Telephone Access for People With Hand & Arm Weakness

For people with ALS with severe hand and arm weakness, using a conventional telephone can be an exercise in frustration. But, there are equipment alternatives that can assist you.
Although many assistive features are standard on today’s phones, such as memory speed dialing, one-touch dialing, speakerphones and voice-activated systems, various additional adaptations and accessories are also available.

Here are some low-tech telephone access tips:

• Speakerphones with large buttons and cordless telephones with hands-free headsets: For example, Independent Living Aids (www.independentliving.com) offers a jumbo button speakerphone with a headset ($19.95), featuring 10-memory speed dialing and a two-way speakerphone with volume control.

• Large-button keypad adapters: Life@Home (www.lifehome.com) offers an adapter ($24.95) that fits right over the existing keypad.

• Phone holders that fasten to the receiver: For example, Active Forever’s (www.activeforever.com) Universal Phone Holder ($11.95) is a flexible metal clip that bends and can be adjusted to fit any hand size. EnableMart (www.enablemart.com) offers a plastic phone holder clip ($23.50).

• Receiver extenders: Sammons Preston Rolyan at www.sammonspreston.com ($87.95) and Therafin at www.therafin.com ($130.06) offer variations of the Fone Holder, a flexible 24-inch gooseneck that attaches to most surfaces with an adjustable clamp.

Telephone Access Made Easier


David Nolting

David Nolting of Cedar Falls, Iowa, received a limb-onset ALS diagnosis in August 2004. Nolting, 53, who uses a wheelchair most of the time, has extremely limited use of his hands and arms.

When Nolting started having problems holding the telephone’s handset, he received an Ameriphone RC-200 Remote Controlled Speakerphone ($399) by Clarity (www.clarityproducts.com) from the local MDA loan closet.

The RC-200’s features include: a wireless, mouse-style remote that activates phone functions from up to 40 feet away; voice-activated answering; scanning and dialing of 20 preprogrammed numbers; adjustable scanning speed; hands-free conversations up to 15 feet away; and the possibility of mounting to a desktop, wheelchair or wall.

With his right hand, Nolting uses his index finger to right and left click the remote. The system also can be used with pillow and air switches for those who can’t use a mouse.

“Right now, I am using just the clicker switch, but the other switches will come in handy as I lose control of my arms,” Nolting said.

While the system doesn’t offer voice-activated dialing, Nolting uses the remote to scan the telephone’s stored numbers. Once you’re on the selected number, click the remote to dial. The phone automatically hangs up after one minute of silence or if it detects a dial tone.


Zygo Industries’ Vocally voice-activated dialer

Nolting also advises phone users to enter 911 into the system in case of an emergency but cautioned, “This telephone works great in one area of the house. It only has a range of approximately 15 feet, so it wouldn’t be useful if you fell down in a different room.
“If a person is confined to a chair or bed, it’s wonderful because you can dial up to 20 preprogrammed numbers or answer the phone at any time without your hands.”

On the High-Tech Side

As with many high-tech devices, the more a hands-free telephone system can do, the more it costs.

SAJE Technology (www.saje-tech.com) offers the Communicator Complete package ($1,500), featuring a wireless headset, voice-activated telephone system. The headset can be worn, mounted or modified for use in speakerphone mode, and you can enter an unlimited number of contacts.

You can use voice commands to answer and place calls from within 500 feet of the base station. You also can connect adaptive switches to the system, and an optional speakerphone is available.

Also, SAJE’s Communicator Basic package ($425) includes all of the features of the Communicator Complete except that it relies on your existing computer.

Zygo Industries (www.zygo-usa.com) offers a voice-activated dialer, Vocally ($220-$295), that can be used with any standard touch-tone telephone. The dialer stores up to 60 names and numbers.


David Nolting explains that the system could be used with the RC-200 speakerphone to provide a complete hands-free experience with both voice-activated dialing and answering.

Able-Phone (www.ablephone.com) offers the 7000 VC model ($579) that’s controlled via voice commands you program. All phone features are voice controlled, and the system includes a built-in, voice-activated dialer. The dialer phonebook stores up to 60 names and numbers.

For cell phone users, Broadened Horizons (www.broadenedhorizons.com) offers the Vocalize! Bluetooth Voice- Controlled Cell Phone System (starts at $349). The system easily mounts and integrates on a wheelchair, and communicates with the cell phone using Bluetooth technology.

With voice commands, users can answer calls, dial numbers saved in their phonebooks and end calls. You simply use a preprogrammed “magic” word. The system, which includes a lapel microphone, is compatible with cell phones that support the Bluetooth hands-free profile.

http://www.mdausa.org/publications/a...curr.html#vest

CLICK HERE for our FREE CoughAssist™ introduction and training CD-ROM!

http://www.jhemerson.com/

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Top 10 Electric Toothbrushes
http://arthritis.about.com/od/assist...toothbrush.htm

An electric toothbrush can make dental care much easier for people with arthritis and dexterity problems. Find the right electric toothbrush for you, considering the thickness of the handle for a good grip, size of the brush head, and other features.
http://arthritis.about.com/od/assist...toothbrush.htm




FREE!! DOWNLOADS:
http://www.march-of-faces.org/resources/adapttech.html

RADIO SHACK to the rescue

These 3 item listed below are terrific.

Bell - Wireless Door Chime
Model or Catalog #: 61-2667 $9.97
Great item for patients to alert those out of room to come. 2 chime sound - in a non-offensive tone. Inexpensive.

Wireless RF Remote-Control On/Off Switch
Model or Catalog #: 61-2667 $14.99
Keychain remote and plug-in receiver lets you turn any plug-in appliance on or off from anywhere in the room. This is great for the patients who like to have their mouths suctioned thru-out the day. Instead of finding the switch on the suction machine, your small remote will turn the suction on, so you can do yourself.

3-Station/3-Channel FM Wireless Intercom
Model or Catalog # 43-3105 $59.99
3-station wireless intercom allows communication throughout the house without yelling or trudging upstairs or into another room. Its 3-channel operation allows private conversation between any two channels without disturbing the other, and it's expandable, so you can add additional stations if/when you need them. Great price for 3 units.

Many of the questions on the living-with-als group concern the equipment needed to deal with disability. This section of our website was set up to help people with ALS in their search for that equipment. Unlike other sites that provide a list of links to retailers and manufacturers, these pages are reviews of specific brands written by people who have purchased or tried them. The members of the living-with-als group hope this will help others find the best possible equipment to keep them living-well-with-als.

http://living-with-als.org/
_________________
Alper Kaya MD
Ophthalmologist
44 M
PALS dx 1990, limb onset
PWC(1999), Trach, BIPAP(2004)
Onscreen keyboard (ScreenDoors/Madentec) for typing
Eating, speaking still
Izmir/Turkey
So far so good

EQUIPMENT CORNER
Accessing & Acquiring Assistive Technology
Some options to make funding AT purchases easier
http://www.mdausa.org/publications/a...urr.html#augie

by Alyssa Quintero


in the world of assistive technology (AT), communication devices, mobility aids, adapted vehicles and home modifications are all costly, and Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance don’t always cover their purchase.

Here are some assistive technology funding resources that can help ease the financial burden.

State Assistive Technology Act Programs



If you need AT funding assistance, start by contacting your state’s federally funded Assistive Technology Act program. These programs, which operate in all states, work to improve access to AT products and services.

State AT programs are the experts at putting people in touch with local AT resources and providing information about funding sources. They also offer loan and equipment exchange programs.

“Your first call should be to your state AT program because they can serve as that first line of contact for people looking for AT information,” said Nell Bailey, project director for RESNA’s (Rehabilitation, Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America) Technical Assistance Project.

“The state AT projects have the greatest, broadest knowledge of assistive technology products, devices and services,” said John Moore, assistant director of the Texas Technology Access Program. “They know where all the funding sources are in the state and the suppliers of assistive technology.”

Short-Term Equipment Loan Programs

Through the State AT Act Projects, short-term equipment loan programs enable people with disabilities to try a device, at little or no cost, before they purchase it on their own or while they’re attempting to secure funding.

Equipment loan programs also provide replacement devices to people with disabilities when their own devices are on order or being repaired. These loans can be extended on a case-by-case basis.

Loan equipment generally includes: AAC devices, computer access devices/software, wheelchairs, environmental control units (ECUs), adapted equipment for the workplace, durable medical equipment and personal care aids.

Alternative Financing Programs

A little-known funding option is the Alternative Financing Program (AFP), a federal/state loan program available in 33 states that grants low-interest loans to people with disabilities, their parents, relatives or advocates in order to purchase AT equipment or services.

People who don’t qualify for traditional bank loans may find AFPs more receptive to their applications. They make allowances for poor credit, especially if it’s related to a person’s disability.

“Loan financing programs have proven to be an alternative of great potential in relieving this burden of cost,” said Joey Wallace, a public policy analyst and executive director of Virginia’s Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority (ATLFA).

The loans are commonly us+ed to purchase big-ticket items, including adaptive vehicles, home modifications, computer hardware/software, communication devices, and mobility equipment (scooters and power or manual wheelchairs).

In the event a person with ALS passes before the loan’s paid in full, “the family is still responsible for paying the loan, but we understand this, and we’ll try to work with the family,” said Sue Castles, loan program coordinator for the Illinois TechConnect Program.

“We’re [AFP] more flexible than a bank because we’re not a bank. We’re still a human services agency.”

Castles explained that five years is a typical loan term for most devices, including AAC devices. A person could, however, finance a new adapted vehicle for up to 10 years.

Many AFPs ask people “what they feel like they can afford to pay.” She added that the Illinois TechConnect program would work with a person who receives his or her income from SSI or SSDI, but that those loans tend to be smaller.

More Help

MDA assists with the purchase of communication devices prescribed by MDA clinic physicians.

Your local independent living center also has valuable information about AT funding sources in your area.And, if you’re still working, check with your state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation to determine what types of AT qualify for coverage in order to maintain employment.

For example, Wayne Phillips of Santa Barbara, Calif., received funding assistance from the California Department of Rehabilitation Services. Phillips, 47, who received a diagnosis of ALS in 1989, continued to work as a software engineer after vocational rehab paid for his adaptive computer equipment.

And, if you’re a veteran with ALS, the Veterans Administration may provide funding for AT devices.
Furthermore, if you’re looking to purchase used equipment at a lower cost, one option is ATmatch.com. It’s a marketplace where donors and sellers can locate buyers for a wide range of AT and durable medical products.

People can list a product, auction it or sell it for a set price. Currently, 18 State AT Act Projects have signed on as partners in the project, including the Texas Technology Access Program. Anyone can browse the site, and registration is free.

Resources


ABLEDATA
www.abledata.com

ATMatch.com
www.atmatch.com

Department of Veterans Affairs
www.va.gov

DisabilityInfo.gov — Tech Grants & Funding
www.disabilityinfo.gov/|digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5106

Independent Living Research Utilization Directory of Centers
(713) 520-0232
http://www.ilru.org/html/publication...ory/index.html

Independent Living USA
www.ilusa.com

RESNA — Alternative
Financing Technical
Assistance Project
(703) 524-6686
www.resna.org/AFTAP

RESNA — National AT Technical Assistance Partnership
www.resna.org/taproject/at/stateprograms.html

State Departments of Vocational Rehabilitation
www.jan.wvu.edu/sbses/ vocrehab.htm
(Or check your telephone directory under “State Listing.”)


http://www.mdausa.org/publications/a...urr.html#augie

A few websites with a wide variety of shower chairs...for bathing ease and safety....

http://www.medicalproductsdirect.com/showerchairs.html
http://www.sammonspreston.com/Supply...ubsection=1638
http://www.bizchair.com/showerseating-mjm.html
http://www.activeaid.com/products/model_285.asp

I believe in fixing things starting from the bottom up so here's a link to an indispensable piece of equipment for any PALS who is losing his hand strength or for anyone who wants improved hygiene. The only hand strength required to operate it is the ability to poke a button. Warning: once you have used one, you will find not using a bidet somewhat disgusting. I really like this model for its ease of use, seat and water warming features, automatic drying and deodorizer (this function is much more effective than a bathroom fan) and adjustable features. I have not used others though. It is available on eBay for $600 or for a lot more elsewhere. I recommend getting the elongate version rather than the round model which I find a bit cramped for space, and no, I'm not fat.

http://www.washlet.com/downloads/787...Wshlt_S300.pdf

The Best Seat in the House!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMMI6...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsiu4...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOXlF...elated&search=

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The Revised Manual is Completed Message List

Reply | Forward Message #44113 of 44114 < Prev | Next >

Hi all, it has been months since my last post. I am in hospice and
am continuing to go thru a rough time. As I look over the board, I
remember what a positive force the group has been. Pull me up when I
was opened down, opening my heart,help keep me headed in a
positive direction, give me courage, offer words of sympathy and
caring, and many others. I miss my old friends. I was surrprised to
see so many new names. ALS sucks but PALS and CALS are grit, guts
and the human spirit at its best. For new members, I used to be a
regular contributor.
Given my limited strength, I devoted my efforts to developing our
revised Guidebook, taken mainly from the works of this incredible
group. It is available at http://55jer.com/randysalsmanual.htm

Thanks to Jerry for his hard work in getting it on line, and for
all who contributed. It is an expansion of our earlier manual with
revisions and new chapters. It should be a better companion to
recently diagnosed PALS/CALS.

I am thinking of all of you,

Randy

http://orin.com/index.htm

Assistive Technology Products


Origin Instruments Corporation

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Origin Instruments was founded in 1990 by ex-aerospace engineers. The company is a developer and manufacturer of advanced electro-optical instruments and associated software. Our products serve customers in two markets. In the first, we provide assistive technologies for people with disabilities. In the second, we provide precision three-dimensional tracking systems for use in industry, academia, and government laboratories.

Our assistive technology products are generally used by individuals with motor disabilities such as quadriplegics, persons with repetitive stress injuries, and people with muscular degenerative diseases. These products allow efficient hands-free access to computers and augmentative communication devices. Our assistive technology products are purchased by individuals, large institutions, schools, and government organizations. These products are sold direct and through a qualified network of domestic and international dealers.

Our precision tracking products are general purpose instruments that serve a broad range of applications. These products are used in research, development, and as subsystems in other commercial and medical products. The customer list is extensive and ranges from small developers to multinational corporations, educational institutions, and government laboratories.

Access this link for a partial list of our customers.

Origin Instruments is located in the Greenview Technology Center in Grand Prairie, Texas which is located halfway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. Access this link for a map to our facility.

For More Information Contact:



Origin Instruments Corporation
854 Greenview Drive
Grand Prairie, Texas 75050-2438
USA

Voice: 972-606-8740
FAX: 972-606-8741

email: support@orin.com

http://www.thevest.com/


2" Offset Door Hinges
Heavy Duty Brass Offset Door Hinges widen doorways 2" for easier walker and wheelchair accessibility.

http://www.dynamic-living.com/offset_hinge.htm