Archive for May, 2010

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Adjustable beds can help with so many problems getting you in and out of bed to start with will be so much easier because you will be able to get your back into an upright position by the touch of a button on your adjustable bed so taking the pressure off your back. You will then be able to swing your legs out of bed easily so allowing you to get up to a standing position even if you need a stick or a frame. However the real benefits from your adjustable bed really come once you are in bed, those people who suffer with arthritis will find that it is so much better sleeping in an adjustable bed as they can move at the touch of a button and so reduce the pressure on the affected parts of their bodies. Imagine just the slightest touch on a button and your ankles or knees or your shoulders are moved in position by the actions of your adjustable bed, if you use one that has a ’memory foam’ mattress that is even better for those persons who are affected by pressure on their joints. If you have heart problems or poor circulation then an adjustable bed can be so helpful one of the real problems when we are lying down is to get the blood to pump back from the ankles and so if you can elevate them it will help so much with the recirculation of your blood. Obviously you can do this by using cushions or pillows but unfortunately once you are asleep they tend to move and your ankles go back to the original position and so any benefit is lost, where as with an adjustable bed once you have found the right height to have your ankles at they will stay there. Some people need to sleep in a more upright position and this is so easy with an adjustable bed just press the button and you can gently raise the head end of the adjustable bed putting yourself in the best position for your comfort, so good if you have problems like acid reflux or sleep apnoea and need to be more upright. Obviously you don’t need to have any problems to be able to use an adjustable bed they can be really good if like me you enjoy reading in bed or you want to watch television before you go to sleep and you wil find some of the adjustable beds now available can have television sets built in to them, really the ultimate in comfort and luxurious living! Adjustable beds come in varying widths from 75 cm up to 180 cm though most of them above a 90cm width tend to be single sets that are linked together or that have two separate actions in one frame, but you must always check the length as most if not all the adjustable beds come as 200cm length not 195cm as the standard UK beds are. There is also now available a metal bed frame that is an adjustable bed which is so attractive. Adjustable beds are for everyone not just those people with disabilities or mobility problems or long term illnesses but the people who have those problems can normally purchase their adjustable exempt of VAT. Sleep well on your adjustable bed.

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Wheelchairs in the sun

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Well just what a wonderful weekend it has been, makes you feel like getting  in your wheelchair and heading down to the beach doesn’t it! The extra things you have to remember on beautiful days like those we have just experienced over the weekend do mean that life is more difficult in your wheelchair, you need to realise you are a sitting target for the sun so before you go out make sure that you use some good factor sun cream and if possible wear a hat it is so much more sensible to be prepared than burnt. As well it is sensible, as it is  in the winter, in these extremes of weather to make sure your wheelchair is in its best working order you don’t want to find that you are stuck out in the sun in the heat of the day because the battery isn’t charged up properly or  a connection to the battery is loose if your wheelchair has inflatable tyres make sure that the pressure is correct as heat can affect them. If you do go  down onto the beach to  enjoy the sun sand and sea then make sure that the sand is firm enough to ride your wheelchair on, you don’t want to get down there only to find your stuck and you can’t get back. As well as that you should always confirm before you go on any stretch of beach in your wheelchair that you know when high and low tides occur because there is one thing for certain if it is a race between you in your wheelchair and the incoming tide the tide will always win! So give yourself enough time to get yourself your belongings and your wheelchair off the beach safely, mind you if you have a liking for men in uniform it  might be a good idea to get stuck and then have the lifeboat crew rescue you, the sea  might  just damage your wheelchair though. If you want a good day by the sea then Llandudno in sunny north Wales could be just the place for you with ‘Blue Flag Beaches a beautiful long flat promenade a full long pier  a tramway to the top of the Great Orme and the possibility of some great shopping Llandudno is an ideal place for those of us in wheelchairs. So be sensible in the sun be safe but enjoy it whilst you can as it can be good to be in Wheelchairs in the sun!

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Recliner Chairs in front of the Television

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

It is just the nicest way to spend your evening isn’t it, relaxing in your recliner chair in front of the television, choose your programme and away you go. As you get more involved it is easy to just to relax and put your feet up in your recliner chair, if you have a manual recliner then you have to use the release handle on the side or pull the release catch then when you have your feet up you can if you wish push back on your recliner chair and really enjoy the moment. If however you have an electric recliner chair then it is even easy to relax and enjoy the television as all you have to do is find the hand control that is normally located in a pocket on the side of the recliner chair then depending on the type of electric recliner chair you have you will be able to just press on button and get everything moving, with a single motor chair you will find as your feet start to rise up then your back will start to recline so if it is possible it is always better to select a dual motor recliner chair. This means that your hand control set will have more buttons, possibly up to five of them. One will open the footrest another will close it and again the back rest will possibly have two buttons one to make it recline and another to return it to a sitting position and there are on some recliner chairs another button which you use to take all parts of the chair back to there normal positions. You will find that dual motor electric recliner chairs are far more comfortable to use to watch television in as they give you so much more flexibility of the positions you can get yourself into. Some of the newer electric recliner chairs can also incorporate into there systems both heat and massage pads for the ultimate luxury as you watch television.  All of the chairs we have mentioned above are useful and comfortable for anyone to use and as such the prices for these will eventually include VAT, however if you are disabled or have serious long term illness or restrictive mobility then it is more sensible for you to buy an electric riser recliner chair as this will undoubtedly help you to both stand up and sit down more easily because of the extra mechanism and it will also be able for you to sign a VAT exemption form and so purchase the product at a considerably lower price, if a chair is selling for £1175-00 including VAT you will if you are eligible be able to purchase the same item for £1000-00 saving yourself a whopping £175-00. It may well be that when the new all singing all dancing coalition government gets round to working out how to save loads of money as they apparently need to that this sort of concession might disappear so enjoy it when you can. Get your self nice and comfortable  in which ever recliner chair you choose and then turn the television on only please don’t blame me if which ever channel you choose it all turns out to be rubbish. Relax!

Adjustable beds for the disabled.

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

For those of us with a disability or mobility problem then an adjustable bed can such a benefit.  Just think how difficult it is for you to move about in bed trying to sit up or change the position in which you are laying, if you are disabled or have mobility problems then it is virtually impossible with out some one to help you. But once you have an adjustable bed life becomes so much easier no need at all for pillows to prop you up when you want to sit up to read or watch television just touch the button on the handset and you can raise the head end of your bed to a position in which you are comfortable this will enable you to sit up and read or watch television or drink that very welcome cup of tea. If you suffer with arthritis or rheumatism the advantage of being able to move without putting pressure on your joints is tremendous and if you do suffer from this sort of problem then it would be sensible to look at the possibility of your adjustable bed having a memory foam mattress. This type of mattress comes from work done in the late 1960′s and early 1970′s by  NASA in the space race when they needed to protect the astronauts against the pull of the ‘G’ force during lift off. They found that it helped to spread the weight across the area and so reduce pressure on the body, this information was eventually taken up and used in the medical profession for patients with severe and long term  problems. Eventually like all good  products it was taken up by manufacturers world wide for use in the home market. Memory foam mattresses can be so very comfortable especially if you have real problems with your hips, knees, back shoulders or ankles. It can relieve the pressure and so help you sleep more easily. Of course there are all sorts of different mattresses available which can offer you different comfort levels. Adjustable beds for disabled people can come in many different styles and types from single sets for just one person to king size sets with separate sides and controls so if one partner wants to sleep sitting up the other person can still lie down. It is also possible now to have more decorative adjustable beds including ones with metal frames or models with leather frames to them. Some of the adjustable beds available for disabled people can also have drawers in them so giving you extra storage space. It is possible to have massage units fitted to a lot of the adjustable beds now available as well as matching headboards. If you are having your adjustable bed for a disabled person then it is possible to purchase it under a scheme available through the government without VAT, this scheme is for people with disabilities or serious long term illness or mobility restricting problems and details can be found through the various websites that the government run. You must  remember though that this scheme applies to the person with the  problem and so if you are buying two beds to link together as a 4’6″ 5’0″ or 6’0″ that technically only the part for the disabled person should be VAT exempt and it is up to you to sign the legal exemption form. However you will find that the adjustable bed will make your sleeping so much better and if you sleep well you will feel well.  Adjustable beds for disabled people just make so much sense!  Sleep well!

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Adjustable beds

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

The joy of having and adjustable bed is some thing that most users will be only to happy to tell you all about but until you use one for yourself you will never truly understand just how much difference an adjustable bed can make to your life. The ability to raise your feet at the touch of a button for those of use with a disability is fantastic when you find it so difficult to do it for yourself or if you have trouble with your circulation then being able to adjust your position is just so helpful. People with sleeping disorders such as sleep apnoea will also benefit from an adjustable bed by being able to raise the back of the adjustable bed they will be able to sleep in a more upright position and so alleviate the some of the problems with heavy snoring which can at times be so dangerous.  However adjustable beds are not just for the elderly, infirm or disabled indeed there is so much choice now and they can be a real part of any bedroom, some adjustable beds can now come with televisions built in to the foot end which means you can press another button and have the television rise up so that you can watch in the comfort of your bedroom with an adjustable bed to support you with out having to pack pillows around yourself to sit up comfortably. I suppose the only down side with this possibility is the number of  hand  controls you will finish up with, one for the unit to raise and lower the television, one to control the television and two more to control the adjustable bed if you have one with separate actions on each side of the bed,  lets face it you are bound to loose at least one of them! When it comes to adjustable beds you have also got to consider what sort of mattress you choose as whilst it will be  good to be able to change your angles and  position more easily the mattress has got to be  right for you. There are so many to choose from for your new adjustable bed, should it be an normal open coil spring unit or a pocket spring mattress, perhaps you would prefer a foam mattress or even a combination of  foam and springs together. One of the most popular choices to use on adjustable beds nowadays seems to be those memory foam mattresses there is the well known make however there are lots of other memory foam mattresses and they are so  good on adjustable beds as they move so well with the  actions on the bed  but more importantly they react so well to your body spreading the weight so it is distributed more evenly across the surface of the mattress which means you will sleep more evenly and restfully and though wont create any pressure  points for you, making a  much more adjustable bed for you to sleep on. Recently manufacturers have found materials to use  in conjunction with memory foam products to make them cooler to sleep on so reducing the only real problem that has ever existed with foam products. So make your choice but remember an adjustable bed can make your life style so much better. Sleep well wake refreshed and enjoy your days because you feel so much better now you have your own adjustable bed

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Wheelchairs, did we win at the election.

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Well at last it is all over and we have a new government in place but will David and Nick do the right thing for wheelchair users? Come to that will they do the right thing for anyone, lets just hope so because if they have got their agreement right it is for the next 5 years, well at least yesterday at their joint press conference the looked young vibrant and enthusiastic which was unfortunately not the way that Gordon Brown looked at the end of his term.  They rather reminded me of Morecambe and Wise and if they can be as successful as those two were then perhaps just perhaps they might get the country out of the mess every political commentator keeps telling us we are  in. But will they in doing so ignore the elderly the disabled and those of us with mobility problems. Will people using wheelchairs have more sympathy from the new coalition government do you think or will we just have to trundle along as before? I see towns and cities laying out cycle paths and even along the A55 in North Wales they are spending millions on improving the cycle lanes along side the main road and whilst you want to see it made safe for people to ride their bikes isn’t time somebody came up with dedicated wheelchair lanes or paths through town centre to make it safer both for the general public on the pavements and wheelchair users. I think there are more of us about nowadays than cyclists. however whilst I do feel that could be a sensible idea, well I’ve got to its one of mine, wouldn’t it be good if the new government found time to make sure that those rules or laws that are already in place to stop discrimination against people with disabilities were actually enforced properly. The number of shops and banks that still have steps that make it impossible for a wheelchair user to get into them properly is amazing and  have you ever tried to use a cash machine whilst sitting in a wheelchair it is impossible, but no one seems to follow up on these things perhaps they could start by making sure that we wheelchair users are safer by making us all have insurance both for ourselves and for other  people we come into contact with the other thing that we should insist on is that those people who use a road going  class 3 wheelchair register it and carry the required tax disc it is free of charge but for those people using the faster road going wheelchairs with light indicators and mirrors it is actually a  legal requirement and if you should ever be unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in your wheelchair and you don’t have your free tax disc displayed you could be in trouble with the police and any insurance you may have would be invalid. So lets hope the new government is a success for all our sakes and that we the wheelchair users turn out to be the real winners in the election.

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Driving tests for mobility scooter users?

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

One report recently suggested that people using a mobility scooter should be made to take a driving test, this is note something that I would not personally agree with. Unfortunately those of us who need to use wheelchairs or a mobility scooter are normally under enough pressure already because of our disability or illness and the thought of having to take a test to use a vehicle that allows us a certain amount of freedom and mobility we would not other wise have is just, to my mind, a really silly idea. Those persons who need to use a mobility scooter are normally sensible people who are grateful for the ability to get about given to them by their power chair or wheelchair, what would be far more sensible is to make it a legal requirement for user to make sure that they have proper insurance. Not only should you be insured against some one stealing or damaging your mobility scooter but you should also have to carry insurance cover in case of any accident. In the day and age of ‘compensation culture’ it is all to easy to find yourself on the wrong end of a claim from another person using a ‘no win no fee solicitor’ . Recently a lady in North Wales had an accident in a local supermarket in which she broke another persons leg, now obviously it was an accident she didn’t seek that person out and the ride into them with a view to injuring them but unfortunately it happened. The injured person went on to seek redress through the courts and was awarded a compensation amount of £15000-00. The lady who had been driving the mobility scooter had not been sensible enough to take out insurance and could not pay the amount awarded. The court costs were also added on and eventually the totals increased and further court action was taken and she was forced to sell her house by the court the compensation that had been awarded and the court costs involved. Now if  it  had been a legal requirement for her to have insurance in the first place she would not have  finished up homeless and whilst this is an extreme case it does show  just what can happen. We should all have sympathy with the person who was injured and I am certain that they must almost have a certain feeling of guilt for the situation but again why should they not receive the compensation awarded. It is in your own self interest to carry insurance if you are riding on any type of mobility scooter, power chair or even a wheelchair it will cost very little over the year and can be paid in most cases by monthly instalments but could save you a fortune in the worst of circumstances. The other thing that people should realise is that it is a legal requirement that those mobility scooters that are able to be driven on the roads as well as pavements, that’s those capable  of speeds of 8mph, should be registered with the DVLA.  That is those ‘class 3 vehicles that can actually go in excess of 4mph, whilst it is a non chargeable item the tax disc should by law be issued and displayed, if it isn’t for any reason you could find yourself upsetting the police force s check the law and remain on the right side of it! Driving tests for mobility scooter users? I don’t think so, Insurance cover ? Definitely, drive safely be sensible be insured be happy!

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Recliner Chairs

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Oh how we need that recliner chair now! After the stress and pressure of the election campaign for the last few weeks only to find that there is no overall winner! Just sit back in your recliner chair and ponder over just what will happen next, do you think that Mr Brown will be able to struggle on and compromise to try to make a deal with Mr Clegg and the Liberal Democrats or will he, Mr Clegg stick to his statements  made during the campaign that he wont work with Mr Brown. Mr Cameron will be champing at the bit to get his feet into number 10 but he is  just short of the magical number to get him there on his own, do you think he could put his feet up in his recliner chair and contemplate on what to do next, should he ring Mr Clegg to try and make a pact with him, which would certainly give him enough seats in total to govern the country and hey who knows he might be sensible and offer to have Vince Cable as his Chancellor, well any one has got to be better than his present choice!  Perhaps it is time for all of the party leaders to take time out and relax in their respective recliner chairs and contemplate the state of the UK and try to understand what the public have just told them, isn’t under the circumstances a better idea to have a government national unity including members of all parties working together for the betterment of the nation as a whole rather than trying to score  points off each other?  We only have to look at the situation in Greece and the way it is developing in Spain and Portugal to recognise that we are  possibly heading for problems the like of which we haven’t seen since the second world war and then sensibly the government was one of national unity and we survived but in different ways, the stakes are just as high now so it is time to be sensible and to stop scoring points. the people of Britain have decided that they do not trust any one of the main parties to run Britain on there own, so lets select the best people from each party to work together and see if between them they can resolve the difficulties we face lets face it if you live in Greece now you probable can’t afford a chair let alone a recliner chair so we don’t want the problems that they have to affect us here in Great Britain. The other thing that the politicians must understand as they use their recliner chairs is that the country cannot possibly afford the cost of another election this year can you imagine what money was spent yesterday by all those people sitting polling stations from just before 7am until 10pm at night three people to each station a leading officer and two assistants, an awful lot of these people are either retired or people who work for local councils and take a days holiday to work on the election and get paid for it. Then at the end of polling the count takes place in 650 seats all over the UK and all of the people on the count are paid as well whilst there may be some volunteers the vast majority of them are paid for the nights work and so they should be, but just where does that money come from you might ask, out of our taxes is the fairly obvious answer so whilst  lots of people after last night  might be able to afford a new recliner chair now you and I can’t afford to pay them all a second time this year can we? So come on you party leaders and managers all get together read the results and understand what they say, lets all work together in unity for a better Great Britain.

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Recliner chairs and Adjustable beds

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

I saw some research quoted in one of the daily papers yesterday, well it made a change from reading all the reports about the election! Basically it was reporting on research done in China about peoples sleeping habits and how sleeping longer each night can help life styles and prolong life. Apparently there are more people in China who are over 100 years old than any where else in the world, now that might be true but according to the report I read it was because they valued their sleep and had at least 10 hours sleep each night! It might just be that there are more people in China than in any other country in the world don’t you think!  Wonder if they had an adjustable bed to help or a recliner chair for in the day to get those extra hours in, probably not but if 10 hours sleep a day can help them to live to ages in excess of 100 years then perhaps we should all be eating more rice and sleeping longer each day and  night! Mind you if we start eating that much rice we might not live to 100 but it will just seem like it! One thing though an adjustable bed will actually improve the sleep of virtually every one who uses one, just imagine being in bed and not feeling comfortable, your ankles ache a bit, so with the press of a button your ankles are raised as the foot end of the bed  comes up slightly, wonderful for you if you suffer from poor blood circulation, or you going to bed with a bit of heart burn and find that laying flat is just not comfortable then it is so easy to use the controls and raise the head end of the bed enabling you to sit up and it will help to dissipate that burning sensation you get with heart burn. Your adjustable bed can also be so comfortable if you want to just sit up and read far better than trying to prop yourself up using pillows! The choice of adjustable beds available nowadays is fantastic you can get them with ordinary spring mattresses, pocket spring mattresses or  now even the latest ranges of memory foam mattresses to make you as comfortable as possible. did you know that the HM Revenue and Customs allow people with disabilities or long term illnesses to purchase their adjustable bed exempt of VAT, you have to sign a VAT exemption form which is  legal declaration about your illness or disability which is held on file by your supplier for inspection by HM Revenue and Customs officer should they wish to do so but it is well worth looking for information with regard to this for if an adjustable bed has a selling  price of say, £695-00 including VAT if you can legitimately sign the VAT exemption form then the price you pay would be reduced to £591-49 ! That is well worth having isn’t, mind you I wonder if after the election this might be withdrawn! Just on the election do you think Mr Brown manages to get  10 hours sleep a night or  does he just  lie there thinking ‘Why is every body a bigot, except me!’ Perhaps he needs an adjustable bed or a recliner chair to help him relax! Sleep well live longer in your adjustable bed!

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