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New amplicomms BKR-33 Big Button Universal Remote for Dementia, Sight Loss & Simplicity

posabilitymagazine — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 13:56:54 +0000

Brightly Coloured Controller
Oversized Illuminated Buttons
2 Favourite Channel Buttons
Larger buttons for Volume & Channels
Full numerical keypad
Turn two devices on/off
Assistive Technology for Independent Living

For many, the television is a valuable source of entertainment and companionship. However, if you have sight loss, dementia and even arthritis, it is easy to hit the wrong buttons or get confused and upset when operating a TV. An inclusive device, the BKR-33 will learn and replace any existing controller. It is much easier to programme and operate enabling the person to access and, control the TV’s key features independently.

The new amplicomms brightly coloured BKR-33 controller has simplified operating the television with a big-buttoned remote, able to switch on/off two devices simultaneously removing the need for multiple controllers. It will even work with a Stereo system, radio or Set Top boxes. Its unique bright backlit makes it easy to see the buttons, even in a dark room or low light.

Amplicomms have taken the TV controller back to the days of analogue, with basic buttons for up/down volume and channels plus two memory buttons to skip quickly to favourite stored channels.

amplicomms – promoting accessibility and independent living

Available for £12.99 at www.hearingdirect.com or by calling 0800 032 1301.

How the UrZone can help you!

posabilitymagazine — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:56:46 +0000

More and more frequently parents are having to be increasingly creative in keeping their children safe from night-time wandering as stair gates are climbed and locks are undone. If you have a child with no danger awareness, night-time wandering can have a serious impact on health and well-being not only for the individual concerned but for the family / carers, too.

The lack of sleep that accompanies supervising an individual with sleep issues can be devastating and that’s where HKD Solutions Ltd’s new product, the UrZone®, can help. The UrZone is a 6 in 1 bed / safe enclosed space designed for both children and adults to sleep safely and comfortably, preventing night-time wandering, entrapment during seizures or high night-time mobility, or injury from falling out of bed. For those who wander at night, they are protected but also available is an option with reversible zip heads for the doors. If they have danger awareness but have seizures at night and want to enjoy the no entrapment risk of the UrZone, they can stay safe at night and still get out of the bed whenever they choose. There is also an option for hoist access. The UrZone can help with individuals with autism, global developmental delay, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Down’s syndrome, brain injury, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, sleep walking, narcolepsy, and many more.

Since marrying Sir Paul McCartney in 2002, the name of Heather Mills has never been far from the headlines She has been involved in a decade of charity campaigning, a protracted divorce from the former Beatle, being called to give evidence to theLeveson Inquiry investigating allegations of newspaper phone hacking, not to mention appearances on both Dancing on Ice and the American version of Strictly Come Dancing. When it was announced in late 2010 that Mills – who had her left leg amputated below the knee after a collision with a police motorbike in 1993 – was attempting to qualify for the British skiing team at the 2014 Paralympics in Russia, some greeted the news with a degree of scepticism.

A publicity stunt? After two years of extreme learning – including countless broken limbs and ligaments, but also five second-tier race victories – she would argue otherwise.

“I basically said, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do this properly,” Mills, who has bases in Austria and the UK, told BBC Sport.

“I have shared custody of my daughter [Beatrice] with her father [Sir Paul McCartney], so we do a week on, a week off so my daughter is stable.”

The 44-year-old spends half of each month training in the Alps. When in England, she endures six-hour round trips from her home to train at the Milton Keynes indoor snow zone.

It is a level of commitment which has impressed many in the British set-up.

“We don’t want to take people just to wear the jacket, we are trying to set the standard and achieve a medal, but Heather has every chance,”Snowsport UK chief executive Fiona Young told BBC Sport

“Heather is going to find it tough, but she’s very focused and also she’s in a very privileged position in that she doesn’t have to worry about the funding so much.”

Following the end of her marriage to McCartney, Mills received a £24.3m settlement. She has been able to use these resources to enlist the help of numerous former skiers, including the previous world speed record holder John Clark.

And Mills’s journey from recreational skier to one of Paralympic potential would perhaps not have started without a random meeting.

“I was on holiday in Austria, it was really early in the morning and they’d opened the lifts for the racers and one slope was empty so I just kept going straight down,” said the charity campaigner.

“I hadn’t skied properly for 10 years, but the head of the Slovenian Masters said, ‘You know you’re doing 100kph (62mph) on slalom skis and that’s very dangerous?’

Mills added: “I didn’t even know what the skis were because I’d just rented them from the shop, but he said to come and join them.”

That led to a trial with the British disability skiing team in December 2010 and she officially joined the 19-strong development squad last year.

But despite her impressive speed, Mills’s progress was hampered by difficulties with her prosthetic leg, which frequently “ejected” her from her skis.

In May 2011 she had to be airlifted to hospital after colliding with a pole during training and fracturing her shoulder.

Then, just six months later, she injured her partly amputated left leg and broke her thumb.

“I was a little bit concerned because when I went into it [training], the leg kept coming off,” said Mills, “but now the London Prosthetics Centre has helped design a new one.”

“It means it cuts the circulation off for two minutes from the start to the finish of the course before I release it. But it actually stays on so, fingers crossed, no more injuries!”

As a leg amputee Mills is eligible to compete on a monoski,however due to the metal plates which were inserted into her pelvis after her accident in 1993, medical experts have advised against this move.

It has not significantly hampered her prospects on the slopes, though, as she claimed the Super-G Austria Cup title in the speed race nine months ago.

Four gold medals followed in April at the US Adaptive Alpine Skiing National Championships in Aspen, Colorado.

“It’s not great because I love skiing on one ski. It’s so much fun and so much easier, but I’ve got to do it [compete on two skis] and finally the leg has been sorted,” reflected Mills.

“When I won the medals it gave me a lot of confidence – it’s brilliant.”

The improvements will have to continue throughout the next 16 months if Mills is to attain a place at the Paralympics in March 2014.

All new athletes enter disability skiing with anInternational Paralympic Committee Alpine Ski [IPCAS] score of 990, which is reduced through Europa Cup and World Cup finishes.

Despite injury problems limiting her competitive appearances, Mills has decreased her Super-G score to 311.94, with 582.91 for downhill.

Athletes need to reach a score of 220 to be eligible for the Games.

But, owing to a lack of funds, Great Britain will only take skiers to Sochi who are considered “genuine medal prospects” and therefore set their standard at 80 IPCAS points.

In order to improve her chances, British coaches have insisted Mills works on her technique and have requested she enters additional slalom races.

“It’s going to put my injury risk up even more,” she said.

“I’m going to try it and then hopefully convince them otherwise to say ‘Do you want some medals in speed, or absolutely zilch at Sochi?’ so we’ll see.

“I’m quite a good dancer so eventually I may be able to skirt around the slalom gates, so watch this space!”

Mills next competes in Pitztal, Austria, on 8-9 December.

bbc By Nick Hope

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3694" src="https://i1.wp.com/ot-magazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/urzone_3quarter_door_open-300x231.jpg?resize=300%2C231" alt="urzone_3quarter_door_open" data-recalc-dims="1" />With the UrZone canopy splitting into 3 sections, it is easily washed and dried the same day, can be sanitised for use by multiple users in a respite or hospital setting, has LED lighting (remote-controlled from the outside) to aid personal care and to help with changing the bedsheet and fits into 1 suitcase but 2 are supplied to spread the weight for easier manual handling. The fact it is suitable for multiple environments means it has greater value for money as only the UrZone is required rather than multiple pieces of equipment. It travels with the user, providing them with a familiar environment to keep anxiety low.

The 6 uses of the UrZone include home, respite / travel, hospital, school, play and transition. With the new UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recommending abolishing seclusion rooms, the UrZone is a low sensory safe environment which schools can place at the back of a classroom or in a ‘Hub’ for children whose behaviour is escalating so they have a place to go, to chill out and calm down (whilst not being secluded from their friends or lesson) and can re-join the class when ready. As this is a child-led approach, it reduces the risk of violence to staff and injury to both staff and child.

With a user-led design, the UrZone truly is a British product that can benefit many people in multiple environments. HKD Solutions Ltd. are able to assist with funding options for those who require it and are also currently running a free prize draw to win a single-sized UrZone in time for Christmas – both families and health professionals are welcome to enter at www.hkdsolutions.com. For more information, please call 0131 450 7124.

Make the right Choice with the Ardoo 140 Portable Hoist

posabilitymagazine — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 15:09:07 +0000

Choosing the appropriate equipment and using it effectively greatly reduces the risk of sustaining injury and increases the quality of life for all concerned. When choosing a mobile hoist, you need to consider the pros and cons and consider other possible options. The Ardoo 140 Hoist with optional stand aid attachment (Stand Aid Combo Kit) meets all your transfer needs, it’s the Lightest folding portable hoist in the market, it works effectively in the home, transfers to stair lifts or the car, for visiting family and friends and on holidays, and your carers can manage it very easy.

What do you need your hoist to do for you?

Activities – The Ardoo hoist and Combo Kit facilitates numerous tasks including transferring to and from the bed, chair or stairs lift, transferring to and from a car, in bathrooms or tight spaces, lifting from the floor or to a standing position as a Stand Aid.

Frequency – The Ardoo Caresafe 140 hoist is there for daily usage (eg all transfers) as hoist or Stand Aid and in the event of an emergency lift. (eg lifting from the floor after a fall)

The home environment

Space – Because the Ardoo 140 hoist has one of the smallest footprints of any hoist on the market it works in tight spaces such as bathrooms, toilets or indeed holiday homes. When used with the optional Stand Aid Combo Kit the end user now has two products in one (hoist and Stand Aid) thus saving valuable space along with exceptional value for money.

Furniture -The Ardoo 140 hoist works very efficiently around beds, chairs, stair lifts, etc.

Storage – No problem. The hoist can be folded up for storage or transportation in seconds with no special tools required. When the Stand Aid Combo Kit is selected the end user has two pieces of kit with minimal storage requirement (eg stored under a bed or under the stairs).

Charging – The electric hoist is easily charged with a charger similar to that of a mobile phone.

Other environments

Why limit yourself to you home, the Ardoo 140 hoist will get you in and out of the car, take it on holiday or bring it to assist when visiting family and friends.

The hoist user

“As I suffer from Multiple Sclerosis I get my good and bad days. The Ardoo 140 Combo is perfect for me because we can easily change it from the Hoist to the Stand Aid, which means I don’t need to have two separate products in my home taking up space.” J. Burke.

Size – Weighing just 23 kgs the Ardoo Caresafe hoist will lift 140kgs. (22 stone). It is the lightest folding portable hoist in the world.

The carer

It requires minimum effort to operate, turn and move. If needed, the Stand Aid Combo’s unique one-piece kneepad / footplate is simply hooked onto the hoist allowing it to function as a stand Aid. Erecting and folding, is done in seconds with no tools required.

Please visit www.ardoohoists.com or contact us on 0115 718 0676 for further information.

Why push a wheelchair when you can win a TGA Solo Powerpack worth £599?!

posabilitymagazine — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 11:38:05 +0000

TGA, the UK’s leading mobility scooter and product specialist, is giving you the exclusive opportunity to win a TGA Solo Wheelchair Powerpack – delivered and fully fitted for free!

The TGA Solo Powerpack is a motorised unit and wheel that fits under all attendant controlled wheelchairs. It helps carers to avoid the strain of pushing a wheelchair especially when tackling slopes and uneven surfaces.

Often copied but never equaled, the Solo Powerpack is part of the market-leading TGA range and is first choice for most carers. Enhanced over 25 years, TGA Powerpacks are proudly built in the UK and include the highly reliable single-wheel Solo and two-wheel Duo, Heavy Duty and PLUS models. The PLUS can easily propel wheelchair users weighing up to 32 stone.

The lightweight yet robust Solo will propel wheelchair users weighing up to 18 stone and has a range of approximately 10 miles. Thanks to TGA’s extensive range of brackets it easily fits to all wheelchairs, such as the new TGA StrongBack or even specialist tilt-in-space models. Once installed it is simple for the carer to control, as they only have to steer the wheelchair. Delivering a comfortable top speed of 4mph, it has high quality tyres that provide excellent traction across a range of surfaces. Carers can then avoid back and muscle injury – common problems caused by pushing a wheelchair and occupant.

As part of the winning prize TGA will dispatch one of its specialist team to come and fit the Solo to a wheelchair of your choice. They will spend time explaining its features and demonstrating how easy it is to detach when folding your wheelchair for storage. The Powerpack comes with a wheeled travel bag, so wherever your wheelchair goes, your Powerpack can go to. The battery slots on and off for simple charging and the Powerpack has a 2-year warranty as standard.

To be in with a chance of winning click here!

Closing date 30 September.

Hands Free Suitcase Developed To Follow You Around Airport

posabilitymagazine — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:19:29 +0000

This revolutionary suitcase has been developed to follow it’s owner, via a mobile phone signal, wherever they go.

Initially coming across this new technology I was excited, what a wonderful product to help people with disabilities when they are shopping or travelling, your case will simply just follow you wherever you go.

However, as I watched the trailer of the magical suitcase follow someone through an airport I wondered what happened when you came to a set of stairs, can this little robot case climb them? Or if you suddenly had to race for a flight, would he keep up? And what happens if someone just picks him up and runs away because you are not holding onto your case, I don’t suppose he could escape the grips of a thief?

While I agree that this is a fun and clever invention, I don’t think the baggage handlers and bell hops need fear for their jobs just yet.

For more info visit www.huffingtonpost.co.uk