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Tag: Wheelchair

“People are not confined to their wheelchairs. They are, in fact, liberated by their wheels. A person with paralysis can get around as quickly in a wheelchair as a non-disabled person can walking,” said the Christopher Reeve Foundation. When you have the perfect wheelchair for you, you have better mobility and are more comfortable, and your chair is more accessible for you to use. 

Many factors go into choosing the perfect wheelchair, such as your abilities, types of usage, and cost. To help you choose, here is a list of available wheelchair options. 

Manual Wheelchair Options 

You could find a manual chair more comfortable if you have more upper body strength. The manual chairs are propelled by using your arms and hands to push the wheels forward. 

Today’s wheelchairs weigh significantly less and come in a variety of styles. These lightweight versions are easier to fold and put in and out of cars. You can now find manual chairs with a suspension option that gives a much smoother ride. 

If you choose, you can add products to these chairs like “frog legs”. The frog legs also aid in suspension. Another invention for manual chairs is the super-light titanium chairs that aim to be easier on the user’s shoulders. 

You can also change out the tires so that they can work easier over harder terrain. For example, if you want to go off-road, some tires accommodate the rough and rocky roads. There are rims for tires called FlexRim tires that help create a more accessible, low-impact push, which helps protect arms and hands. 

Power Chairs 

If a person finds it difficult to push a wheelchair, there are power wheelchairs and scooters that will do the work for them. The power chair uses a joystick controlled by an electric motor.  

There are many different styles of power chairs. A traditional power chair resembles a manual wheelchair but carries the bulk of the batteries, motor, and control system. However, you can also find them with a captain’s chair-style seat on top of a power base. 

Innovation has given a wider choice for power chairs. You can find light, fast and powerful power chairs these days. New models can be off-road ready, can fold for travel, and be customized for the most complex needs of people using a wheelchair.

Specialized Wheelchairs 

There are wheelchairs for children, wheelchairs that tilt or recline, and standing wheelchairs for people to put themselves in a standing position to prevent pressure sores and improve circulation. 

Special chairs are also designed for sports and leisure, such as basketball or tennis. There are even beach wheelchairs with tires to navigate the sandy beach terrain. 

We hope that sharing these available wheelchair choices can help you determine the best wheelchair for your scenario. If you cannot choose the right chair, Next Day Access is here to help. Do not hesitate to contact your nearest Next Day Access location to schedule a consultation. We will work with you by presenting our various models and sharing the information you need to determine which wheelchair suits you best. 

Curious about wheelchair ramps? Watch this quick video to learn 5 common types of wheelchair ramps.

Posted in Health & WellnessTagged , , , , ,

Many family caregivers do not get proper training on transferring someone with mobility difficulties from one place to another. For example, one of the most common tasks is to help someone in a wheelchair move safely to a toilet. Thankfully, there are a handful of toilet transfer techniques to help you.

If you do not do the transfer correctly, you could injure yourself or your loved one. We found a few transfer tips from Daily Caring we would like to share with you.

4 Toilet Transfer Techniques for Family Caregivers

Prep the Space

  • Remove rugs, bathmats, or any other trip hazards in the bathroom in the space you need for transferring. 
  • Move the wheelchair feet out of the way. 
  • Have your body set to perform the transfer. 
  • Move the wheelchair into the proper position and lock the brakes. 

Help Them Up From the Wheelchair

  • Have your loved one scoot up to the edge of the wheelchair and lean forward. 
  • Ask them to either hold your forearms or put their hands on the arms of the wheelchair and push up. 
  • Stand directly in front of them, hold their waist and stand up together, keeping your body stiff and controlled. Use your knees to lower and raise your body. Do not bend over. Bending over is how you could injure your back. 
  • If their legs are not strong, put your knees in front of theirs while they stand. This is called blocking. 
  • If they are weaker on one side, stand on that side to provide additional support. 

Sit Them on the Toilet

  • Using small steps, guide them to pivot and turn 90 degrees and back up until the toilet seat is at the back of their knees. 
  • Help them pull down their pants and undergarments. 
  • Have them bend their knees and easily lower themselves down to the seat. Once again, use your knees to raise and lower your body to avoid injury. 
  • Consider investing in a Bio Bidet. Bio Bidet is known for having the best toilets and toilet seats for all homes. In addition, the cleansing method utilizing a water stream sets them apart from their competition. The Bio Bidet will help ensure that your loved one gets as clean as possible after using the restroom. 

Return to the Wheelchair

  • Get them to move forward on the toilet seat and lean towards you. 
  • Ask them to hold your forearms and push up. 
  • Stand close to them so you can hold on to their waist while you both stand.  
  • Using small steps helps them pivot 90 degrees again and back to the wheelchair. But, first, make sure the brakes are still locked on the wheelchair. 
  • Once they feel the wheelchair seat at the back of their legs, they slowly return to a seated position. You will need to hold their waist as they take a seat. 

Essential Safety Tips for Transfer

  • Never try to pull an older adult up. 
  • Bend from the waist. 
  • Do not let them hold on to towel bars or toilet paper holders, as these could be non-sturdy and cause them to slip. 
  • Make sure they do not hold you by the shoulders or the neck. This will help to prevent injury. 

At Next Day Access, anyone with difficulty in mobility can find products to help keep them safe at home and on the go. For the bathroom specifically, we offer Toilet Support Arms, Grab Bars, Drive Commode Chairs, Bio Bidets, and more. Contact us to see the many ways we can help improve your life. 

Posted in Bathroom Safety, CaregiversTagged , , , , , , , ,

Your social life does not have to stop if you have mobility concerns. The new app Sociability makes sure anyone with accessibility concerns has a list of detailed and accurate places to enjoy. The goal of the platform is to mitigate potential issues by listing the accessibility of venues on the app.

How the Sociability App Works

An inaccessible venue limits opportunities and social engagement. When you know a venue is accessible, it instills confidence. The Sociability app makes getting detailed, accurate, and reliable venue information easy.

Users log in to the app, and a map pops up. They have the option of clicking orange arrows to show nearby places rated on the app by other users or use the search bar to type in their desired destination. Once they find the destination on the app, they can read what other users experienced when they visited the venue

Who Benefits from Sociability

Sociability is one of the only crowdsourced accessibility platforms. People with mobility and accessibility concerns built the app for themselves and others like them. The app gives accessibility information for popular and fun local shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, and more. 

What Makes Sociability Special

One of the best things Sociability is you do not receive generic information about venues but instead get a detailed breakdown. For example, a popular local bar on the app serving customers for years has accessibility information from a former patron. This patron was delighted by the food and service, but they would not recommend the venue to wheelchair users during busy hours. The tightly packed and crowded aisles made maneuverability difficult in a wheelchair. Reviews like this can help you decide whether to visit a venue or not.

Why Sociability is Important

Sociability also aims to help businesses understand the barriers in their business that may prevent people with disabilities from visiting. The hope is communities evolve to include everyone and to be accessible to everyone. Apps like this help create a level of inclusivity for patrons.

At Next Day Access, we are thankful our customers can access this app and its unique resources. We are also available to meet your accessibility needs by offering an assortment of mobility equipment. Whether you are looking for a new wheelchair, would like to rent a lift chair, or need grab bars in the bathroom, we can help with all those needs and more. Contact us today for a free in-home assessment. 

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When it is time for you to have knee surgery, your doctors have probably already explained you will need to have a comfortable place to recover and the recovery will take some time. To ensure you are ready to come home to a welcoming environment, we looked for the best information to make it easier for you to focus on your health as you heal. The following eight tips come from an article published in AARP.

If you live in a two-story home, create a first floor sleep/ recovery space.

You will quickly learn that navigating stairs is difficult immediately after knee surgery, says Geoffrey Westrich, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and a professor at Weill Cornell Medicine at Cornell University. Consider converting a downstairs space into a bedroom during your recovery time. This makeshift bedroom should have a bed, or you can sleep on a couch or recliner. Ideally, you can access your bed, bathroom, and kitchen all on the same level. 

Preprare your recovery area.

If you have a comfy chair you would prefer to use, make sure it is sturdy and you can elevate your leg. In this instance, a recliner would be the most helpful. If a recliner is not available, you can use a sturdy chair and an ottoman or a footstool to prop up your leg. Place a firm cushion on the chair to help you stand up. Next Day Access offers lift chairs that lift you to a standing position and rails to hold onto as you stand. 

Place any items you might need nearby. These items include your hygiene products, reading materials, remotes, glasses, chargers, trashcans, tissue, medicine, and change of clothes. 

Preorder medical equipment from your doctor’s office or Next Day Access.

Next Day Access has an assortment of items to help you get to your pre-surgery condition in no time. Items include everything from wheelchairs, walkers, toilet bowl extenders, grab bars and so much more. You can even discuss with Next Day Access, renting some of the items that might be out of budget. 

Prepare your bathroom.

You will be much more comfortable if you have a portable showerhead attachment. The showerhead will help make bathing accessible. You will also need to use the grab bars from Next Day Access throughout the bathroom to assist you in and out of the tub and on and off the toilet.

Stock up on ice packs.

It is vital you ice your knee following surgery. The ice has been shown to reduce swelling and inflammation, eventually leading to a greater range of motion. You can use ice in Ziplock bags or frozen peas; whatever ice pack you choose will get the job done.

Clean out your refrigerator and freezer and stock it with easy to make items 

The last thing you want to do after knee surgery is clean out the fridge and toss expired items. You may be on a strict diet. It is unlikely you will feel much like cooking. You can find no-fuss healthy items to place in the refrigerator that can easily be microwaved. 

Declutter and deep clean the house.

Remove any trip hazards, like rugs or stacks of books. Make sure the space has plenty of room for turning or limping shortly after surgery without obstacles getting in the way. 

Line up help from friends and family.

Even the most independent person can use a hand from time to time. The truth is to keep from hurting yourself worse, you need to enlist the help of other people. You can hire someone to deliver your groceries or walk your dog. However, it is a good idea to have a loved one on standby if you accidentally fall.

Remember, Next Day Access is here for you every step of the way. We will help you find exactly what you might need during your recovery, and if we don’t have it, we will find someone who does! Contact us today for a free in-home assessment.

Posted in Home & Bath ModificationTagged , , , , , , , ,

Are you or a loved one experiencing mobility issues and needing the assistance of a wheelchair? If so, it might be time to remodel your home’s entry with a step-less solution. By remodeling for a step-less entry, you can be confident your entry will be safer and more comfortable. Here are the steps for remodeling for a step-less entry into your home: 

How To Remodel

  1. Have a covered entrance built over the entranceway. The covered entry aids in controlling water at a low threshold and ensures protection during inclement weather. 
  1. Make sure there is adequate maneuvering space around storm doors and screen doors. 
  1. Measure 5’x5’ as the minimum for level landing area maneuvering. 
  1. The walkway should be 4′ wide and sloped at 1:20 or less. If the slopes are steeper than 1:30, you will need to install handrails. 
  1. By using a mixture of retaining walls and earth berm, you will have an effective method that supplies a step-less route to the landing while keeping an integrated appearance of the home. 
  1. Remove the original small stoop. 
  1. When set at the same level as the interior house floor, the new porch landing will diminish the step at the entry door. 
  1. Prepare a flush or low-profile threshold ½’. This measurement will need to be the maximum height. 
  1. Install handrails with an integral package shelf. 
  1.  Exchange your house numbers for higher contrast numbers to ensure the numbers are easy to read at a distance. 
  1. Set up good lighting at the entryway. Focus the light on the house numbers and locksets to make certain you or your loved one have ease of use and better security. 
  1.  Ensure the entry and screen door provides a minimum 32″ clear opening with leverage-style hardware. 
  1. Lower the peephole, so you or your loved one can see through the peephole from the wheelchair. 

Next Actions

At Next Day Access, our priority is to make sure that anyone aging in place or has mobility issues can live safely, comfortably, and independently at home. We offer a vast assortment of items that make life easier. If you would prefer not to remodel your entryway, we offer many different styles of wheelchair ramps, including threshold ramps that easily slide over a small step. However, we have products to help with your remodel if you choose to remodel. You can schedule an in-home consultation with us, and we can help you figure out if a remodel is the most effective solution for your home. During the consultation, we can also help to show you areas in the home that could use added safety measures. Contact us today to schedule a consultation. 

Posted in Home & Bath ModificationTagged , , , , , , , , ,

For many people, visiting the beach is a quintessential summer activity. The sun, the surf, and the sand all beckon us to unwind and enjoy the beauty of the coastline. However, for individuals who use wheelchairs, the sandy terrain can present a significant challenge, often acting as a roadblock to fully experiencing the beach.

Fortunately, there are solutions and strategies available to enhance wheelchair accessibility and make beach visits an inclusive and enjoyable experience for everyone. Next Day Access, a leading provider of mobility solutions, is here to share valuable tips to improve wheelchair accessibility at the beach.

Tips to Improve Wheelchair Accessibility at the Beach

  • Research readily accessible beach options: Beachside tourist spots are revamping to accommodate those who utilize mobility devices. Be on the lookout for beach areas that feature wooden
  • Choose the Right Beach: Not all beaches are created equal when it comes to wheelchair accessibility. Look for beaches that offer wheelchair-accessible paths or ramps leading to the shoreline. Some beaches even have specially designated wheelchair-accessible beach entrances. Research and plan ahead to find beaches that prioritize inclusivity and offer amenities designed to accommodate individuals with mobility challenges.

Beach-Friendly Products to Improve Wheelchair Accessibility

  • Utilize Beach Wheelchairs: Next Day Access provides beach wheelchairs for rent or purchase, specifically designed to navigate the sandy terrian. These wheelchairs often have larger, wider wheels that make it easier to move across the sand. Contact the local beach authorities or tourist information centers to inquire about the availability of beach wheelchairs and any reservation procedures.
  • Bring Portable Ramps: If the beach you’re visiting doesn’t have accessible pathways or beach wheelchairs, consider investing in portable ramps. Next Day Access offers lightweight and foldable portable ramps that provide a smooth transition from solid ground to the sand, making it easier to navigate with a wheelchair. Portable ramps are available in various lengths and materials, so choose one that suits your specific needs.
  • Use Beach Accessibility Mats: Beach accessibility mats are an excellent solution to improve wheelchair mobility on sandy beaches. These mats are designed to be placed on top of the sand, providing a stable and firm surface for wheelchair movement. They allow individuals in wheelchairs to traverse the sand with ease and reduce the risk of getting stuck.
  • Consider Beach Tires for Wheelchairs: Specialized beach tires for wheelchairs are designed to provide improved traction and maneuverability on sandy surfaces. These tires have wider treads and deeper grooves, allowing for better grip in challenging terrains. Investing in beach tires can greatly enhance wheelchair mobility and make navigating the sand more manageable.

Enjoy Stress-Free Beach Days

Travelling can be stressful when you have mobility devices to think about. However, enjoying the beach and even transporting your mobility chair doesn’t need to be a hassle. Contact Next Day Access to learn about our rental products and make your next beach trip stress-free.

Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , Leave a Comment on How to Beach Better: Wheelchair Accessibility Made Simple

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