please help

[Juanita]

PLEASE: Need help in somekind of bell or switch

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Hi Everyone,
My hubby was diagnosed. 8-6-03 with ALS, we have came along way. Hes now on a Vent & has a peg & Trach. He can't move hardly anything. His head okay & his mouth & his eyes & he use to be abled to move his hand so slight. (not even vissable)
My problem is we were useing one of those cordless doorbells for the past 2 years for him to wake me or alert me when he needed something.
Now his hand is getting so weak he can't hardly ring it & he gets frustrated & makes me take it out of his hand. then hes mad & scared too, He wouldn't admit that...
does anyone know of "any" type of switch that can make a noise like a bell that he could use?
Or where I could find something like a head switch thats easy & rings a bell?
I just don't know where to start
You all are so helpful I Figured This is The best place to Start
Thank you so very much,
Juanita & Gary

 

[Al]

Hi Juanita. Here is a site with some devices that may work for your husband. In the children's section there is a sip/ puff switch that may work for adults as well. You could contact them. I have had no dealings with the company but came across it in my research. Good luck. AL.
http://enablingdevices.com/home.aspx

 

[quadbliss]

Hi Juanita,

If you combine one of these switches with this wireless pagers (a jack is provided on the transmitter button for the switch), he can page you anywhere in the house or the yard.

Mike

 

[Juanita]

Thank you,

Thank you Al & Mike,
I will check into those ideas
Also thank you for the quick replys.
Best wishes to you both:-D
Cals to my love Gary
Juanita

 

[Marianne]

You said he is on a ventilator. It has alarms. Can he cough?

In my case, Stan cough's so that the alarm goes off which wakes me at night to come and help. It does not take a strong cough, just a very slight one, even slight clearing of his throat. Not sure if your husband has enough of his lung muscles to be able to do this. Maybe you could have the sensitivity of the vent changed to be set off easier.

Hope this helps
Marianne

 

[Peg B]

another site

Hi Juanita,

I found this site for a head device that can activate the computer or other devices. There is a contact email and the company may be able to help also. The founder has a severe physical disability. The second device on this site costs 245 dollars and looks pretty straight forward. http://www.abilityhub.com/switch/switch.htm Best Wishes.

 

[lunarruna]

Hi Juanita!
We got a bunch of switches and a wireless pager that is adapted for the switches to hook into it at the Enabling Devices that Al references above. (Their paper catalog seems better than their website.) What's nice is that you can order a bunch of switches, see what ones work for Gary's strength, etc, and then send the others back (except sip/puff is not returnable). So you get a chance to test them out.
The pager is on the website at http://enablingdevices.com/viewproduct.aspx?id=633&session=adult

We are at the point where we have a small switch behind his ear on his strap for Bipap mask (with velcro) and he turns his head to the side to alert me. We used to have him have a switch in his hand but he would squeeze it in his sleep and we had many false alarms. There is a 'pillow' switch too but we didnt like that one...

The "twitch switch" is super sensitve and can be triggered just by moving muscles...it is at http://enablingdevices.com/viewproduct.aspx?id=610
it can be taped on the face and facial muscles will trigger, or else put in hand or on arm muscles...

Never a dull moment, eh?!
Love, Beth