Roll Mobility Blog
How to Set Up a PVI Folding Ramp
Since, setting up a folding ramp takes only a few minutes, portable folding ramps can be used either as semi-permanent or temporary ramps. The following instructions from PVI Industries will help you learn how to set up a multi-fold ramp.
1. Position the portable ramp about a ramp’s length away from the step, van, or platform where you want to set up the ramp. Stand the ramp up on its end with the open ends down and the handle side facing you. Reach down and lift the first half of the ramp toward the step or landing area, and set it down on top of the landing. Make sure the hook is pressed firmly against the step.
Step 1
2. Open the top half of the ramp.
Step 2
3. Unfold the top half of the ramp towards you and make sure that the ramp hooks are pressed firmly against the landing area.
Step 3
How to Set Up a Transport Wheelchair
Need some help setting up your transport wheelchair? This video will take you through the simple process of setting up your wheelchair and give you an overview of the different features that your wheelchair offers.
The Aluminum and Steel Transport Wheelchairs come fully assembled and ready to use, with the leg riggings packed separately in the box. These transport chairs are available in red or blue with an 18 inch seat width.
After you remove the transport chair from the box, take a few minutes to read the instruction manual included with this product. Then you can begin the process of setting up your wheelchair by following the instructions in the manual.
The transport wheelchair folds into a compact size for storage and transport.
To unfold the wheelchair, tilt the chair to one side and push down on one or both seat rails until the wheelchair is fully opened. Then lift the backrest until it locks into place. Remember to keep your hands and fingers clear of any moving parts.
To install the swingaway, removable riggings, turn the rigging to the outside of the frame and join the hinge plates on the rigging to the hinge pins on the side frame assembly. Then swing the rigging to the front of the wheelchair to lock it in place. The footplate should be located on the inside of the wheelchair. Repeat with the opposite rigging.
To adjust the height of the riggings for the aluminum transport chair, first loosen the bolt at the bottom until the footplate moves freely. Slide the footplate assembly up or down to the desired height. Then re-tighten the bolt to secure the footplate assembly in place. Do the same for the opposite rigging, making sure the riggings are set at the same height.
To adjust the height of the tool-free riggings for the steel transport chair, first open the cam lock lever, then push in the release buttons and slide the footplate assembly up or down to the desired height. Make sure both release buttons pop all the way out of the new adjustment holes. Then lock the cam lever to secure it in place. Repeat for the opposite rigging. Count the number of holes from the top of each rigging to the release buttons to make sure the riggings are set at the same height.
To remove the leg riggings, push the release lever and swing the rigging to the outside. Lift the leg assembly off the hinge pins. Then repeat for the opposite rigging.
The last step is learning how to fold the transport wheelchair. First, press the release levers on either side of the backrest and lower the backrest all the way down. Lift the footplates into the vertical position. Then grab the front and back of the seat and lift up.
That’s it! Now you are ready to use your transport wheelchair from Roll Mobility.
Bathroom Safety for Seniors
A raised toilet seat makes it easier to stand up.
When it comes time to update your loved one’s home for aging in place, the bathroom is one of the first places to begin. Because of the risk of slipping on wet surfaces climbing in and out of the bathtub, as well as other hazards, the bathroom is a high risk area for falls. With a few improvements, however, you can reduce the risk of falling and increase the safety of the bathroom.
Grab Bars
Grab bars are the first step in making the bathroom a safer place. Whether it’s getting in and out of the shower, getting up from the toilet, or bending over to turn on the tub faucet, grab bars provide a solid place to hold for balance and assistance.
When you start to fall, your first instinct is to grab onto something solid. If all you have to grab is the shower door or a towel bar, the results could be disastrous. Shower doors and towel bars are not designed to hold your weight. Grab bars, on the other hand, are specially designed to keep you from falling. Properly installed, a grab bar will not break away from the wall where it is mounted.
Toilet Safety
To make it easier to sit down on the toilet and get back up again, a raised toilet seat or an over-the-toilet commode with grab bars can help. A raised toilet seat means your loved one doesn’t have to bend over as far to sit on the toilet, and it doesn’t take as much leg strength to stand up again. Grab bars around the toilet also assist the user in getting up and down and keeping their balance.
Bathtub Safety
For bathtub safety, a bath bench or transfer bench allows the user to sit while washing up. A bath or shower bench provides comfortable seating with either a plastic molded chair or a padded seat and optional backrest. A transfer bench extends outside the tub, allowing the user to sit down and lift one leg at a time over the tub wall, then slide over to the middle of the bench. Make sure you install a hand held shower head as well, for rinsing hard-to-reach spots.
Again, grab bars are important around the shower/tub area as well as around the toilet. They not only prevent falls by helping your loved one maintain balance, but they can also stop a fall after your loved one loses their balance.
Climbing Stairs with a Walking Cane
Using a cane makes it easier to navigate stairs.
The basic rule for navigating stairs with a single-point cane is “up with the good; down with the bad.” Your strong leg should lead, and your weak leg should follow.
Using the Hand Rails
If there are hand rails, grab on to the hand rail with one hand and hold on to the cane with the hand on your strong side (opposite the injured or weak leg). If there is a hand rail on only one side of the stairs, grab the hand rail and hold the cane in the opposite hand.
To climb the stairs, follow these steps:
- Lift your strong leg up on the first step.
- Push down on the cane and move your weaker leg up on the same step as your strong leg.
- Then move the cane up to the first step.
- Repeat steps 1-3 until you reach the top of the stairs.
To go down the stairs, reverse the steps:
- First, move the cane down one step.
- Lean on the cane as you move your weaker leg down to the same step as the cane.
- Move your strong leg down one step.
- Repeat steps 1-3 until you reach the bottom of the stairs.
The same rules apply to stepping up or down a curb. Whenever possible, have an able-bodied person nearby when you navigate stairs or curbs with a cane. They can provide support as needed to prevent a fall or accident.
Roll Mobility Now Authorized Dealer for Medline
Medline Excel Deluxe Aluminum Transport Wheelchair
Roll Mobility is now an Authorized Dealer for Medline Industries, a major brand name in the durable medical equipment field. Along with our Drive, Invacare, and privately branded products, our new Medline products will give your more choices and broaden our offering to customers searching for specific mobility brands.
The Medline products we will be offering on our site include the following:
Medline Industries is one of the most well respected and fastest growing distributors of medical and surgical supplies in the United States. Medline products are used in over 250 major hospitals and healthcare systems around the nation. They are also widely used for home health care and hospice.
Medline’s high quality products meet all federal and international requirements for safety, giving you peace of mind about your purchase. Your investment in long-lasting, durable medical equipment by Medline is backed by a complete satisfaction guarantee.
Caregiver Stories: Donna Lubrano
Thanks to Donna for her caregiver advice!
This month’s caregiver features Donna Lubrano, who was a long-term caregiver for her mother Rose.
Donna described her experience to us as a difficult but fulfilling journey: “I cared for an elderly parent with advanced Parkinson’s disease for 6 years until she passed away at the age of 92. I was able to keep her in her own home until the day she passed away.
It was quite a journey, and on the way, I met some incredible caregivers, support, and professionals who kept me sane and bolstered my courage as her disease became progressively worse. It is the single greatest thing I have ever done for another person: to help them live out their remaining years with as much independence as possible, surrounded by love and friends and—most important—dignity.”
Roll Mobility: How do you find the support that you need as a caregiver?
Donna: Because I was working full time, single, and managing my life and hers as well, I began getting therapy. It was a safe place to discuss my fears, sadness, frustration, isolation and loneliness. Many of my friends were starting to care for elderly parents as well, so we shared our emotions and gave each other support. Sad to say, I didn’t have the time for support groups, but there were opportunities in the area.
Roll Mobility: How do you help your loved one stay as mobile and independent as possible?
Donna: My mom had exercises for her body and mind that we did with her every day. We used simple exercises that the physical therapist gave us and made time during the day to do them—while watching TV or right after her ADL’s. When she became wheelchair-bound, we adapted them to seated exercises. For her mind, we played cards. She loved to read the newspaper. We made sure she had a subscription to the daily paper and got her subscriptions to great magazines. She loved her garden, so in the winter we would plant the flower garden and then in the spring and summer get her involved in the care and maintenance of the yard.
I left as much decision-making power to her as possible—even when she became wheelchair-bound, she ran her household every day while I stayed in the background making sure everything went smoothly. She was able to make her own medical decisions about the care and treatment she took for her disease. What new medications we tried, what new doctors we saw—if she didn’t like them or didn’t feel comfortable, she was the boss. We gave her as much control as she was able to handle given her health condition, and it gave her dignity and confidence that this was her life to live as she decided.
Roll Mobility: What steps have you taken to keep your loved one safe?
Donna: She had round-the-clock care and someone to watch that she did not fall or get hurt. She wasn’t happy about it at first, but her other caregiver became like her daughter at the end.
Roll Mobility: What is the most helpful caregiving tip that you could share with another
caregiver?
Donna: Caring for someone and taking responsibility for another person’s life is a huge responsibility—something some will never have the courage to take on or selflessness to embrace. Don’t forget your own physical and mental health. Whoever you are caring for is counting on you.
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