How can an Occupational Therapist help me?

This occupational therapy blog is run by James Lampert, an independent OT. It has many interesting articles and helps to explain the many services that occupational therapists can provide for the elderly and disabled.

Disability Now

Disability Now is an excellent publication with several superb features on their website. Well worth a look if you have any interest in the issues facing disabled people in the 21st Century.

Click on the following link to register or just browse through the site at your leisure. There is always something interesting to read.

http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/register.htm

Disability Now is published by Scope.

Sport England - Access for Disabled People

Sport England's mission is to foster a more successful nation through increased investment in sport and active recreation. The document is a guidance note which addresses the requirement to provide people with disabilities with full access to all sports facilities.

Independent Living London 2006

This year's Independent Living exhibition will be held in Alexandra Palace on the 20th and 21st of September. Independent Living London 2006 is a major event for healthcare professionals, dealers of disability and rehabilitation products and members of the public in London and the Southeast.

Independent Living Centre Information

http://www.assist-uk.org/centres

Assist UK is the National network for advice on independent living equipment. Currently there are over 50 member Centres. Assist UK is the only organisation in the UK to connect clients, manufacturers, regulators and professionals.

Dolphin Mobility Reference Library

If you are looking for a brochure or owners manual for a particular product, you may want to try our website - Dolphin Stair Lifts and search in the reference library. Several download are availabe in the pdf format.

London Theatre's Disabled Access

The Access London Theatre Summer 2006 brochure lists over 80 audio described, captioned and sign language interpreted performances taking place this summer, ranging across children's theatre, drama, musicals and opera.

The brochure can be downloaded here.

Ceiling Hoist Tracking Options

XY Tracking

XY Tracking enables full coverage of a room where a number of hoisting points may need to be achieved. This type of system is often used in sensory rooms, soft floor play areas, swimming pools and hospital wards. It also allows for room layouts to be changed without the need to reposition tracking.

Track Interlock

Track Interlock provides a link from a XY tracking system to a second XY or fixed track in an adjoining room.

A Frames

A Frames allow straight lengths of tracking to be supported on floor-mounted frames where the ceiling construction is not suitable. It also provides hoisting for those who only need it on a short-term basis.Some of these tracking options may involve modifications to the doors headers where possible. This work would be identified at the time of our site survey.

Ceiling Hoist Tracking Requirements

Hoist Tracking
BZP steel extruded channel, 50mm wide x 45mm deep, powder coated white

Track Fixing Detail
Supports required at 1000mm intervals (max)

Track Support Brackets (other supports available)
BZP steel extruded channel, 41mm wide x 21 mm deep, powder coated white

Tracking can be ceiling mounted, wall-mounted or self supporting on framework.

Wheelchair Lifts

Domestic wheelchair lifts are designed for accommodation on two floors, enabling wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility to regain the freedom of their whole house. The free standing design does not require a load bearing wall and when not in use the wheelchair lift can be parked at either level, maximising living space.The lift can be designed for wheelchair users or fitted with a multi purpose seat which can be used in a variety of positions.

DLF Wheelchair Factsheet

The Disabled Living Foundation produce an excellent factsheet which gives advice on providing access for wheelchair users.

http://www.dlf.org.uk/factsheets/pdf/Out_and_about_with_your_wheelchair.pdf

Disabled Facilities Grants

If you or someone living in your property is disabled you may qualify for a disabled facilities grant. This can help you towards the cost of providing adaptations and facilities to enable the disabled person to continue to live there.

Disabled Facilities Grants explained.

To find out if you are eligible for a grant contact the housing or environmental health department of your local council and ask them to send an application form. A directory of local councils can be found here.

New Portable Pool Lift

After several customers asked us for information on portable pool lifts we decided that we had better try and source a new product. Eventually we found an American company that manufacturers a completely portable lift which makes it the ideal solution to the problem of access to swimming pools. Just roll the lift to the edge of the pool, lock the wheels, set the stabilisers and it's ready. The PAL can be operated either by the attendent or the user on their own. More details can be found on the Dolphin Mobility website.

PAL - Portable Aquatic Lift

Ceiling Track Hoists for the Disabled

Ceiling track hoists have become an indespensible aid to many disabled peoples lives, allowing the user to be comfortably transferred in virtually any situation in the home. There are several types of hoist systems available depending on the special needs of the patient and the construction of the property. Recent breakthroughs in design and technology mean that bespoke track and hoist systems can be manufactured to support most properties.



Generally speaking, prices for a straight hoist with a couple of metres of track will start around the £1800 mark. This price excludes VAT, however, if the hoist is in use in private property then it will be exempt from VAT.

A Wheelchair tale of two cities

I found this interesting article, comparing wheelchair access in London and Paris, on the BBC website. It's also worth reading Ouch! the BBC's disability magazine while you're there.

Portable Access Ramps

Portable Access Ramps are very useful for premises that cannot accommodate a permanent ramp, but need to provide wheelchair access. We have recently updated the Dolphin website to feature some of the portable ramp products that we are able to supply. The following links show product information and prices.

Doorline Threshold Ramps

Budget Aluminium Suitcase Ramp

Aerolight Portable Access Ramps

Roll-a-Ramp Portable Access Ramps

We have found that this type of ramp is particularly popular with owners of listed buildings, who have a duty to provide disabled access, but are faced with strict building regulations when they try to do something about it. Other customers include schools, libraries, shops and many people in their own homes.

New Aquatec Orca Bath Lift

The new Aquatec Orca is a high quality, ergonomic bathing solution that combines improved comfort and safety features with convenient handling. Key features include:

• Battery in lightweight hand control - Safe and convenient re-charging
• Removable covers - Hygienic care
• Lightweight component parts - Improved handling
• Lock free back rest - Easy to dismantle
• Stable robust construction - Hard wearing and straightforward to maintain
• User weight limit 135 kg (21 stone)

Further information and images to follow.

Swimming Pool Lifts and Hoists

An increasingly popular mobility aid is the swimming pool hoist. As disabled access slowly becomes more of a priority, the sight of products like this will become far more frequent. Every swimming pool that is open to the public should have this type of equipment available, be it a school pool, sports centre or a hotel. Not only is it the right thing to do, it is also a legal requirement. The Disability Discrimination Act states that since October 2004 service providers have to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access. In my opinion this means that if you have a pool that is used by the public then you need to consider providing access for the disabled.

Oxford Dipper Pool Hoist

The Oxford Dipper Pool Hoist is a hydraulically operated patient lift intended for use in swimming pools, therapy pools or at quayside locations. The hoist is suitable for the following categories of lift.

• Category A - Wheelchair
• Category C - Bath
• Category D - Toilet/Shower Chair
• Category E - Floor
• Category F - 90 Degree Rotation

The dipper is suitable for patients in the sitting, sitting/recumbent and recumbent positions. For more information check out our newly updated website pages. Pool Hoists and Lifts.

Mobility Blog

Hello and welcome to my new blog which is all about mobility products for the disabled. I am a director of a company called Dolphin Mobility Ltd operating in the UK. When the company started we were exclusively selling stairlifts but were soon being asked for information about other products by many of the people that had bought a lift from us. Through this blog I hope to pass on some of the knowledge and expertise that my company has accrued over the years.