Now that I have a power chair for a month it's up to me to try it out in different situations to see what is and is not going to work for me. And sometimes it's the little things that sort of tip the scale one way or the other. For example, it's possible to power the chair right up to the dinner table or a computer desk but when you're as close as you can get you're still 6 to 10 inches further away than you'd be in your usual chair. That makes for awkward eating or strained keyboarding.
The picture in my mind was that it would be as easy to load the power chair in the van or SUV as it is to load the walker but it turns out to be a much more formidable task. This afternoon I loaded and unloaded the chair 5 times for practice and then a couple more times for real. The neighbors must have really wondered. I am slowly getting better and faster at the process. And I found out, for instance, that it is much easier to back this particular chair down a ramp rather than going forward. That actually saves a turnaround maneuver in the van so it's a good thing.
Taking the chair on a little longer trip like down to the mailbox gave me a good feel for why scooters are more popular for longer trips. Joysticks and dual electric motors make for tighter turns but also much jerkier steering than the direct drive wheels of a scooter. That should be obvious but until you actually enjoy such a ride, it may not seem that important.
Stay tuned for more evaluation notes.
We have added a board on top of the desk where the computer sits--it sticks out about 9 inches. That makes it higher and my chair can go under the keyboard. I find that if I sit near the end of the kitchen table, where it starts to curve, I can angle the chair so that more gets under the table--the joystick arm is at the end (it doesn't fit under the table)and the other arm can get closer to the table. I am still further away than most people sit, and find I need a "bib" more often in this position! You can find colorful bibs that go from the neck down to your lap an a little beyond. We use towels instead--two clothespins attached to a string make a head hole when the pins are attached to the towel. The hand towel size works best for me. I wonder if the speed of the chair is affecting the jerkiness of the chair on uneven terraine? I haven't noticed much difficulty here, but I don't use full speed on the dirt driveway. I do use full speed on pavement if there isn't anyone around I could run into. Some controls allow you to go much faster than others. These controls can be programed. But you can affect the speed to a great extent by how far you push the joystick. Lynn is able to program the speed he wants to go--and uses higher speeds outside of the house. But sometimes he forgets to reprogram the machine and presses the joystick to the max and gets unhappy if he runs into something. I can't reprogram anything by myself, but change speeds just by how hard I am pressing that joystick.
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2nd, (more accurate??)post about the jerkiness you experienced on the longer ride. Could it have been due to a hand tremor instead of speed? I have heard that the tremors are more likely when you try to hold the hand in place instead of moving it--holding a cup of cocoa instead of moving it to your mouth or down to the table. Holding onto the scooter controls may be perceived as more "intentional" than the pressure on the joystick. Go to wheelchairjunkie.com and click on the ask questions spot. I think the joystick can be programed to take a harder pressure. I don't know if a constant harder pressure would be an improvement over a constant easier pressure at relieving tremor, but you might want to try it. If the tremor is not relieved, the harder pressure needed might negate the smaller intensity of the tremor and override such matters. If you try this out, let us know what happens as others might also be helped.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn allynjohnson@att.net--I haven't figured out how to change the email on this!