Tuesday, April 19, 2016

CRAIG NEEDS NEW LEGS! Thus Begins Part One of The Quickie 2 Adventure!

Watch The Video Above...
If you have read/watched any of our articles and videos on Walking, Way Overrated,  you know that my husband Craig has used a manual wheelchair for almost 30 years and I have used a power chair since I was about seventeen, my first manual chair, an old Everest and Jennings, Lilac colour upholstery one, when I was about eight or so. I am fifty now, you do the math :o)
Needless to say, we have a pretty good grasp on wheelchairs, what's available, what works for folks with needs similar to ours and such.
 Of course, we can only speak from our experiences and what we have witnessed over these many years, with our fellow users, of wheelchairs.

In Need Of New "Legs"
In our province, we are blessed with a program funded by the Ministry of Health, called the Assistive Devices Program. As mentioned in a previous article, they help fund 75% of wheelchairs, manual and power, every five years. As well, one of the other most important pieces of equipment that has to go with every wheelchair...the seat cushion. It can not be just any cushion. The proper seat cushion is meant to support the areas of our fanny that has the most pressure points. The purpose is not just comfort, but, to avoid horrible health events, like pressure sores. Look up pressure sores or pressure ulcers and you will take your cushion type VERY seriously.
Thank You Lord, that because Craig and I have feeling, we are able to make sure our backsides are well supported. We will talk more about cushion types, uses, prices and all that along this Quickie 2 Adventure, in the future. Just do not ever rely on the cheap "come with" piece of foam, that is sent along with some wheelchair purchases. Yes, they are fine if you are say my mom, who had brittle bones from osteoporosis and the chemo, who then fell,  and shattered her ankle and needed surgery and a cast and a wheelchair, for short sitting stints. She seemed fine, but if she had to permanently use a wheelchair, she definitely would have required a medical quality wheelchair cushion.
Back to Craig's New Legs...
Step #1: Seating Assessment: 
As I just mentioned, we are blessed with being eligible to get new wheelchairs every five years. In Craig's case, he has actually been using his for seven years. Mine, is about nine to ten years old. My  new "legs" adventure, may begin next year. For now, it's Craig's turn...
As we have been covering for almost a year, because of Craig's long term using of his wheelchair, he has rotator/shoulder problems. It happens when your arms are your "legs" for long periods of time. So, he was blessed with being able to purchase the Quickie Xtender Power Assist Wheels. Want to learn more about that adventure, click here and for updates through the year, click here.)

If you are interested in hearing more about the beginning steps to getting a new wheelchair in our province, watch the video we made above. Starring the man of the hour, my husband Craig :o)

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Just wanted to share the wonderful experience Craig had on his first day when he got his new Xtender Wheels, powered by Yamaha. Next week I will have more information to share updates on all that has been happening. 

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