Re: TV Lift

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Robert L Bass" <sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in

> >> IF you should decide to use a ready-made solution,
> >> I can order Auton for you.  I don't advertise them
> >> on my website.  If you want one let me know and I'll
> >> pass it along at cost.
> >
> > I appreciate the offer but I know the cost!  That's *why*
> > I want to build my own!!!!  My needs aren't necessarily
> > for lifting heavy TV's (perhaps Auton will drop their prices
> > when big CRT TV's become history) but for helping my
> > arthritic parents access things like the dog dishes that
> > are becoming harder and harder for them to do.
>
> Understood.  I offered the stuff at cost because it's for assisting
elderly.  My
> folks are fortunate to be in relatively good health for 85 years old but
my mom
> is starting to have trouble reaching things in high cabinets.  She has a
> condition that weakens the bones -- not osteoporosis.

Mine too.  I'm worried because the most recent bone density scans shows
there's loss.  Mom is determined to resist all attempts to help, like
bathtub rails and extra handrails even though she's taken two really bad
falls in the last couple of years.  It just about drives me wild.

> My father doesn't have  good balance so he's afraid to
> use a ladder.  He recently started using a cane
> after taking a nasty spill out on the lanai last year.

I wish my Mom would.  She's still concerned about "looking good" and doesn't
like the idea of a cane, a walker or anything else to help her.  Maybe I
need to invent "air bag" clothing so that if she falls again, her housecoat
would blow up instantly to cushion her fall.

> I've been contemplating options to make things easier for
> them too but haven't come up with any viable solutions.

It's a very difficult balance.  My folks are still in denial about being
older, more fragile, more clumsy and more likely to fall.  They also still
live in the time when no one locked their doors at night and I have to
remind them constantly to be careful, to set the alarm, etc.

> > I think in this case, I can use a pantograph lift system because
> > there's not much weight to a bowl of kibble but for
> > others, I'll probably need a lift screw.
> >
> > What I'd really like is some system where all the low cabinets
> > had some way of presenting their contents at waist height...
>
> One thing that comes to mind is those systems that restaurants use to
store
> dishes.  They're spring loaded (I think) so that as each plate is removed
the
> next one rises to the surface.  Perhaps some variation on the method might
work.

Hey, I never figured out how those suckers worked.  How would I build one?!!

> > Ever see those filing cabinet systems that operate on a
> > carousel?  That's sort of the idea.
>
> For dog food there's one other option.  Suppose rigged you a small, Lexan
chute
> over the dog's bowl.  The top would be at counter height and the bottom
several
> inches above the bowl.  Pour contents into the chute and they drop
straight into
> the bowl.  If you make it just right there won't be any spillage.  You
might
> have to fasten the bowl in place.  Not knowing how the location is
arranged,
> it's hard to tell exactly what would work.

Not acceptable to Mom who needs to scrub every dog hair and kibble
micro-particle from the tray every day - sometimes twice or even three
times!

> > I've bought all sorts of pickup wands and graspers, but
> > the ideal solution would be a shelf that slides forward
> > and then up in each cabinet.  I know it's not immensely
> > practical, but I can't think of any other way to restore
> > access to the whole world of low shelves and cabinets.
>
> I'm facing the same issue only with high cabinets.  My mother can reach
the low
> ones fine but the upper shelves in the kitchen pantry cabinets are 8' off
the
> floor.  She can't reach them without a step stool and I worry she'll fall
off
> the thing.

It's clear the modern house is still not designed with the handicapped or
even the elderly in mind.  As Dad spends more and more time in his
powerchair I really see a need for a kitchen with a "height switch."  When
he enters in the chair, the countertops should all drop to wheelchair height
along with all the high cabinets dropping down accordingly.   It's a real
problem to accommodate both standing and sitting occupants in an area like
the kitchen.

> > My folks are determined to stay out of a retirement/nursing
> > home as long as they can so I'm looking for creative ways
> > to make that happen.
>
> Same here.  They'll eventually hire a live-in to help them but for now
they
> really enjoy their independence.  We're considering bringing one of our
home
> staff back from Brazil while we're there.  She can care for my folks while
we're
> around but they need a full time solution.

I had hired some helpers for them but when a credit card went missing that
was the end of that.

> Concerns over my parents make me feel a bit more tolerant of people like
DH who
> can't get around as easily as the rest of us.  :^)

To understand someone, it's important to walk a mile in their shoes.   These
newsgroups are so valuable in so many ways that it really breaks my heart
when people seem determined to ruin them for other people.

--
Bobby G.