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| "It came like a Bolt from the Blue" by Waltraud Heußinger, edited by Susie Mallett |
Technology and problem-solving, happy healthy souls
A long
time ago I wrote about how one of my clients requested my help to buy herself a
motorised wheelchair. Of course I was able to offer her the moral support that she
needed and she was pleased to discover that this indeed was all that she needed, as the negotiating
and test-driving she managed all on her own.
My
clients has always been keen to develop her skills and enjoy more activity in
her life and since then her success in purchasing the new wheels her independence has
increased in leaps and bounds. This new-found lease of life comes not only because
of the freedom of movement that the motorised wheelchair affords her but also because
of the confidence that she has gained from learning that she can make well
considered decisions on her own that provide her, and her husband,
with an improved quality of life. To top it all, with a little bit of help she has been able to write and
publish a bookabout her experiences, with the aim of
being able to share her thoughts, methods and achievements with others.
This client
has gradually become an expert on problem-solving and researching for ways to find
new solutions. The more independent she becomes, the more skills she develops and
the more often her husband is able to leave her for short spells on her own.
When she is alone she needs to be able to care for herself and that means preparing food for herself that she would like to eat, not neccessarily the easiest to prepare. Thais food sometimes comes in
jars that are almost impossible to open.
On my recent visit to her house this had just arrived in her post –
As you can see we tried
it out on a big jar of pickled gherkins, the jar-size that I also find very
difficult to get into, and it worked perfectly. All you have to do, once you
have opened it up to put the batteries in (which my client also managed alone), is
to sit it on top of the jar, press a big button and wait for the magic to take
place. It really does grip the glass and turn the lid.
So that was another problem solved!
I believe that my sister,
who has repetitive strain injury in both of her hands, also uses this style of jar-opener.
I was so impressed that I might even consider getting this device for
myself to save the damage to the wood-work of many a door-jam, and to save the
floor from beetroot-juice stains.Opening jars and bottles in the door is often the only
way that I can do it, a techniques learnt years ago from Mum.
Thanks again to my client
for finding a solution that I can use and share with others. She also informs me that there is a similar device for opening tins.
PS
A conductive colleague
ordered twenty copies of my client’s book today, which gave a huge boost in confidence
to us both! We still have many more in stock if any one else would like some copies. Contact me at small66711@aol.com.
Notes
My
client’s book, in English and German –
1 comment:
Never mind motor disorders, muscles weaken with age in all of us..
Could you offer a url for the gizmo
A.
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