More Case Studies

Motorised bowling wheelchair

John has been playing indoor bowls for 6 years using a bowling wheelchair provided by the indoor bowls centre but he lacks the strength in his back to push himself so has always had to rely on others to move him. John has leg and back problems that started when he was about 12. In recent years things have deteriorated more quickly. He can walk a very short distance with arm crutches. After the Bournemouth panel motorised one of the bowling wheelchairs, John now whizzes about the 'green' picking up the woods when he wants to and moving himself from end to end. 'I am now able to play with the able bodied without feeling different.'

Remote control wheelchair

Wheelchair user Sue is unable to go very far without her car and likes to be out and about. She does not always need her wheelchair with her in the car, she likes to be able to drive her husband to the station or go to the shopping centre, art classes or other places where there are mobility scooters/wheelchairs she can use. The problem was that having transferred from her wheelchair to her car, Sue's wheelchair was then left marooned in her drive. Sue herself came up with the idea of a remote control wheelchair but it was the Basingstoke panel that made turned it into reality. The wheelchair can now be controlled from a model aircraft control system enabling Sue to send it back into the garage where it is safe and secure when the remote garage door is shut. 'It is wonderful. I can do what I want when I want.'

Pill taker

Linda S has cerebral palsy; she has 24 hour care, because she has no mobility and cannot use her hands. She speaks with difficulty, and relies on a computer which she operates with a head pointer, communicate with the outside world. In spite of her difficulties, Linda's personality and sense of humour shine through and she is warm and welcoming to visitors. She manages to discuss with the engineer form the Southend panel, what changes she needs him to make to the neat little device he has made to enable her to take pills during the night without disturbing her carers, the latest in a series of jobs done for her by the panel. 'I really appreciate everything Remap have done for me. We always manage to work things out together.'

Transfer board

Hugh has muscular dystrophy, lives alone and is dependent on carers. Something he very much wanted to be able to do for himself was to get himself out of his wheelchair and into bed at night, as this meant he could occasionally go out in the evenings. But the lack of strength in his pelvis made the shift to the bed impossible. The Brighton panel came up with a simple but ingenious solution – a transfer board made of highly polished material which Hugh can fix to his chair so that it pivots and cannot slip. This enabled him to use sliding movements to reach the bed with no lifting, with no danger of the board slipping out of position. Hugh can now go to bed unassisted, and much welcomes the degree of independence it gives him.

Computer table

Linda M has severe rheumatoid arthritis and spends most of her time sitting in a large chair with a rise and recline mechanism. She has a laptop computer which is indispensable to her and she also needs access to meals, left for her by a carer. The Basingstoke panel created a table consisting of two cantilevered swinging tables, a larger one for the computer and a smaller one for meals. Each table swings in and out as desired, at a touch. To counterbalance loads, the frame is cleverly weighted at the back in a way which gives stability without bulk. Linda is delighted with the result. 'It is absolutely spot-on,' she says. 'I wanted something aesthetically pleasing and the design is lovely. The tables move with a really light touch, which is so important for me. It has given me so much freedom. I cannot sing the praises of Remap enough.'

Child carrier for wheelchair

Emma relies on a wheelchair but very much wanted to carry her delightful little daughter Charlotte with her as she went round the house and the garden and to be able to take her into the local park. The Southampton panel used a baby bike seat normally mounted on a bicycle saddle stem and mounted it instead on a steel tube with the footrest taking the weight. The seat is easily removable. Emma says, 'the engineer was spectacular. He really got involved in what we needed and took a lot of trouble to come up with different ideas and try them out. I would hate not to be able to have Charlotte close to me all the time.'