Thursday, December 28, 2006

Travel tips for people who use wheelchairs

These tips are from the Access for Disabled Americans Web site (www.accessfordisabled.com):

1. If you are able to fly first class, go for it -- more room and lot more enjoyable. If not, try to get the first bulkhead seats; they are closer to the front of the aircraft and they give you more room if you should have spasms.

2. If possible, book a nonstop flight. You'll have fewer problems with a wheelchair. If you can't, always allow at least 45 minutes for connecting flights. Some wheelchair travelers prefer to have a change of aircraft for an hour or so. It gives them time to relax, get something to eat, stretch or use airport restrooms.

3. If possible, travel with an attendant to help with transfers, your meals or to shift your weight around. Carry an "emergency bag" on the airplane; it should hold daily necessities, a change of clothing, medication, tools for your wheelchair and any other items you would need if your baggage doesn't arrive when you do.

4. If traveling in a power-driven wheelchair, be sure that you have gel-cell batteries. They're less hassle. Some airlines refuse to carry wet-cell batteries -- too dangerous -- and they will ask. They may require a form to be filled out.

5. Wheelchair passengers are the first to board and the last to get off. You can stay in your wheelchair until you get to the gate; you'll transfer to an "aisle chair" -- a narrow high-back chair with no sides and straps to hold you in. If you have assistance and were able to snag the first bulk-head seat, you can be carried from your wheelchair to the seat.

6. Your wheelchair will be loaded into the baggage compartment. Be sure airline personnel know how to handle it. Are there detatchable parts? Remove them and put them in a carry-on bag. Or tape a list of instructions on the wheelchair. Always put the wheelchair in manual for easier pushing and less danger to your power unit. Many wheelchair travelers remove the power unit since it is the most important part of the wheelchair.

7. Before the aircraft leaves the ground, ask the airline attendant to make sure your wheelchair was loaded in the aircraft. If you make a connecting flight, ask that your wheelchair made the same change.

8. If you are connecting to another flight and have a few hours, tell airline personnel you would like to have your wheelchair brought to the gate for the layover. You will be much more comfortable in your own wheelchair

Recommended Reading

A booklet -- "New Horizons for the Air Traveler With a Disability" -- is very handy and free. Order from the U.S. Department of Transportation/Consumer Affairs Dept.

400 Seventh St. SW, Washington, DC 20590; 202-272-2004.

Rotary Club plans to issue more wheelchairs in 2007


BY PAUBY VAUGHN DAVIS Observer staff reporter L HENRY Observer writer
Thursday, December 21, 2006

THE Rotary Club of St Andrew on Tuesday finalised plans to distribute 280 wheelchairs to needy people across the country. The club was also presented with a cheque valued at US$42,000, by the Jamaica National Foundation, which will be used to clear a container on the wharf in which the wheelchairs are being kept.

After distributing this batch of wheelchairs, the Rotary Club of St Andrew will have distributed 860 wheelchairs - which have a market value of approximately J$20 million - since the inception of this project four years ago.
According to Lloyd Eubank Green, chairman of the Rotary Club's Wheelchair committee, the club was very pleased to be offering this service.

"You have some people who have the need, someone without mobility. You have people who are confined to their rooms, they are in darkness. They have sicknesses that they can't move out of the darkness. When they have wheelchairs they can get out into the light," Eubank-Green told the Observer.

He said the focus of the Rotary Club of St Andrew, come 2007, would be to find people who are in need of wheelchairs, who aren't registered with the Jamaica Council for People With Disabilities.

"The Jamaica Council for People With Disabilities has over 5,000 registered persons who need wheelchairs. I feel that there is another 5,000 who need wheelchairs, who don't have a voice, and those are the people we want to reach," he said. In this regard, Eubank Green said special emphasis would be placed on rural communities.

Link

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Bariatric Products


Bariatric products have come a long way since the days when converted wheelchairs were the best durable medical equipment manufacturers had to offer. Today you can get the full range of such bariatric products, from quad-canes to wide walkers, over the Web without a lot of hassle. The trick is knowing where to begin your search--and most critically, whom to trust.

You have come to the right place. All Time Medical is a business founded on the principles of convenience and integrity, and we go out of our way to provide each customer with a sterling standard of care. Bariatric products such as these must be well-made and manufactured to exacting specifications, as the last thing you want is for the structural integrity of any device to be called into question. We do all the research in this regard to ensure you get nothing but truly safe and reliable bariatric products.

It works. Countless customers have told us they never expected bariatric products to be so inexpensive or easy to find. Here at All Time Medical, take pride in our fluid and intuitive interface--one of the many small touches that make shopping here a pleasure. Another, of course, is the extraordinarily low pricing you will find throughout the site.

Please feel free to look around if you want to learn more about the many bariatric products we offer here every day. You can contact us any time with questions by clicking on our contact button or sending an email to info@alltimemedical.com and expect a response very shortly. Your safety, comfort and budget are our top priorities, so please do not hesitate to ask if you have any concerns whatsoever.

Medical Equipment Distributor

Not all medical equipment distributors are created equal. Often, pricing for medical equipment items is beyond reach of all but the most affluent patients. Needless to say, this is hardly a way to aid the people who need these medical equipment products most.

Here at All Time Medical, we take a different approach. Ours is borne of a philosophy that puts your budget and need for convenience center stage. We always go the extra mile to get you exceptional prices on all manner of products, from wheelchairs and walkers to canes, bariatric products and more. We even devote a full section of the site to commode products, as these typically can become far more expensive than they need to be.

Our clients tell us they have rarely worked with a medical equipment distributor that offers such sterling customer care. No matter what the product or nature of the disability, we take pride in offering something that should greatly enhance the patient's quality of life. If you want something you cannot find on the site, just ask us and we'll see what we can do.

This is a new way to do medical equipment distribution--one which puts you first. If you are looking for the Web's most comprehensive resource for info and products in this area, feel free to browse our vast catalog today. You may also contact us at info@alltimemedical.com or click our contact button if you have any questions about what you find within these pages. As the Web's premier medical equipment distributor, we are always more than happy to assist you.