Archive for the 'Well Being' Category
United Spinal Association has some important tips to handle situations before and during a fire, and to address fire prevention within private homes. It is important to recognize that all people living with mobility impairments do not have the same type of home. Therefore, the following tips should be used only as a model to be modified and adjusted to fit each individual’s private residence.
- Identify and determine the nearest emergency exit or exits within your home. It is important to always know the safest and quickest exit from any location you are in and it should always be based on your physical capabilities. If it is at all possible, try to live, or have your sleeping area, close to an accessible exit. Then, in the event of an emergency, you will have the quickest escape route. You might require some accommodations to facilitate an emergency exit such as a ramp or removal of barriers.
- Make the adjustments necessary to ensure a safe escape route. In addition, be sure that you can also open all locks on windows and doors throughout your house.
- Install heat or smoke detectors throughout your home. Key locations for smoke alarms are: the kitchen, basement, storage areas, trash areas, accessible attics, sleeping areas, and hallways. Please note that there are various types of smoke alarms. .
Think before you speak. Always speak directly to the person with a disability, not to his companion, aide or sign language interpreter. Making small talk with a person who has a disability is great; just talk to her as you would with anyone else. Respect her privacy. If you ask about her disability, she may feel like you are treating her as a disability, not as a human being. (However, many people with disabilities are comfortable with children’s natural curiosity and do not mind if a child asks them questions.)
* Note: We want you to think of people who have a disability as individuals—your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors—so rather than use the amorphous group term “they” for people with disabilities, we use the pronouns “he” or “she” .
Don’t make assumptions.
People with disabilities are the best judge of what they can or cannot do. Don’t make decisions for them about participating in any activity. Depending on the situation, it could be a violation of the ADA to exclude people because of a presumption about their limitations.
For prevention of skin breakdown, it is imperative we change positions in bed frequently. The skin becomes very vulnerable when continuous pressure is compromising any part of our body. Therefore, it is important to turn and reposition when sitting or lying in bed. It is generally recommended by physicians to reposition at least every two hours.
Wheelchairs Abound offers a newly designed Freestanding Trapeze. It is very easy to assemble and even easier to move with the wheels and with a fold up configuration that has been added for easy storage. The trapeze is designed to help larger patients to change positions while in bed and aid in the transfer from bed to chairs with minimum assistance. Used in conjunction with a bed, this trapeze can assist an individual weighing up to 1000 lbs. It is designed to provide support, increase stability and assist the user when repositioning in the bed. However, it is not designed to support the total body weight of an individual. It should be used for assistance only. The overhead boom swivels from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. Boom can be locked down in 45 degree increments. The chain is adjustable from the edge of headboard to the end of boom by simply sliding to desired position. It assembles with a drill, rubber mallet, and 5/16” socket and 3/4” wrench.
Heat exhaustion is a state of definite weakness produced by the excess loss of normal fluids and sodium chloride in the form of sweat usually caused by exposure to heat, likely indoors. Some of the symptoms are: Face becomes pale, cool, and moist. The skin is cool, clammy with profuse sweating. The body temperature is below normal. Heart rate is weak, thready and rapid. Breathing becomes shallow and quiet. Muscles are tense and contracted and eyes may become soft.
Heat stroke is a condition or derangement of the heat control centers due to exposure to the rays of the sun or very high temperatures. The body’s ability to cool down is inadequate or absent. Some of the symptoms are: Face becomes red, dry, and hot. The skin is hot, dry and no sweating with an elevated temperature as high as 106° to 110° F. Heart rate is usually full and strong. Breathing becomes labored and sometimes painful. Muscles are tense with possible convulsions and pupils are dilated but equal.
Both conditions can be dangerous and fatal and can be avoided by keeping the body temperature normal and drinking plenty of fluids, preferably water. Avoid constant heat indoors, direct sun light and continuous physical activity in hot envirionments.
If either is suspected, it is recommended to call 911 immediately for instruction. If no phone is available, and the person is awake, encourage resting, keep head elevated, give cold fliuds and remove person from the sun in the case of suspected heat stroke. In the instance of heat exhaustion, keep person quiet, head lowered and keep body warm to prevent the onset of shock.
On this day of celebrating our national independence, I think it is appropriate to also evaluate where we stand in our personal lives as it relates to being independent. Are your activities of daily living being performed by you, or are you counting on other’s to help meet your basic needs such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating? Many people take these simple tasks for granted. It is only when you loose the strength and ability to walk to the bathroom on your own, or bathe yourself the realization of how blessed you have been sets in. Our compassion usually heightens when we experience for ourselves what the physically challenged individuals must face on a daily basis. On a personal note, just having a minor surgery enlightened me to the difficulty of doing something as simple as pulling a T-shirt over my head in my efforts to get dressed for the day. Albeit a temporary condition, it gave me a greater appreciation for those whom face such a challenge each day. There is an array of products to assist with bathing safely, getting dressed, toileting and more. Explore your options to help you remain or reclaim your independence.