As baby boomers continue to gray and medical science extends life, many 50- and 60-somethings are caring for their parents at a time when the boomers themselves are slowing down from age-related ailments. Mobility issues become even more challenging when caregivers find it difficult to meet the physical demands of their roles.

The heft of many modern assistive devices is a good example of the kind of obstacles facing both seniors and their caregivers, experts say. “The average wheelchair weighs around 38 pounds,” notes Richard Derks of Medline, a leading manufacturer of wheelchairs and other assistive devices for seniors. “Putting most wheelchairs in a car trunk means you have to lift that 38 pounds from the ground and up about 3 feet an average of four times per trip.”

Walkers can create a similar problem for seniors who are ambulatory with the aid of the assistive device. Most walkers weigh 16 pounds or more. “That may seem light, but for seniors with mobility issues lifting that much weight into a car can be a real challenge,” Derks says.

Caregivers looking after an aging parent at home may be reluctant to take seniors out on non-essential trips because of this weight issue. Yet, that type of trip – to a restaurant, beauty salon, visiting family and friends, etc. – greatly enhances the quality of life for an otherwise home-bound senior.

“The sheer difficulty of managing a wheelchair often means caregivers run all the errands alone and don’t take their loved ones out as much as they might like to,” Derks says. “There is a physical and cognitive impact for the elderly.”

Physically, mobility issues slow rehabilitation after a health setback. The more homebound seniors are, the less exercise they get. Cognitively, the senior may begin to feel increasingly dependent, falling into a more dependant role than they might want.

The good news is manufacturers of assistive devices are addressing this problem by producing lighter weight wheelchairs and other accessories. Aluminum transport chairs cut the weight down to about 23 pounds. And Medline’s Freedom Transport chair weighs less than 15 pounds, a full 25 percent lighter than other transport chairs and 60 percent lighter than a standard wheelchair. Its convenient features — cup holder and seatbelt for the user, bottle holder for the caregiver, and key ring, cell phone pocket and identification holder — all speak to the designers’ efforts to create a wheelchair that is practical and functional for both the caregiver and patient.

Medline’s foray into lighter weight assistive devices has been so successful, the company is now launching a lighter-weight walker, dubbed the Freedom Rollator. Weighing only 10 pounds, the walker has been designed to serve users from 4 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 2 inches tall. It comes packaged in a removable, zippered, water-resistant bag with comfortable shoulder strap for easy portability.

To learn more about Medline’s lighter weight assistive products, visit www.medline.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Everybody Is Different

Sometimes people forget that everyone is different; people don’t know how to react when they see something out of the norm, especially when it comes to kids. When kids see other kids with different colored skin, kids who speak a different language or kids in wheelchairs it can confuse them.

Unfortunately kids and adults can be afraid of something that confuses them or if they don’t know how to react and they forget that each of those children is just that, a child.  Kids in wheelchairs like to be treated like any other kid; they like to play sports, tell jokes, go to school, and do everything else ‘regular’ kids do.

Because kids in wheelchairs know they are different they can be intimidated by new situations and places. By treating them the same as any other child will help them to feel at ease.

Reasons Kids Need Wheelchairs – Temporary vs. Permanent

Kids need wheelchairs for many reasons; sometimes it’s just temporary and sometimes they could need a wheelchair for the rest of their lives.  A kid in a wheelchair temporarily may have broken their leg or had a surgery which prevents him from walking easily.  A kid in a wheelchair permanently may have a disease without a cure or an irreparable injury.

Kids in wheelchairs permanently are strong individuals who need to cope on a daily basis with the reality of living their lives from a wheelchair.  Technology and medicine alike make this prospect more positive; technology is making wheelchairs easier for people of all ages to operate and medicine may find cures for diseases and conditions thought incurable. The latest models of wheelchairs allow kids to operate them in many different ways. Electric wheelchairs for example can be operated by buttons, a joystick, or even with a straw!

Scientists are getting closer and closer to discovering cures for many diseases which permanently damage people’s bodies. The polio vaccination is a good example of this, thousands of people died from this disease before a vaccination was found; today the disease is nonexistent in America. All children love to laugh, play, and make friends; kids in wheelchairs are no exception. The best way any person can react to a kid in a wheelchair is to treat them as they would any other child, they don’t need a lot of help or special treatment. How a kid in a wheelchair gets around is the only real difference between them and any other child.

Dealing with someone confined in a wheelchair is heart breaking especially if he or she is a child. However, pity is not what the child requires but consideration and the right tools to get about with as little help as possible from others. Here are some tips and suggestions of how to manage children in wheelchairs in order to make their life as normal as possible under the particular circumstances.

Choosing the Right Wheelchair

The first thing that you may want to invest in is a power wheelchair that the child can maneuver with ease alone as soon as he or she is old enough. Freedom of movement is what your child will need in any form or shape and a modern wheelchair is the only way to provide it.  Children in wheelchairs feel restrained and somewhat isolated because they cannot run around and play like other children. A power wheelchair will bring a degree of independence and freedom to his or her life.

Adjust Your Home to the Child’s Requirements

Children in wheelchairs unfortunately depend on others to carry out simple functions such as going to the bathroom and/or showering and in order to make him or her feel independent and self sufficient you will be required to adapt the house to his or her specific needs. For instance, you may require special support to use the toilet or shower alone; the more activities your child will be able to perform alone the sooner he or she will start living a relatively normal life.

Create a Healthy Environment

Children in wheelchairs often suffer from depression and other similar disorders because everyone around them treats them in a special way by showing them pity and because they often don’t encounter other children in wheelchairs. An important step for you to take is to get your child to meet and socialize with some children in wheelchairs in order for him or her to find some similarities and connection with others.

It is important that you help your child see what is good in life even with his given health problems and the only way to do that is stay positive. Don’t pity your child but show him the beauty of life and how he or she can do anything he or she desires from the wheelchair. There are sports dedicated to children in wheelchairs and many more activities that will make your child feel normal under the circumstances and have the same passion and love for life all children have in order to grow up and live his or her dream.