December 2008

Gillette Healthcare, located here in Minnesota, has launched a new “Pity. It’s 100% Curable” Campaign. Here is what they say about it on www.curepity.org :

Gillette Healthcare is asking people to look beyond the disability with the "Pity. It's 100% Curable" campaign.

Most of our patients have medical conditions for which there are no cures. But through breakthrough surgeries and innovative medical treatments and therapies, we are able to help them overcome some of the barriers they face so they can lead more normal, joy-filled lives. That’s what we’re trying to communicate with this campaign. That Gillette does provide a cure for one of the most insidious human conditions of all—pity. We ask you to look beyond the disabilities and see the spirit, resiliency, and determination these children embody.

Click here to see some of the advertising for the “Pity. It’s 100% Curable” Campaign. Gillette also has some touching, engaging videos which highlights the struggles and triumphs of some of their kids. You can also read “A Physical Therapists Perspective on Standing“, written by Laura Gueron, PT at Gillette Lifetime Specialty Healthcare Clinic.

What are your thoughts on “Pity is 100% Curable”?

We have just completed this short video of the new EasyStand Bantam standing frame for kids. The video is an overview of the Bantam features, options, and benefits of standing for kids. This video below is from YouTube, but you can also find this video online at easystand.com on the Bantam page or the videos page. It is about five minutes long.

With Christmas a little over a week away, everyone is scrambling to finish up their shopping (me included). So far, I’ve only bought two gifts. And I have about eight more gifts to buy. Not a crisis-amount, but it still seems a lot if A) You use a wheelchair, a B) Live in a freezing cold climate like I do (it’s -8 in Minneapolis right now). Not very conducive to leaving the house…I’m not new to this wheelchair-using existence though, and have over 15 seated-Christmas shopping experiences under my belt. Shopping while using a wheelchair can be both awesome and awful, and here’s why.

Why It’s Awesome

- Your feet never get tired and you can shop for hours on end. The bad thing about this, you could end up spending too much.

- If your chair has push handles (raises hand), you have the perfect place to hang all of your shopping bags. This is especially awesome if you’re mall shopping and slowly accumulate more and more bags as the day progresses. Drawback: You may end up looking like a bag lady.

Why It’s Awful

- Everything (and I mean everything) is crowded. Whether it’s the crowds of people crowding everything from handicapped parking spaces to the wheelchair-accessible bathroom stalls at the mall, to the crowds of merchandise placed awkwardly in stores, making it next to impossible to get through certain establishments, it’s enough to make you want to give up and go home.

- The condescending “Merry Christmas” chats you’ll get from random strangers while out shopping. A lot of able-bodied “do-gooders” will get in your face around the holidays because they feel sorry for you, thinking this is the perfect time of the year when they should be conducting random acts of kindness. While they’re generally well-meaning, for people like us, it can be very annoying (at least for me it is). It’d be nice to go through my holiday shopping experience unscathed one year.

Shopping Solutions

- Online shopping has been around as long as it has for one very good reason: Because it’s awesome. I’ve been online shopping since the mid-’90s and have loved every second of it (except for that time I bought a Tina Turner t-shirt on Ebay from a seller in Bangkok, only to have the shipment permanently delayed due to rioting at Thailand’s airports). Online shopping is like magic: You move your mouse around, click a little bit, then wait a few days, and voila! A package is delivered to your door. Online shopping is so perfect for people who use wheelchairs, it’s almost as if it was invented just for us.

Tiffiny doing some early Christmas shopping at a thrift store in Venice Beach this past summer.

- Be wary of where you place your purse/ money-holder on your person while you’re out shopping. I usually hang my purse on my right push handle, but when I’m shopping amongst throngs of holiday shoppers, I move my purse to my lap because the purse could be easily swiped. Beware! Just because you use a wheelchair doesn’t mean people won’t steal from you. Believe me, they will.

I’ll be fighting the massive crowds at the Mall of America later this week, and will be arriving freshly caffeinated with a hat on (that way I don’t have to worry about my hair throughout the day), and will also (most importantly) be determined and ready to get it all done in one singular day. Oh, and having a MP3 player helps too. It’s all about concentration. I’m like the Michael Phelps of shopping, people. Maybe I should put some Lil’ Wayne on my pink Zen Stone?

Matt does motivational speaking as a way to give back to those who supported him & extend a helping hand to others less fortunate.

What makes someone a role model? A role model can be anyone, some one you learn and take guidance from, some one who makes a difference in your life or the lives of others, or some one who uses their disability to inspire and help others.

Sometimes when we think of great role models we think of famous people with disabilities like former actor Christopher Reeve. Christopher & his wife Dana funded research to find a cure for spinal cord injuries & help improve the lives of people living with paralysis through grants, information & advocacy. Football players Doug Betters or Mike Utley, inspire others through their hard work & determination & hold events to raise money for SCI.

But there are many other disability role models out there that strive for a cause and make an impression on the people around them everyday. Matt Courson talks about this in his EasyStand Story, “Being a former athlete, I thought the Michael Phelps and Darren McFaddens were the athletes and heroes in our society. However, after attending these therapy centers, I learned that the girls and guys putting in the time and effort to achieve common goals were the real heroes. Instead of scoring touchdowns or winning gold medals, these individuals were defying medical history by recovering from paralysis!”

In Matt’s Story he also talks about his role model, “My father is my hero, he has portrayed to me what a hero is. He would work his job during the day and at night come home and do spinal cord injury therapy with me for a couple of hours. He is truly the man I want to be someday!” Matt we think that you are a great role model too!

We want to hear from you! Who is your role model and why?

For the third year, Altimate Medical is making a donation to one of our favorite charities in lieu of a traditional Christmas card. For the 2008 holiday season, we have chosen United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). UCP is an advocate for people with cerebral palsy and all disabilities, and Altimate Medical is proud to contribute to their cause.

To help us reach our goal of $3000, simply goto www.easystand.com/holiday and take Santa’s EasyStand Challenge. In less then 30 seconds, you can answer 4 fun (and easy) questions, and if you answer them correctly, Altimate Medical will donate $1.00 to UCP, up to $3000.

So here is what to do to help us reach our goal of $3000 by December 31st, 2008:

1. Go to www.easystand.com/holiday and take Santa’s EasyStand Challenge
2. Forward the link to your friends, family and colleagues so they can do the same
3. If you would like, make your own tax-deductible donation to United Cerebral Palsy
4. Have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends!

Merry Christmas from the staff at Altimate Medical!

It seems, almost everyday we hear about new health benefit from routine exercise for the general public, but what does this mean for the disabled community? The opportunities for exercise are often overlooked by therapists in discharge planning, by doctors that are overwhelmed with the other medical issues, and from insurance companies that do not view exercise as a medical necessity for people in wheelchairs. The truth is, the general health of the disabled is significantly poorer than the able body population. The disabled have slightly higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption but the main reason for poor health is because of metabolic syndrome.

Cardiovascular exercise and a good diet will help reduce obesity and health problems for people with disabilities.

Metabolic syndrome is a multitude of medical problems such as high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, type two diabetes, early onset damansia, gallbladder disease, some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon), and sleep apnea. This disease can have a genetic predisposition but is often resulting from obesity. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is significantly higher in the disabled population because some neurological deficits result in muscle cell loss and fat cells replacement. But the greatest contributing factor is the lack of opportunities for good cardio vascular exercise. Also, many people with disabilities are not identified for this risk, because they look to be thin but are actually, what is termed, normal weight obese. Also, some people that have had a spinal cord injury, especially people with triplegia, often look thin except for extensive belly fat. This is concerning, because of the added risk of pressure sores, from the force on the pelvic, but also from recent studies indicating that an increase in visceral (belly fat) can lead to an increase in death by heart disease. It was found that men that have a waist size over 40″ and women over 35″ have double the risk from premature death due to heart disease and diabetes. But, a recent study indicates that people that are technically obese, such as ex-football players, are healthier, than their size would indicate. The players had less prevalence of diabetes and other metabolic problems, if they stayed fit, than men the same age and size from the general population. Another problem resulting from the vascular risk factors from obesity is early onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The good news is studies also indicate that the best prevention is a good diet and regular exercise.

Obesity is becoming a large health care problem for the general population, but it has graver implications for the disabled, especially as this population ages. For example; a sixty year old, C6, SCI male that developed metabolic syndrome- what are the implications for pressure sores, if he has diabetes? How will his care be affected if he develops dementia? Or will dementia not be a problem, because heart disease will shorten his life before the onset? What impact will these problems have on his family/caregivers?

Cardio vascular exercise and good diet are the most proven ways to combat obesity and the affects of metabolic syndrome. If someone uses a manual wheelchair many people think that they are getting plenty of exercise pushing, but the reality is, they do not get nearly as much cardio vascular exercise and calorie consumption as an able body person walking. We need to encourage, educate and motivate wheelchair users to take control of their life and exercise. Many gyms now have accessible equipment and many rehab centers have exercise programs tailored for people with disabilities, but few insurance programs help with the expenses, so very few wheelchair users utilize these programs. Also, rehabilitation equipment companies have developed more advanced exercise devices for the disabled to preserve range of motion, strengthen bones and muscles, and to provide good cardio vascular workouts. But again there are limited funding resources to pay for the exercise equipment. We still have a medical model that primarily pays for the treatment of the symptom but does not pay for the prevention of disease. This may have to change as the disabled (as well as the general public) age and the cost to treat all the problems associated with metabolic syndrome increase. This problem can be over come by motivated people, with access to good cardio vascular exercise, facilitated by insightful funding providers.

Are you a wheelchair user who does or does not exercise? How has it affected your health? What is your experience with convincing your insurance company to purchase exercise equipment to prevent the health problems now, rather then treat the problem later?

PDF List of References