Girl has a movement disorder which stops her from keeping her feet straight on the pedals of an exercise bike. The school wanted her to be able to use the ones in the school gym. These are leased and no modifications are possible so any solution has to be removable. Clip on attachments were made that kept her feet straight on the pedals.
A teenage girl of restricted height with spinal and knee problems needs crutches to walk, so that she cannot easily cope with changes in floor level. As a result, she had to be lifted in and out of the family car, causing back problems for her mother on the school run. We made a set of shallow steps so that the girl can now walk up to and down from the passenger seat under her own steam on her crutches. As you’ll seen in the video, the steps are strong yet quite easy to assemble and disassemble.
An occupational therapist asked us to help a lady client who needed a valuable wood framed sofa raised. Being a much loved family heirloom, the sofa could not be altered in any way, but standard chair raisers would not fit it. Working in oak, Remap engineers designed and manufactured a set of perfectly matched raisers that look to the untrained eye like part of the sofa. The client can now sit down and get up with ease.
A branch of the charity group RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) needed a custom built platform with steps to enable riders to mount their horses. It had to be light enough to be moved easily, but big and strong enough for three people — the rider and two helpers — to stand on the top step. The steps had to have painted edges for the visually impaired, and the platform had to be weatherproof. Following some ingenious carpentry by Remap volunteers, the riders were able to mount their horses in safety.
A stroke patient in her early 80s was suffering back pain because she couldn’t sit far enough back in her armchair. The height of the chair had been adjusted, but there was no support at the front to stop her sliding forward as the seat cushion became compressed, so her occupational therapist referred her to Remap. We made new chair raisers that were 20 mm lower at the front than the previous ones and 40 mm lower at the rear, so the seat cushion was slightly tilted and the lady could sit back in comfort. We also installed a cloth covered foam bar to support the front of the chair and prevent her from sliding forward.
A diabetic client had a stroke that left her without the use of her right arm. She was supplied with an Omnipod auto-injector on condition that she was able to use a hypodermic syringe to charge it with insulin. However, the Omnipod is small with a curved top, and has to be held upside down while being charged, which was a problem. We made a small resin block a little smaller than a pack of playing cards, with a non-slip rubber pad stuck to the base. A recess was machined 2 mm larger than the Omnipod in each direction, with a finger cut-out to allow the charged Omnipod to be removed. Pieces of Sugru self-curing rubber, kindly supplied by the manufacturer, were pressed into the four corners of the recess. The Omnipod was wrapped in clingfilm and soaped so that it would not stick, then pressed into the block upside down, leaving Omnipod-shaped impressions in the Sugru.
Thus adjusted, the recessed block holds the Omnipod steady while the client fills it with one hand, without assistance. The Omnipod has an adhesive pad so that it can be stuck to the client’s skin, leaving her free to take part in more or less any activity, including swimming, while being auto-injected for up to three days according to a pre-arranged schedule.
Maria, a resident at the Scope Birchwood residential care home in Chesham, has no significant movement ability and is unable to speak clearly due to cerebral palsy. Wheelchair bound during the day, Maria uses an electronic communication aid to control equipment in her room, including lights, heating and TV; the device can also be used to access a mobile phone. She operates the device using her left knee — the part of her body over which she has greatest control — to activate a pressure switch.
Although the communication aid has text/symbol-to-speech capability, Maria sometimes finds it easier to communicate with regular visitors and Birchwood staff by pointing at a communication chart attached to her wheelchair tray. To make this easier, Remap designed and fitted a plastic mounting to secure the communication aid at the back of the tray, so Maria can use both the chart and the aid at the same time.
An elderly man, standing 7 foot 1 inch tall, had difficulty using his standard walking frame, so we extended it for him!
A keen photographer was left paralysed on his left side following a stroke. Now dependent on a wheelchair for mobility, he could not hold or operate his camera successfully. We adapted his wheelchair to receive a camera mount, which allowed him to use his camera with one hand and continue his passion for photography.
An occupational therapist at Wycombe Hospital, who also served on the Remap South Bucks Panel, was looking for ways of improving concentration, attention and dexterity in stroke patients. A Remap engineer made this colourful suite of games designed to enhance grasping power and the ability to move objects accurately from place to place. The bright colours are particularly helpful for people left with blurred or limited vision following a stroke.
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