How to Address Mobility Challenges

There was a time you moved around with little effort and put no thought into this everyday task. Nowadays, even though you think long and hard about getting from Point A to Point B, you don't always have a ready solution. That's where personal mobility aids come in. Designers and manufacturers have put in the time and money and do have wonderful solutions to your mobility challenges.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Gait and Transfer Belts
• Walker Baskets and Bags
• Car Seat Slides and Swivels
• Wheelchair, scooter, and walker cupholders

1. Address the challenge of getting into or out of a car. Velour, leather, and cloth car seats present a distinct problem to folks who experience pain and discomfort associated with mobility. It's nearly impossible to slide out of these seats, much less rotate one's legs out of the car.
   The Solution: Car seat slides and swivels that make getting in and out of cars a snap. Add a transfer bar, and you've got a sturdy, stable surface to grip onto.
2. Find ways to make it easier to be physically shifted by a caregiver. If you have very limited mobility, you may need to be physically shifted from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to car, or other variations. If you are a caregiver, you may know the difficulty of transferring a person who has limited mobility. It is difficult to grasp patients without causing bruising and pain. The Solution: Gait and transfer belts are strong, specially padded belts that have grip handles for assisting people who need help moving from one place to another.
3. Identify a better way to carry a cup of coffee while using your wheelchair or scooter. As if it's not hard enough to propel a wheelchair, just try doing it with a cup of hot coffee wedged between your legs. The Solution: Spiffy cup holders uniquely designed to attach to wheelchairs, freeing up your arms and hands to move the chair.
4. Meet the challenge of moving your walker smoothly along on carpeted surfaces. Those grippy rubber tips on walkers are great for slick floors, but terrible for carpeting. They tend to catch on the carpeting. Next thing you know, you're doing a forward somersault!
   The Solution: Walker glides and slides that pop right on the bottoms of the legs and let you "ski" over any carpeted surface.
5. Find accessories that help you carry a variety of items while still safely operating your wheelchair or walker. Yes, walkers were meant to be operated with two hands. Wheelchairs, too! How then do you operate these mobility devices and hold those books, movies, or groceries at the same time? The Solution: You have your choice of an array of walker and wheelchair baskets and bags--any size, any shape, and for almost any function.
6. Address the challenge of finding ways to make crutches more comfortable. Weren't crutches meant to help you, not hurt you? But it's looking that way, what with those blisters and bruises on your palms, forearms, and underarms. The Solution: Wonderfully soft gel pads easily attach to crutches to reduce shock, vibration, and rubbing of hands, forearms, and underarms.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't give up on comfort and convenience - help is out there. You just have to find the right products for your situation!
• Always talk to your therapist about problems you are experiencing.
• Keep safety as your top priority.