Handy equipment/Gadgets (Post in here) Indoor or Outdoor

[Millie123]

Hi Dee

Good luck with getting on the course What do you want to study?

[DeeNJai]

Return to study so that I can go on the Access to HE course. Still dont know what degree I want to do. I want to be able to help others that have chronic conditions as with the right support we can achieve things that we didnt think we could. Has been suggested by some that I should train as Social Worker but not sure if I would want to as I have never had a good SW that helped now and in the past. As a child we were lucky if we had one that lasted a year and since an adult I have tried 7 times to get support at home and failed. I will trying again soon to try and get some help at home.
dee

[Rosie]

Hi all

Please remember that this thread is about equipment/gadgets that anyone finds useful. Any further chat posts will be deleted to keep this thread on topic.

Rosie

[Fiona-Jane]

hiya,

just a quick post to let you know of my recent brainwave!

i really struggle to carry my black bin bags to the estate bin and was on the lookout for products that i could pop the bag in so i could push it with my feet (basically kick it in front of me). every disability site and catalogue i tried had nothing suitable, kids' wagons were just too flimsy and my O.T. had no idea how to help me.....

so i was completely at a loss.... until i randomly popped into my local garden centre for a browse, and found these wire 33cm diameter plant pot caddy thingies with wheels that are quite light and a nice round shape so the bag fits in nicely. they were quite expensive in the garden centre so i had a look on google and got one for nearly half price (although still fairly pricey at about £8 (with post and package included)). had a play in the garden centre and shoving it with my feet was fairly easy. so excited to have an easier way of getting my rubbish to the estate bin!!!


so i'm well pleased tonight- solved my bin transportation problems! small things please small minds!


fi xx

[Jess]

The Works currently have in their arts section tube squeezers. The are in a pack of 10 of various sizes and only 99p!! they are brillant for toothpaste, tomato paste and ibro gel that we all seem to live on

[Jill]

I bought a sonic scrubber after reading Brad Tinkle book, but at the first glance it seems pretty much useless. If you use one, could you get any profit from it?

[paw]

Jill, I don't have the sonic scrubber but I used an old electric Oral B toothbrush to clean the grout on the bathroom tile. I also have a Black & Decker Kitchen Power Scrubber and I have the Black & Decker Scumbuster. The Scumbuster was larger and meant for cleaning the bathroom. It had a special battery (versapack) that wore out after a year or so. I got another battery and that also only lasted about a year and at $30 each I didn't want to buy any more if they won't last a lot longer than that. I got the kitchen scrubber which works on 4 AA batteries so I don't have to worry about that anymore. It is about half the size and has a scrubber attachment or a brush that spins. It is good for cleaning the bathtub but it takes more time than the larger Scumbuster scrubber. With my bad shoulders that is the only way I could clean the bathtub at all. I don't think either of the Black & Decker items are available in the UK.

For me the larger scrubber was most useful. The little electric toothbrush was good for small jobs and laundry stains. I am sure the sonic scrubber would be good for some jobs and it would save your shoulder compared to doing the same job with a hand held brush.

[Rosie]

Hi all

There is a similar device available on ebay here. I haven't tried it so I have no idea how well it works, but may be worth a try.

Rosie

[Es*]

I have found locking pliars to be really, really useful. Basically, I use them for all manner of things which need a tight/strong grip, especially if it would need to be held for any length of time. The sorts of tasks that would usually cause me to have hyperextended and then very painful fingers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_pliers

[Purplesheep]

At the Naidex disability fair, I came across and ended up buying a ball cushion - http://www.protac.eu/ball_cushion.aspx?ID=120

It's absolutely amazing, I used to struggle keeping a good sitting posture because my muscles get tired really quickly, but the ball cushion really helps as I have no choice but to sit straight! It's meant for kids with attention and/or sensory disorders, but I found it really works very well for us bendies with proprioception issues too.

I can really recommend ball cushion to anyone who sits at a desk/on a chair for much of the day... they are fairly expensive unfortunately, but totally worth it!

[Es*]

How expensive?!

[Purplesheep]

I paid £50 for mine at Naidex, though that was a discounted price. In the UK, the distributor is Kingkraft: http://www.kingkraft.co.uk/pages/galler ... hion46.php On the Kingkraft website, they are currently £64.80 - I'm not sure if you can get a disability VAT discount for them.

[Flora]

I found a hand held massage ball at the works yesterday, for just £3-99, they are identical to these but so much cheaper http://www.amazon.co.uk/Omni-Massage-Ro ... B000ZJ3WEM It is great for gently massaging tight muscles.

[Lindsly]

The ecopouf is good for scrubbing up (& simultaneously lightly massaging the body). An elastic band, moveable from side to side, holds the scrubber to the palm so little/no grasping is necessary. Was $2.99 at Target (an American store chain).

I'd been thinking about sewing a mitten out of bath towels & putting elastic near the opening. This make the mitten seem less/un- necessary, though.

[cll]

Thursday 23rd is disability week (or young at heart as they are calling it) in Lidl's lots of gadgets on sale

Claire