Silly, but..

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BlsdMama

Active member
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
98
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
05/2017
Country
US
State
IA
City
Cedar Rapids
Is the forum for useless things too? If not, I apologize for asking!

Monday was delivery day of my PC. She is pretty and shiny and all I had hoped for! ;) But, she is wreaking havoc on a dining room area rug. There are two. One stays put and the other is being drug about. I can't decide if it's because it's thinner than the other or because the other has a table, two benches, and six chairs on it! I would like to keep the area rugs down and I recognize the vanity in it, but, what do you do? If I get a heavy area rug, will it stay put?

BTW, the chair is an interesting thing. By measurements we have plenty of room. By angles? Not so much! No going in the bedroom so the door needs widened and I may have taken out a bit of the kitchen doorway - but I never was a great driver.
 
I had to get rid of or avoid area rugs, even the heavy ones. The chair just digs them up. Every doorway and corner in my place is marked or chipped, and I'm a decent driver. My bathroom walls are a mess!
 
Ditto. And if you ever need a Hoyer, rugs don’t work very well.

btw, what color is she?
 
After borrowing a loaner when I sprained my right ankle, I knew what had to be done if I wanted to navigate each room. I had all the doors widened to 36 inches and put down all tile that was level throughout. I was never a big fan of rugs because I've always had dogs and my little one uses a pee pad so a rug might confuse him! The only rug I have is the one under my new computer chair because it's on wheels and the rug makes it easier for me to control my position.

When you start out just make sure you watch your feet and hands. Dings in walls can be fixed but you can do some serious damage to your limbs if you aren't careful.
 
Sounds like time for laminate floors. Try to get something waterproof, having a wheelchair is a lot like walking in your house without taking your shoes off. A 4x5 door mat is a must for anywhere your chair sits for long periods. It takes a while for all the snow on your chair to melt. My next recommendation is the wonders of barn doors. FInding the right width door can be a pain and expensive. You can make a barn door whatever width you want or need. THe hardware can be purchased fairly cheep and it is quite fashionable these days.
Vincent
 
I am glad to hear you have your PWC. I hope and expect that it will benefit you in many ways. It took me a couple of months before I started using my first wheelchair regularly. I will never forget my first trip to a store in it. I thought everyone was looking at me, but it turns out they were not.

As others have said, area rugs are just not compatible with power wheelchairs.

I want to reinforce what Vincent said. I always park my wheelchairs on a plastic chair mat when they are not being used. One day, we found a big puddle of grease/oil under the wheelchair. A gasket/seal on one of the gear boxes had catastrophically failed and let the contents leak out. The plastic mat contained the spill, saving lots of cleanup for my wife.

Steve
 
Ditto. And if you ever need a Hoyer, rugs don’t work very well.

btw, what color is she?

Black & Gold ;)


I recognize this shouldn’t bother me. I recognize I have a lot more REAL things to consider. But the little things annoy me like giving up area rugs. We’ve been remodeling this house since we bought it (not for medical) and now it feels like absolutely everything has to boil down to functionality. And decisions that were made are now altered. Must this disease sticj it’s fingers into every single tiny thing? :/

On a lighter note, I got someone to model it for ya’all. Meet our daughter, Cate.
 

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Great picture! Back in 2017 when I got my power chair, my daughter was 9. Other than myself, she quickly became the most skilled driver in the household . I understand how you feel about being forced into style choices based on usability. I'm always looking for ways to integrate my equipment into my room in the most organized and uncluttered manor possible. I just find it easier to relax if everything is in order.
 
The chair is beautiful. Your daughter is cute. That’s quite a joy stick.
 
she is adorable, and, like Karen, I am in awe of your joystick!
 
I understand. I had just remodeled my "retirement" home a year before my diagnosis. I spent tons of money but ended up having to move and quit my job.

Your daughter is beautiful and the chair is super cool. Where did you get the joystick?
 
yep, had the same rug-eating problem with my permobil f-5. my chair has a power/speed gauge reflecting 5 levels of power which controls the speed of the chair. i learned to dial down the power/speed gauge to level 2 for indoor use and that solved the problem somewhat. still have a problem if i have my backrest in more of a recline position. helps also with jerky start problem i had with the f-5.
 
I’m wondering how ya’all drive your chairs? My left hand is still perfect. So what’s special about the joystick?I'm very unaware. The very lovely PT gal from clinic sat in on my fitting and told him everything I might need. ;) She was incredibly helpful. I have the world’s most comfortable seat.
 
I’m wondering how ya’all drive your chairs? My left hand is still perfect. So what’s special about the joystick?I'm very unaware. The very lovely PT gal from clinic sat in on my fitting and told him everything I might need. ;) She was incredibly helpful. I have the world’s most comfortable seat.
Since you asked, here’s my joystick and how I drive with my not-so-perfect right hand. Your joystick is... big (guys may be tempted to read something in that, but sometimes a joystick is just a joystick).

16D8CF0B-3EAB-4016-8461-A2D7AF8D4FC6.jpeg
 
you are sooo funny, karen. my joystick is big and sometimes people bump into it which is a problem.
 
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