Wheelchair Freedom!
Get
Help. Get Up. Get Out
By
Marcia Oliver
Copyright 2011 by Marcia Oliver
Smashwords Edition, License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover design by Bronson Dunbar
* * *
* *
Find out what
others are saying about this eye opening resource!
Visit
HomeHealthPT.com
for more innovative Do It Yourself Resources for Rehab At Home and
learn how to protect yourself from fraud!
Subscribe to our
free Do
It Yourself Rehab At Home Newsletter for Rehab At Home
help.
Dedication
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter
One - Wheelchair Safety
Chapter
Two - Wheelchair Accessory Options
Chapter
Three - Wheelchair Transfer Tips
Chapter
Four - Getting Your Wheelchcair in the Car
Chapter
Five - Wheelchair Exercise; Avoiding Body Shut Down
Chapter
Six - Buns of Steel; Strong Legs
Chapter
Seven - When Push Comes To Shove; Strong Front
Chapter
Eight - Pulling Your Own Weight; Strong Back
Chapter
Nine - Tight Squeeze Tips
Chapter
Ten - Conclusion
About
the Author
Winning
isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.
—Vince Lombardi
Wheelchair Freedom!
was written and put together out a love and passion for helping
people move away from the dependence of their four-wheeled worlds
towards greater independence.
Marcia Oliver, a physical
therapist and personal trainer has seen thousands of patients in her
home health care physical therapy career. After 15 years of walking
into patients’ home with nothing more than her hands and a
patient’s bodyweight for strength training, watching thousands of
her patients put forth the sweat and determination to improve their
quality of life, she now shares with you how others are succeeding
towards independence.
Customizing each patient program, she
progressed her patients through stretches and strengthening exercises
to eventually see most of them walk again.
After putting
together thousands of personalized programs, Marcia has put the
basics here for you to begin your journey towards independence.
The
exercises and stretches and transfer steps outlined in the e-book may
not be for everyone. The prognosis of some conditions will not
progress as much as other conditions will. Each patient has
different abilities, disabilities, prognosis and available resources
and help. It is best to work on these routines with someone to help
you.
If you feel inspired to move towards a goal of becoming
more independent, consider contacting your physician and discussing
your eligibility for home health care physical therapy to further
customize a program that is specific for your needs.
Courage
to you as you pursue a better quality of life. Your dream is
Marcia’s dream. Her passion to help you has created this resource.
Raised in Maine,
Marcia was taught several simple rules to live by. Of them,
respecting her elders was not only taught but modeled as she grew.
Little did she or her parents realize what an impact this would make
in her career as a home health physical therapist.
Starting
her home care career in 1994, Marcia Oliver MSPT, found a
heartwarming niche that she loved and that loved her back. Now, she’s
putting her years of experience and schooling into simple, effective
and inexpensive ways for you to do-it-yourself rehab at home.
With
a work ethic to die for and a passion to respect, protect and serve
her precious aging companions, Marcia eventually took her years of
knowledge to the web in an effort to help you rehab at home, protect
you and continue to serve you outside the pressures of home health
agency fraud. Understanding how our pay can affect your care will
open your eyes and no doubt raise some questions.
This ebook is a
work of education - teaching those in wheelchairs and those helping
patients in wheelchairs how to embark on a gentle, yet progressive
stretching and strengthening program that may allow for some get
stronger, get in and out of a vehicle and become more
independent.
From wheelchair safety and a few words about
accessorizing to stretching and strengthening your way to more
independence, getting in and out of a vehicle and getting your chair
in the car to providing tips about getting through tight spaces,
Wheelchair Freedom! can change your life. One committed day at a
time.
The information in this work carries no promises or
guarantees of success, walking ability or gains in strength. With so
many various diagnoses and prognoses, it is impossible to "can"
a program of success for everyone.
Be gentle with yourself. Be
patient. It may take longer than you would like to undo what time has
done. Committed, gradual change can offer you less pain, improved
ability, greater independence, strength and range of motion.
Ultimately, you can increase your quality of life and how long you
live!
Do not try these exercises alone. If you are unsure of
how to progress or your condition keeps you from accomplishing these
exercises or transfers, contact your physician for a referral for
physical therapy.
If you have questions about this program,
please ask your doctor prior to starting or ask your questions here.
Proceed at your own discretion.
Chapter One
Wheelchair safety
is the single most important precaution to take when managing or
living in a wheelchair. Although there are a few instances where the
typical safety items are disregarded in order to accomplish the task
at hand (safely), understand wheelchair safety can literally save
your life.
Wheelchair safety includes the obvious such as
locking before transferring in or out and also the not so obvious
such as locking BOTH brakes or knowing how to raise and lower an
Elevated Leg Rest (ELR) to avoid causing injury or unnecessary pain
to the patient.
Folding and unfolding a manual wheelchair can
be tricky and incomplete if you are not sure what you are doing. If
you are not careful, you’ll be doing the pinched finger dance. It
is one small and simple step, however, to being able to put your
wheelchair into the car or trunk.
Many caregivers and patients
sustain further injury due to a lack of wheelchair safety
precautions. This can, unfortunately extend a “wheel-cation” to
an undetermined length of time. In the mean time, more weakness and
less flexibility are added to the debt of diminishing
health.
Determine to get out of your wheelchair as often as
you can – stretching, exercising, riding in the car or even
walking! Don’t let your wheelchair eat you alive! Choose to
dance!
Wheelchair Safety - Illustrated
1. Always
lock the brakes before getting into or out of a wheelchair. The
chair’s only contact with the ground is via wheels (see Fig. 1) and
they will roll at the slightest nudge or bump. This can cause
potential harm to the patient or the caregiver.
Figure 1
TIP:
If the brakes are not working well: