QUEST Volume 11, Number 4, JULY/AUGUST 2004

by Kathy Wechsler

This is the third article in a series in which people with neuromuscular diseases tell how theyve created low-cost, homemade devices to help with daily living.

Blaine Whaley
Jacksboro, Texas; age 70
inclusion-body myositis

Whaley’s a retired elementary school principal who credits his resourcefulness to growing up on a farm. He uses an electric wheelchair and scooter to get around. His wife, Billie, who has Huntington’s disease, taught elementary school for 28 years.

Van Lift: A retired machinist friend helped Whaley build an anchor for the floor of his van out of 1 1/2- or 2-inch  pipe. They attached a 12-volt hoist to the van’s side door with strong screws and a piece of welded metal. The lift, which lets Whaley get his scooter in and out of the van, is powered by a battery pack attached to the hoist, and it’s run by a hand switch.

Reaching Cane: Whaley ran a nylon cord through the length of a cane, attached a trigger mechanism under the cane’s handle and a reacher mechanism at the bottom.

Hooks: With four wire hooks, things he uses often are attached to his scooter basket: a pair of kitchen tongs for retrieving dropped objects, a 6-inch telescoping magnet and a flyswatter.

Jerry Christian
Wilmington, Ill.; age 77
oculopharyngeal MD

A former maintenance worker, Christian has the skills to fix almost any problem. For instance, he uses a raised hospital table during meals so he doesn’t have to raise his arm so high to eat.

Doorbell System: Christian has placed cordless doorbells around the house so he can call for assistance. Buttons in the bathroom, Velcroed to his bed, taped on his electric wheelchair and on his electric lift chair are rigged to ring on the main floor, the upper floor and the basement. He says you can purchase the bells at hardware stores for about $13 each. The doorbells must be of the same model so they’ll work together.

Bob Bollenbacher
Celina, Ohio; age 58
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

A computer programmer at an insurance company, Bollenbacher wears AFOs to help with walking.

Button Hook: Having limited use of his fingers, Bollenbacher made fastening his shirt buttons easier by cutting a small U-shaped notch at the end of a wooden paint stirrer. A similar hook, which lifts a button into the buttonhole, could be made of plastic.

Kathryn George
Pittsburg, Kan.; age 61
limb-girdle muscular dystrophy

Church organist George is also involved with Kiwanis, an international community service organization with an emphasis on children.

Cane Handle: She slipped a strong rubber band onto her cane and made a loop from a piece of shoestring. Now her cane can hang on her arm while her hands are occupied, and it won’t fall out of reach.

Penni Anderson
Indianapolis; age 39
Friedreich’s ataxia

Anderson shares her love of the outdoors with partner Tom Wilson. He figured out a way to help her enjoy nature without getting her wheels sunk in the sand, gravel and mud.

Rickshaw: Wilson bolted two removable 8-foot pipes to Anderson’s wheelchair so he can pull her over rough terrain. The rickshaw can be pulled by a bicycle or a walking person.

For long distances, Wilson attaches a lawn chair on the front so that Anderson can stretch her legs out instead of leaving her feet on the footrests. All of her weight rests on the back wheels of her chair, and Wilson provides the forward momentum. The cost of modifying the chair was just over $100.

Bicycle for Two: Wilson and Anderson fell in love 18 years ago over a bicycle built for two. Wilson extended the front of his bike by 3 to 4 feet and attached a lawn chair to the front. Wilson does all the pedaling, and Anderson sits in the lawn chair.

CONTRIBUTE YOUR IDEAS

Quest will continue sharing ideas for homemade ways to make life easier for people with neuromuscular diseases.

Please send your ideas and photos of your do-it-yourself devices to Quest, MDA, 3300 Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718, or publications@mdausa.org.

Be sure to include a phone number or e-mail address, as well as your name, age, city and diagnosis.