It sounds so simple. It is basically a small piece of strong plastic about 3 inches high. It is wedge shape and goes down to nothing at one side. It is just under 3 feet wide, The same width as a door and it has made a huge difference in my life.

What am I talking about?

A threshold ramp.

Before I got one, getting out of the house was a huge hurdle. The lip on the door was only 3 inches high, but it could have been 1 inch or 17 inches – any lip stopped me from getting out of the door in my wheelchair. Even a matchstick on the floor feels like a tree stump when I roll over it. I had no chance with the door. I would come to a grinding halt. Well, that is not exactly true – I would come to a split second stop.

The threshold ramp solves my problems in getting out of the house.

• It is not too steep to be able to get up it on my own.
• It is extremely light and portable (made of fibreglass) so it can go in the car in case it is needed to help me when I am out.
• It is bright yellow – so I always know if it in position or not.
• It has raised bumps on it – so there is no slipping even if my wheels are wet or muddy.
• It is strong enough to feel secure going up and down it everyday.

If you are need to get somewhere that hasn’t installed a disabled access ramp; then your own portable threshold ramp can often be the way to get in! I have used my ramp to get into friends houses more easily.

I never realised quite how useful my ramp would be.

More on ramps…

Height

• Threshold ramps come in different heights depending on the height of the threshold lip and the width of the doorway.

Weight

• Threshold ramps are able to carry different weights.
• Some are suitable for manual wheelchairs, others electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

Folding threshold ramps.

• These go up one side of the door, over the threshold then down the other side. This is great for getting from one room to another where there is a door with a lip in the way. My conservatory is like this. Now I can get to all the rooms in my house, which gives me the freedom I want and need.

You can get ramps that help you to get into vehicles, with your wheelchair or scooter.

Ramps can be fixed and permanent, or lightweight and portable. Depending on the location and use.

Have a look at our article  Information on choosing a ramp for more about ramps.

This morning I cut my finger nails!

This time last year it was a simple task I could not carry out. It sounds crazy but nail clippers are small, shiny, slippery objects and very difficult to hold, combined with a lack of co-ordination it became a risk to either cutting my fingers off, losing the nail clippers or getting somebody else to cut them for me. I ended up referring to the latter much to my disappointment.

Most people take a simple tasks like cutting their finger nails for granted and I was one of them until I could not do it. I would hold the clippers in one hand, rest against a table and insert the nail to be cut, Missed! As the clippers shot out my hand, no nail was cut and I had to look to find where the clippers had ended up!

The bureaucracy had gone mad as my carer was unable to cut my nails, due to health and safety! So my nails got longer and longer. I was thinking of entering the Guiness book of records, I had nails the length a young woman would love but not a young man. I was still stuck with the problem of how to cut my own nails!

I then discovered the best mobility aids I had seen, it was simple. A pair of nail clippers mounted on a sturdy board, you place your finger in and press down, click that was one finger done and in 5 minutes I had cut all my own fingernails! An incredible little gadget that ensured I was able to look after my own personal grooming without the need for somebody else or a carer to tell me a list of reasons why they could not cut my nails.

There is actually a wide range of gadgets especially designed for people with different needs and it was not until I started looking did I see how many variations there are available. Nail clippers for people witha arthritis, desk mounted nail clippers, extra large nail clippers. You name it, it was there somebody else had the same problem as me and a company created a solution to the problem.

On this website I think you will find a lot of solutions to problems and gadgets you never thought existed!

Transfer boards make it easier to get from one surface to another. The two items need to be of very similar height. Boards are generally used to get between two of the following:

• bed
• wheelchair
• chair
• toilet
• commode

The type of transfer board that is right for you will depend on your ability and what you need the board to help you with. Some can be used independently and with some you would need assistance, but all of them require some upper body strength.

How do they work?

• You sit on one end of the board, with the other end resting on the item you want to transfer to. You then slide across. Some have sliders, hand holes or are curved.

Slider transfer boards

• These boards have a disc that can slide from one end to the other. You sit on the disc and slide across. They make transferring frictionless. They are ideal if you have little strength to push yourself along the board.

Boards with hand holes

• Some transfer boards have hand holes cut into them. They are designed to give you an easier grip when using the board and for getting it into position.

Curved transfer boards

• These are also known as ‘banana boards’ due to their curved shape.
• Their shape means you can alter the angle which can help when transferring into a car or in a space limited place like a bathroom.

Commode transfer boards

• Commode transfer boards have a shape cut out of them at one end. This means you do not have to remove the board when you have used one to transfer to the toilet or commode.

Discs and turners

• Transfer discs are really useful for the car or when sitting on a chair. They mean you can swivel around with little effort. They help people with arthritis, or if you have leg or back problems.
• Generally, turners are a larger mobility aid. When seated you place your feet on the disc at the bottom. Then you stand up, holding on to the handles of the turner. Your carer can then turn you around safely, until you are in position to then sit down safely on the other surface.

Transfer boards often have non slip pads on the bottom to give you extra stability and peace of mind. They also wipe clean easily.

When I was in hospital, they said an Occupational Therapist would come and see me once I was home. At first I couldn’t even say the word – it seemed like a tongue twister to me! I had no idea what they did, or that they could help me at all.

Once she came out to the house I changed my mind completely.

Mary was just brilliant. I showed her around my home and showed her how I did everything I needed to do. From getting up in the morning to making meals. From doing household chores to even things like switching the TV on.

We then sat down and she went through how I could do some of these things in an easier way.

Sometimes it was a case of just being organised, other times she had an idea for a gadget that could help me.

These are some examples:

Bed leaver – this really helps me get in and out of bed without needing my carer so much.

Pick up grabber – I call this my litter picker, as it’s just like the ones you’d see Council Workers with picking up litter from the side of the road. I use it to save me bending down to pick things up that I’ve dropped.

Bath stool – I often avoided having a bath and had a shower instead. But to be honest I really prefer a bath. It was just difficult getting in and out. With the bath stool, I am not sitting on the floor of the bath so it is now so much easier. I already had a grab rail above the bath which was good – at least I was doing something right!

Riser chair – I didn’t really think I could get one for my front room, and certainly didn’t know where to get one from.  I sometimes found it really hard to get up out of my chair. With this one, I press a button and it lifts up the back of the chair, and helps me get up. It is just like the ones in hospital – but looks much nicer!

I’m so glad Mary came to see me. She came back to see how I was getting on. To be honest things are much easier. I don’t think I was seeing the wood for the trees. She helped me see the easy way of doing so many things that I was making so difficult. The mobility aids she suggested were great. Not everything worked for me, but most of it did.

I had been using a traditional walking frame (Zimmer frame), but found that it was making me walk much slower than I really wanted. I found it very frustrating. I was advised that a rollator might be more suitable as it has a more smooth movement, instead of stop start, stop start.

I have bad rhumatoid arthritis, and my walking is difficult and painful, I wanted something that gave me security from falling around the house. Outside, I tend to use a wheelchair, but inside I want to avoid this if I can.

The rollator seemed a good idea, but there are so many to choose from. These were the points that I found really useful.

• I measured the doorways in my house – (all of them, just incase any were different!), the rollator had to fit through the doorways, and some were much too wide.
• The height had to be adjustable, I am very tall at 5′8″, and didn’t want something that hurt my back, or made me stoop.
• A basket was important, as I need to carry things about at home. If I am holding the rollator, the rollator needs to hold things for me.
• Easy grip brakes were important. You can get models that have brake handles designed especially for people with problems using their hands, like arthritic attachments.
• Some rollators fold up smaller than others. Bare this in mind if you need to put it in the car, or away in a cupboard.
• The weight also varies greatly, models seem to start at about 5kg. If you need something lighter, try a walking frame – some come with wheels too.