although their cottage was not particularly accessible (30+ steps down to the lake!) they did make arrangements for me to board their pontoon boat at a neighbor’s shoreline. The door off the front of their boat was much more than 30 inches wide so they just pulled straight up to the shore and we used the 7 foot folding wheelchair ramp that I carry in my car just for these occasions. The ramp bridged the gap from the land to the boat very easily and sturdily. It took less than 2 minutes and I was on board.

This is just one way to get yourself onto a boat. There are also many other options. In the past I have abandoned my wheelchair on the shoreline and been lifted via a fork lift onto a boat. I have also been carried onto a deep sea fishing boat as well as another family member’s pontoon boat one time when we didn’t have ramps available. My point is that if you would like to get on a boat but can’t physically climb on the boat yourself, you can still do it with a little help.

If you would like to own a boat, maybe you would want to get a custom ramp built. There are several companies out there who make custom wheelchair ramps for boats. Just search google and you can easily find them. I haven’t ever bought one so I can’t endorse one particular company over another. But anything is possible!

The time spent on the lake was relaxing, fun, and a great change of scenery. I could have easily said “No” to the extra steps they were proposing to get me on the boat but it turned out to be very, very easy.

http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js

Making (almost) everywhere you go accessible

youshouldgoanyway
I carry a 7ft ramp like this in my van.

People like to fuss about making sure I can get into their homes. I appreciate the fuss but it’s no longer necessary since I started carrying my own portable wheelchair ramp in my van.

If you have your own wheelchair ramp everywhere you go then there are few places you can’t get into (at least in the suburbs). Sure there will be the occasional exception, but I have found that the ramp I bring with me usually does the trick. It beats rolling up precarious-looking pieces of wood that someone tore off an old picnic table.

I have found that a folding 7 foot ramp fits perfectly in the back of my minivan (and in the middle section) and allows you the ability to get up three or even four steps if necessary. You might also want to carry a smaller single-piece ramp in addition to the folding ramp just in case. There are a few places I could have used a smaller ramp as well.

Overall it just makes thing much easier on you and your family and friends when you come prepared. Check out a bunch of wheelchair ramps now to find out more information.

Staying warm with muscular dystrophy

youshouldgoanyway

I am in a constant battle with family and friends over indoor temperatures. During winter I am freezing. During summer I am freezing. Basically I am always freezing and sometimes bloody after a hardcore fight over the thermostat.

Physically I notice that my body works better when it is warm, so I have come up with some personalized solutions to keep myself defrosted and thought I would pass them along. These are all fairly easy to implement and don’t impact others in the house as much as cranking the heat does. They’re also very low cost.

1. Space Heaters
The main thermostat in the house I share with my sister back in WI during the summer is upstairs. Combine that with the fact it’s a tri-level and I am in the lowest level and I am constantly shivering. Tri-level houses have notoriously poor HVAC systems. Hot upstairs, cold downstairs, and sometimes comfortable in the middle. Usually, however, I am the only one downstairs and I did discover that a good space heater can help me get control of the temperature downstairs. I recommend getting one in each room you spend the most time, however I have a small one on wheels in my office that I can roll around if necessary. It’s just a pain to unplug and plug back in all the time. But it’s light, quiet, and turns my office into a sauna. You can also put a small one right at your feet and nobody else in the room even has to feel it.

2. Electric blankets
I like to plug in an electric blanket and throw it over my legs if I know I am just going to be watching TV or something for a while. It’s easy to have an electric blanket or an electric throw on the couch or recliner that’s already plugged in and ready to go — just flip a switch and it’s warm in no time.

3. Electric mattress pad
I had one of these on a bed during high school and it was wonderful. I did discover that it could get too hot sometimes. I do recommend trying a warming mattress pad, however, because you might want full-body coverage. But for me, I discovered it was my feet that were usually cold at night. To counteract this, I fold a regular electric blanket in half and use it under my sheet on the bottom half of my bed. It keeps my feet warm and doesn’t overwhelm me during the night like a full heated mattress pad does.

4. Heat lamp in the bathroom
I do not have one of these but whenever I stay in a hotel that has one, I feel like a toasty chicken McNugget just waiting to be served. It makes the transition from a nice hot shower to a colder room-temperature bathroom much easier to bear. I do, on occasion, roll my portable space heater into the bathroom to heat things up while I shower and do plan on getting one specifically for the bathroom sometime in the future.

5. Hot water bottles / Heating pads
When I am traveling and don’t have an electric blanket or space heater at my disposal, I like to fill up a water bottle with hot water from the faucet and keep it on my lap. I have also packed a portable heating pad before, which works great for travel as well.

UPDATED 9/30
6. Heated clothing!
I just got a heated vest and love it. It was not cheap, but I know I will get use out of it. There are also heated pads, gloves, and other items that run off batteries. Check out my heated vest review here.

I would love to get a heated seat for my wheelchair and there is a power converter that you can get to plug things in. I am not sure how long this would last or if it would drain my battery completely but it’s something I’d like to try eventually.

Use a camera bag to hold your wallet, cell, & more

youshouldgoanyway

One of the first questions I had when I started using a wheelchair was “What the hell am I supposed to do with my wallet?”

I tried putting it in the front pocket of my pants, but that was uncomfortable and difficult to access. I tried putting it in the pocket of my wheelchair but I felt like it could easily fall out unnoticed. Then I had to also deal with a cell phone and it required a better solution anyway.

Thats when I tried a small camera bag — specifically the Lowepro Ridge 60. I know you can attach various bags and what-not to your wheelchair but I really didn’t want to have to dig underneath or behind every time I needed something.

So I picked up the camera bag after seeing it at a store and thought it might work. It was a great decision. I have had the same one for almost five years now and was recently looking to replace it with a new one — maybe a different one. But I decided that there was nothing about it that I didn’t like so I re-upped with a fresh version of the same model.

I love it for several reasons:

  1. It’s small enough not to get in the way but big enough to notice if you drop it.
  2. It holds a lot. I can get my wallet, phone, and either iPod or camera in there plus change, receipts, etc.
  3. It has two extra pockets — one small one that zips and one larger one that velcros shut.
  4. It’s inexpensive at around $12.
  5. It travels well — great for planes since you can keep it on your lap at takeoff.
  6. You can quickly throw change & receipts in it after checking out at the store.
  7. It fits nicely on your lap when used in conjunction with the leg strap I use.

The only negative is the occasional teasing by friends and family about my “purse” or “manbag” but the easy comeback is to say, “Well where the hell would YOU put all this crap if you were in a wheelchair?!?” They usually can’t come up with an answer. Then I say, “Well I can think of a place you can put it!”

If you’re struggling for a solution to how to deal with all the “stuff” when riding around in a wheelchair, I highly recommend the Lowepro Ridge 60 or any other small camera bag that you can find to use.

How to find a cheap wheelchair

youshouldgoanyway

I have yet to get a wheelchair through insurance. First of all, my insurance wouldn’t approve the chair I wanted with the features I needed. Second, the deductible on my insurance is actually more than I’ve seen some used wheelchairs for and more than what I paid for my current wheelchair. So far I actually have been lucky enough to find cheap wheelchairs a couple times in a couple different places.

If you know exactly what wheelchair you want — make, model, features — then it can be easier to search for the type of wheelchair you want and get a used one for much much cheaper than new. In my experience the used wheelchair market is about 10-20% or less of new cost for a wheelchair that is slightly used. Also many people usually give you the chargers and any other equipment that might have gone with it because they have no idea what these things cost.

The first wheelchair I got was actually a demo model that the vendor was trying to get rid of for cheap. Just like a vehicle that has been around the block a few times, demo wheelchairs can be sold for much less than the original selling price. The advantage to getting a demo wheelchair is that it is cheaper than new and has likely been taken care of by the vendor. However it can still be a pricey way to get a wheelchair.

My first recommendation is to look on Craigslist.org in your area. Do a quick search for “wheelchair” in your area under the entire “For sale” category and see what comes up. I tend to monitor my area for the type of chair I am currently using so that if I find one come up for cheap I can snag it and use it as a backup, keep it for parts, or use it if my current chair ever fails completely.  I bought my current chair from someone advertising on Craigslist an hour away. New, my chair would cost $7500. I got this one for $300 and he threw in a manual chair for free.

Second, check out eBay. You can set up a regular search and check to see if your wheelchair comes up in auction or Buy It Now. Usually the chair is not in your area and it seems as though most people are reluctant to ship wheelchairs across the country because it can be cost prohibitive or a hassle. I actually do not recommend buying a wheelchair off eBay unless you are able to check it out in person and make sure it works. I have had luck with buying wheelchair parts unseen on eBay but would probably not buy a wheelchair unless I saw it first.

Lastly, check rummage sale listings and auctions in your area. I have seen wheelchairs come up at estate auctions quite often. One time a nice Quantum chair went for around $200. Usually at these things people have no interest in buying wheelchairs so you can find a cheap wheelchair if you keep your eyes out.

Overall I think patience is the top thing to keep when looking for a cheap wheelchair. But you never know when the one you want might come up, so you can’t give up. I usually like to check both Craigslist and eBay whenever I am on a road trip to see if there are any cheap wheelchairs in the area I am driving through.

One caveat to keep in mind. If you have particular mobility needs or positioning requirements, make absolutely sure you get your new (used) wheelchair checked out and tuned up by a professional. You do not want to sacrifice your health simply to save money on a cheap wheelchair.

Good luck on your search for a cheap wheelchair! I know you’ll find one eventually if you keep your eyes open.