Posts tagged MobilityCompare
Adjustable beds with inbuilt ripple massage!
Jul 7th
Are the medical claims for ‘massage’ justified? After all, there are tens of thousands of masseurs in the UK, many of them talking up the medical benefits of massage – ranging from ‘letting the body heal itself’ to ‘relaxation assists in wellbeing’ to ‘it helps poor circulation’. You name it, they say it. And these practitioners are all unregulated too.
Cue frowning and gnashing of dentures from the British Medical Association. Not that I particularly care, as the BMA is itself one of the greatest frauds perpetuated onto humanity. As exhibit A, your honour, I put forward the £1 billion swine flu hoax.
My view? Nearly every claim about the therapeutic benefits of massage is true. Ancient and modern cultures, especially those untainted by Western allopathic medicine, have known since the dawn of man about the benefits of massage.
Talking to Ayurvedic Indian practitioners and Chinese doctors, it appears that massage releases and opens the subtle prana/chi channels as well as stimulating the blood flow. This allows the body to ‘breathe’ on many levels and lets cells exchange energy, oxygen and blood easier and quicker. Simply put, it rejuvenates the body and helps it repair itself.
It’s therefore good to see some of the UK’s leading mobility companies adding inbuilt massage systems to their adjustable beds and recliner chairs. For people with mobility problems, especially the elderly who are often stiff and inflexible, massage systems can be a huge boost to their health. No, they won’t cure any medical conditions, but they will help.
One of the best massage systems available for adjustable beds comes from a UK supplier based in the leafy shires near London. The company is called Comfort Plus Products and they have invented what they delicately call the ‘ripple massage’. Don’t get tongue tied on that one or you might receive a slap and a caution.
Anyway, Comfort Plus Products’ 10 point therapeutic massage system offers soothing relief for a variety of conditions particularly those associated with cramp and poor circulation. All you have to do is switch it on, lie back and let the inbuilt massage system do its job.
Massage is good for you, unlike a ‘Mars a day’
Does a massage system add more cost to an adjustable bed? Yes, of course, but it’s worth it on so many levels, not least to help a person unwind after a busy day not to mention the health benefits.
Comfort Plus Products is now offering an Adjustable Bed Package that includes the ripple massage system, a memory foam mattress, a free headboard and free memory foam pillow. It’s a superb offer, just click here to find out more.
Finally, don’t forget to visit the adjustable bed buyer’s guide at Mobility Compare. It’s one of the best guide’s you can read on the subject of adjustable beds.
Using Teeth to Transmit Sound – New Hearing Aid Technology
Feb 2nd
Single sided deafness, or the loss of hearing in one ear, affects a comparatively small percentage of the population… about 200 in every million. That’s not a lot of people.
But it’s enough.
In fact it amounts to 1.5 million people afflicted across the world. That’s a city the size of Birmingham.
The loss of “stereo hearing” can have dangerous consequences, especially while crossing a street, or in other mobile environments. However, Sonitus Medical, a privately held medical company that specialises in treating single sided deafness, has created a new device, SoundBite, which uses the natural conduction of our teeth and bones for transmitting sound waves to the inner ear – even if the middle and outer ear parts are damaged.
It’s ingenious.
Here’s how it works:
SoundBite can detect noise vibrations by using a microphone that is placed in the ear, and is connected to a transmitter device behind the ear. The BTE (behind-the-ear) device then transmits to an ITM (in-the-mouth) device that sends the sound waves through the jawbone to the cochlea (the snail-shaped tube in the inner ear). No surgery is required, and both the devices can easily be removed and charged inductively.
Sonitus Medical is in the process of preparing SoundBite for FDA trials for single sided deafness, and possibly, eventually treating other types of deafness too.
Of course, the concept is not entirely new. Other hearing aids have also been known to utilise bone conduction for transmitting sound waves. But most of them, however, use titanium pins that are drilled into the jaw bones (or even skulls) for transmitting sounds to the inner ear. SoundBite’s digital hearing aid appears to be the first non-invasive, non-surgical, and easily removable device developed for the mass market.
A Note of Caution: While the hearing aid reviews may be encouraging, SoundBite is probably still years away from retail production. Sonitus Medical plans to eventually have these ITM devices fitted to an individual’s back teeth, and custom made fairly quickly (in 1-2 weeks). A complete hearing aid system would include 2 ITMs, 1 BTE device, and a charger. We hope to include more information about Soundbite on our sister site, MobilityCompare, as and when we hear more information.
If you consider all forms of cochlear implants, the SoundBite devices may be fit only for comparatively specialised use. Nevertheless, the ability to easily upgrade/ replace the individual components of these systems makes Sonitus Medical’s device quite competitive.
Who knows, perhaps Bluetooth headsets of the future may be developed based on the cutting-edge hearing aid technologies of today Whatever the answer, Sonitus’ plans are very, very welcome for the hundreds of thousands of single sided deafness sufferers worldwide.
Uisng teeth as a hearing aid? SoundBite can……
Mobility Scooter Accidents – is testing the solution?
Jan 26th
The start to the New Year ushered in the sort of headlines that mobility users could well do without. “A Mobility Scooter Menace?” screamed the BBC as it outlined how recent high-profile mobility scooter accidents had raised concern that drivers can’t be prosecuted.
Unfortunately, it’s all too true that pedestrians have been injured and toddlers knocked down by senior citizens riding mobility electric scooters. One woman, Lilian Macy, died after being hit in September by an errant scooter owner. The problem has now become so severe that in February a committee of MP’s will even begin an inquiry into mobility scooter safety.
Currently, it is difficult for authorities to apportion blame. The Road Traffic Act exempts mobility scooters and this makes it difficult to hold anyone responsible for an accident. While the freedom of the elderly and handicapped is welcome, it would help if safety guidelines are heightened, precautions taken, and some kind of training be given to mobility scooter users before they take to the streets.
Police safety courses are being conducted for mobility scooter owners in some areas, Norwich being a prime example. Users are given training where they can overcome obstacles such as avoiding hitting a mannequin, slaloming around traffic cones, taking sharp turns, and parking correctly. The user’s ability to operate their vehicle is enhanced and their driving skills honed. This ensures the safety of pedestrians and builds the confidence of mobility scooter users.
One must not ignore the fact that lack of confidence or bouts of anxiety attacks are not uncommon among elderly people. Confusing or sudden rapid movements of people in their path may cause them to speed up or knock someone down.
For their part, mobility scooter users need to be aware about the gravity of the situation if and when they can lose control of their vehicles, absent-mindedly backing into a person, or jerking forward suddenly. Driving slowly, carefully, and being alert at all times, especially when there are people around is the secret to safe mobility scooter driving.
Accidents happen all the time, everywhere, and with all kinds of vehicles. What’s important is that safety precautions and traffic rules should be adhered to, both by vehicle drivers and pedestrians. Agreed, there has been a recent spurt in mobility scooter accidents, but what is required is not apportioning the blame, but finding a solution that works for all.
MobilityCompare’s view? Voluntary training courses should be available to all mobility scooter users and made mandatory for anyone over 80 years old.
Photo Caption: An 89 year old man caught travelling at 8mph on the M20 motorway in 2009
Oxford Dipper
Dec 22nd
At MobilityCompare we do everything we can to remain fit and healthy. After all, in our day to day work we’re frequently writing about the maladies that plague a significant minority of the UK’s population (alongside the mobility aid solutions to solve them).
We’ve since become acutely aware of the fragility of life and made it our mission to try and remain as healthy as we can before our own bodies start to creek and groan. Clue: it’s earlier than we thought!
In west London, near the M3 just over Chiswick bridge in London, there’s a superb health club called Roko which we’ve settled on as our gym of choice. Easy to get to and park, great staff and a relaxed atmosphere all make it perfect for the MobilityCompare team to try and maintain its health & fitness.
Our exercise regime? We prefer swimming to any other activity, although one of our number curiously enjoys Thai boxing as he tells us it is the best way of keeping fit whilst adding ‘self protection’ capabilities. By our reckoning, the cost of attaining ‘self protection’ abilities is the odd black eye or two…or three!
We tend to avoid running , not because we don’t enjoy it, but rather we know too many adults in their 50’s and 60’s who now have considerable problems with their knees as a result of running thousands of miles in their younger years. Swimming, because it doesn’t put excess pressure on the body or ‘jar’ the joints is the perfect alternative.
Imagine our surprise, therefore, when suddenly we visit Roko and find a huge contraption overhanging one of the swimming pool lanes. Upon further investigation it appears that the product in question is the ‘Oxford Dipper’.
The Oxford Dipper is produced by Dolphin Mobility, a respected name in mobility products based in Surrey, and is used to lift and lower people out of the water using a hydraulic lift. With a weight capacity of 22 stone it is the perfect way for individuals who have great difficulty getting in and out of the water to actually overcome the issue.
But what’s impressed us more than anything else is that a brand new health club, launching in difficult economic circumstances, has invested over £4k in equipping its pool with a mobility aid for just a few of its users. They needn’t have done that. The fact that they have is a sign that mobility products are becoming more mainstream and also a reflection of the club’s own standards in meeting the requirements of all its users, not just the fit and healthy.
Impressed? We were.
You have made your adjustable bed…now lie in it
Dec 14th
As we all know at Mobility Compare, the way we sleep affects our day, our life and most importantly our health, so it’s crucial that we get the best night’s sleep possible.
Indeed, if you suffer with joint pain, snoring or arthritis it’s never a case of getting out of the bed on the wrong side, but rather any side of the bed at all. Sleep – or rather lack of it – can become the primary issue that affects every aspect of our life.
That’s why the popularity of adjustable beds is soaring nationwide, as people who have difficulty sleeping are lining up for these comfortable cures. With more gadgets than James Bond’s Q, adjustable beds can help people maintain a soothing position throughout the night – essential for a good night’s sleep.
Leaving us shaken and stirred at MobilityCompare is the multi-functional Dreamaway Classic – a traditional memory foam adjustable bed, which comes with built in Cyclo Massage and Easy Reach features.
Whilst these adjustable beds perhaps won’t tell you a bedtime story, the Cyclo Massage enables troubled sleepers to enjoy a relaxing and deep massage whilst dozing off. What better way to help with those disturbed nights than your own personal masseuse, and the 3-way-setting includes rotation and vibration as it targets specific spots.
At a modest price of £400 the Dreamaway Classic adjustable bed can hold up to a body weight of 18 stone, is easy to assemble and the reflex foam mattress is 6’6 long which is longer than a usual bed as it takes into account the mattress extending.
We also have soft spots for the beds at Willowbrook, particularly The Victoriana and The Renoir. Both adjustable beds have been designed in a particular periodic or contemporary style in order to match other room furniture or complement a décor. Don’t worry though they still have a mattress that bends into 5 different positions for maximum comfort.
Let’s also not forget that a good mattress is essential for a pain-free, distress-free night’s sleep, and King Koil’s Cassandra’s twin slat waffle finish means that the middle of the mattress can be made softer or firmer, depending on the individual’s requirements.
The Cassandra chips in at just over £900, but the feeling of getting up gently feeling energetic and refreshed is priceless. The mattress is also made from premium cashmere wool and hypo allergic latex which makes it warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Of course, should you need more assistance with keeping your balance then bar accessories that attach to your bed are available.
We will look at safety and stair bars in future blogs…
On your marks, get set, go!
Dec 8th
Watching an episode of the comedy hit Benidorm, you’d think all mobility scooter users were eccentric northern women who saw it as a fashionable weapon to mow down aggravating family members whilst careering down narrow alleys.
Even though the series has become very successful, and it is very funny in parts, its portrayal of electric mobility scooters masks the underlying seriousness involved in all things ‘scooters mobility’. You see, far from being an exercise in fun and futility, scooters play a critical role in the lives of their users.
Why? They allow people, who would otherwise need a wheelchair and a carer, to retain their independence and remain mobile. For those of us used to going where we want, when we want, it is difficult to imagine how losing one’s independence and mobility impacts a person.
Not only that, it is difficult to imagine how it affects people mentally, what with all the implications for a person’s self esteem. For these reasons, the recent developments and innovations in battery mobility scooters are of great importance for a significant section of the UK’s population. If you don’t believe me, have a look at how many people search on Google for the words ‘mobility scooters’ – 100’s of thousands.
So what does MobilityCompare recommend? Well, it all comes down to a person’s individual requirements. Our current scooter favourite is the solid Mayan that can carry up to 45 stone and is especially designed for both flat surfaces and hills. Yes, the Mayan is a little more pricey than its competitors at £6k, but what we like about it is that it can go all-terrain – if Rambo had a scooter this is what he’d buy. He’d have to fit a sidebox for his AK-47 though. Seriously, for people in more rural areas, the Mayan is an excellent choice and clearly worth the investment.
However, if you really want to embrace the contemporary trend of the mobility scooter, look out for the U3-X accessory before its owner hits you! Developed by Honda this portable design is still being designed, however the perks of the 22lbs invention are phenomenal. Take a look at the photo of the U3-X below:
A device that is shaped like a figure of 8, a rider can steer the scooter by leaning in the direction they want to go. Correct me if I’m wrong but this sounds like a snowboarding, wakeboarding or surfing technique, but can we really put mobility scooter users in the same league?
Well yes actually. This is simply the 21st century next generation.
Finally, something that has come to our attention at MobilityCompare: as your scooter gets faster and becomes frequently more road-used, you will need to take precautions. It will need lights for instance – both front and tail – and you may want to consider some insurance.
We will look at these aspects in future blogs….
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