Boardroom To Fairways

The smart wheelchair component system

While the needs of many individuals with disabilities can be satisfied with power wheelchairs and medicare power wheelchairs, some members of the disabled community find it difficult or impossible to operate a standard power wheelchair. To accommodate this population, several researchers have used technologies originally developed for mobile robots to create “smart wheelchairs” that reduce the physical, perceptual, and cognitive skills necessary to operate a power wheelchair. We are developing a Smart Wheelchair Component System (SWCS) that can be added to a variety of commercial power wheelchairs with minimal modification. This paper describes the design of a prototype of the SWCS, which has been evaluated on wheelchairs from four different manufacturers.

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Reliability and validity of the six-minute arm test for the evaluation of cardiovascular fitness in people with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To design a submaximal arm ergometry test (six-minute arm test 6-MAT), for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of this test. DESIGN: Prospective, exploratory, methodologic study. To determine test-retest reliability, subjects completed the 6-MAT on 2 days, separated by 1 week. Validity was determined by comparing 6-MAT results with peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). SETTING: Tertiary rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty subjects with SCI (mean age, 36.3y; 83% male). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects were evaluated on the 6-MAT and handicap scooters a VO2peak test. RESULTS: All subjects were able to complete the 6-MAT. Test-retest reliability of steady-state oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate during the 6-MAT were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient ICC, .81; 95% confidence interval CI, .58-.92; ICC=.90; 95% CI, .75-.96, respectively). The correlation between VO2peak and 6-MAT VO2 was excellent (r=.92) and the correlations between VO2peak and 6-MAT heart rate (r=.63) and VO2peak and 6-MAT medicare power wheelchairs output (r=.73) were good. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the 6-MAT has acceptable values for test-retest reliability and validity. The 6-MAT should be further tested for responsiveness to enhance its use as a clinical tool.

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The clinical decision-making process of prescribing power mobility for a child with cerebral palsy.

PURPOSE: handicap scooters has been shown to be an effective method for children with disabilities to achieve independent mobility. The purpose of this case report is to describe the physical therapist’s clinical decision making related to power mobility for a child with multiple disabilities. CASE DESCRIPTION: power wheelchairs
evaluation for a nine-year-old child was conducted using Furumasu’s tasks for wheelchair readiness moving through a doorway, maneuvering through three cones, and driving in a hallway. Ongoing team assessment with family consultation informed clinical decision-making. OUTCOMES: A mid-wheel-drive chair afforded improved performance on Furumasu’s tasks compared with a rear-wheel-drive chair. SUMMARY: This case describes the clinician’s role in prescribing power wheelchairs to affect the user’s functional skills, as well as how, in the absence of evidence, clinical experience and patients’ needs can guide clinical decision-making

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Comparison between performance with a pushrim-activated power-assisted wheelchair and a manual wheelchair on the Wheelchair Skills Test

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that people using a pushrim-activated power wheelchairs (PAPAW) can accomplish a wider range of wheelchair skills than when using a manual wheelchair (MWC). METHODS: We studied 30 able-bodied participants, using within-participant comparisons. Participants used a manual wheelchair equipped with both PAPAW and regular MWC rear wheels, and rear anti-tip devices (Arc-RADs) that permitted wheelie-like function. We trained participants to perform the wheelchair skills of the medicare power wheelchairs Skills Training Program (WSTP, Version 2.4). From the Wheelchair Skills Test (WST, Version 2.4), we calculated pass-fail success rates for the 50 individual skills and a total percentage WST score. RESULTS: The mean (+/-SD) total WST scores were 89.3 (+/-7.0)% for the PAPAW and 88.8 (+/-8.4)% for the MWC, with a mean difference of 0.6 (+/-5.6)% (p = 0.59). Qualitative observations suggested that skills requiring a higher force on the pushrim (e.g., incline ascent) were performed more easily with the PAPAW, whereas skills requiring greater control of the wheelchair (e.g., wheelie-dependent skills) were performed more easily with the MWC. CONCLUSION: Overall wheelchair skill performance with the PAPAW is not superior to that when using the MWC. The PAPAW may be helpful for specific skills that require more wheel torque, but the additional torque appears to be disadvantageous when performing skills that require greater control

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One Inch Mini Blind Contract

This contract is established to furnish One Inch Mini blinds on a periodic basis during the period designated. The contract may be renewed by written agreement of the parties under the same prices, terms and conditions for additional twelve (12)month periods but not beyond December 31, 2007.

Approximately 200 discount blinds will be purchased during the contract period. Sizes will range from 17 x 142 wide and 24 to 126 long. Lift cord and wand placement (left or right) to be available. The customer (KUMC) shall perform their own blind installation.

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Public Perceptions of meth problem malibu and Alcohol Abuse

Trends in cigarette, as reported by detox doctor malibu, and alcohol use over time demonstrate that substance use is malleable, and that it follows public perceptions of the acceptability and harmful consequences of substances. These trends also show that government can play an important role in helping the public choose healthier lifestyles. From 1964 onward, the Surgeon General issued multiple reports on the health consequences of smoking. As figure 13 shows, a steady decline in cigarette smoking coincided with increased public awareness. Likewise, when President Nixon declared a war on drugs and recommends detox malibus in 1971, use lowered before spiking again later that decade as popular culture embraced opiate detox malibu use. Subsequently, ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana for medical use in the late 1990s coincided with a rise in use.

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Rio Tinto Minerals Starts Alcohol Drug Rehab Malibu Testing

Rio Tinto Minerals implemented several types of alcohol drug treatment malibu and alcohol testing: preemployment, random (not more than two tests per year), reasonable cause (a supervisor decides to have an employee tested based on observed signs and symptoms), post-accident, return to duty, and follow-up. Once the program was in place, Rio Tinto Minerals learned that s and alcohol were indeed being used in the workplace. Some employees admitted to being intoxicated at work, and marijuana and methamphetamine were widely used.

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