Comments on: Question Time: Assistive Devices

By: Morganna

Morganna — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:16:54 +0000

All kinds of goodies to help with my physical and mental and emotional disabilities/imparments… Please pardon my spelling I’m dyslexic as hell.
After reading these lists I’m thinking about picking up a few new things-mainly fiddly with things so I’ll stop picking my skin off/ chewing on myself, like teething rings, which MAKE PERFECT SENSE and I cannot figure out why I didn’t think of that, especially as my sisters three so she had a bunch. It also makes me feel better that so many other people need lots of stuff to function as well. I feel like a pain whenever I have to go somewhere overnight because I have to pack so much stuff, and then it takes over the bathroom wherever I am.
Anyway, I need to stop talking and write the list, so here it is:
-cane
-knee brace
-tylenol 8 hour b/c my doctors don’t know what’s wrong with my knee so they won’t perscribe anything but naproxin horse pills (which don’t help)
-hot baths
-handrails in staircases so I can hop/pull myself up stairs
-tiger balm
-ace bandages (so many freaking bandages…)
-’rocking” style shoes so I can walk and stand for long periods of time
-wrist brace
-bifocals
-ipod
-my hoodie (it’s like comfy armor)
-anti-depressants
-cell phone (so i can call the boyfriend when I’m having an anxiety attack/depressive episode, so I can call a cab when I cannot walk any further, so I can wake up in the morning)
-my knife. Nothing makes a girl feel safer when walking home after work amoungst lots of drunk people like an eight inch santoku in her bag. (I’m a line cook, not a serial killer, I promise, and I have to walk home through the bar crowds all the time…which would set off my PTSD and claustriphobia if I didn’t have the reassurace that I could fight my way out of a potential rape attempt or mugging with my global santoku if I had too)
-this microwavable mud heating pad thing with a velcro strap that I can strap to myself and walk around in
-laptop-I can write essays in bed when I have to cucoon myself in bed becasue the rest of the world, and my house, and my room , is too scary.
-my polar fleece sheets and huge comforter (soft, fuzzy insta-cave so I can hide, and be warm enough)
-inhaler
-pill box
-padded strap backpack
- extra-thick on the bottom warm socks
-thearapist
-vapo-rub (it smells nice and it helps me breath at night)
I’m going to stop writing before I think of more things now ; )

By: rainbow

rainbow — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:30:12 +0000

computer, without which i would be cut off from pretty much everyone but my partner all the time (use it for email as i can’t use the phone, for watching videos/movies as i can’t watch anything “live”, for music, for mailing lists and support groups, etc
cane
wheelchair
heated mattress pad
footrest and comfy chair
grabby things (so i can reach things)
meds/supps
air filter that functions as white noise
manual scooter for the garden
winterbright biolightsystem
respirator
earplugs
notepads and fountain pens (i’d be lost without writing cosntant notes to myself,a nd fountain pens don’t hurt my hands to use)
“calm child” inhaler
kitchenaid food processor adn stick blender
online books
and my partner, who helps me with so much every day.

By: Vickie

Vickie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:47:29 +0000

- Computer + Internet: allows me to get answers to many questions and fulfil my social needs that I usually can’t get because of my introversion and/or mild social anxiety.
- Smartphone: people don’t make small talks with people busy on their smartphones.
- My spongy pillow: comfort object.
- Glasses and contacts: I find them both uncomfortable to wear for long, though…

And probably more.

By: PharaohKatt

PharaohKatt — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:32:20 +0000

I wasn’t going to list mine, because I thought they were silly, but after reading the replies…I feel less alone.

- My hairbrush. When ever I feel the start of an anxiety attack, if I can get to my hairbrush I can keep it at bay. Brushing my hair is distracting and repetitive.
- LM (my partner), and everything that reminds me He loves me
- The necklace He gave me.
- Atari. Petting her is soothing, and she shows affection in a tangible way (purring). Also, it’s helpful to know that someone relies on me fully.
- Orchestral music with loud swells. (Phantom of the Opera, Holst: Jupiter). Takes me to another place.
.-= PharaohKatt´s last blog ..Positive Experiences with Disability Activism =-.

By: K

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:01:21 +0000

Uhh

Do dilators (basically a set of dildoes) count as assistive devices?
I can’t have insertive sex without them. I have a prescription for them!

By: Tera

Tera — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:04:23 +0000

Ooh! Assistive devices!

I have trouble remembering all the steps to do certain things (like laundry, or how to work the garbage disposal), so I have note cards with the steps written out taped up by the washer and dryer, or the sink in the kitchen.

I used to have a bar for getting out of the shower, and would like another one. (The kind I had doesn’t fit on the bathtub I have now).

My Amazon Kindle. I don’t have to physically store books anywhere, and I can make the font the size I want.

I’d love a handheld GPS of some kind that gave verbal turn-by-turn directions, but don’t have one yet.

I just recently found out that putting a heating pad on my stomach helps with anxiety.

I’d like to learn to cook, and my aunts have been teaching me this past week. They bought me a ton of assistive devices, including a cooking basics book for beginners (with lots of photographs!), and something to finely chop vegetables with. (I’m not fully aware of where my left hand is, and my aunt stepped in when I was chopping carrots with a knife because she was afraid I’d cut my finger).

That’s all I can think of for now.
.-= Tera´s last blog ..Transcript: AWA interview with Ari Ne’eman and Paula Durbin-Westby of ASAN =-.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:04:23 +0000

–cam walker (that splinty boot thing with the velcro straps)
–iPod, which is lost and I’ve been unhinged without it–it filters out background noise and either energizes or calms me depending on the music
–camera (gives me focus outside and at big events, pun intended)
–computer with internet connection (lets me talk to people over the internet where I don’t need to hear them and can go back and look at their words)
–glasses
–Google Calendar
–physical planner

By: Nickie

Nickie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:45:52 +0000

Okay, I thought of several more, just by reading comments left here:

Journal: If I don’t journal, I find I don’t have an outlet.
Friends: I’m trying to get better about reaching out for support.
Heated shoulder wrap which is great for calming anxiety.
Relaxation exercises and music.
Lavender Essential Oil: Great for anxiety, some pain and nausea.
Fizzy drinks: Sometimes those help with nausea.
Twitter: A good way to track my mood, pain etc.
Soft clothing: With my Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, it’s impossible to have too soft of fabric.
A small soft blanket for my legs.
Braille
Diabetic socks and special, large shoes to accommodate the swelling.
While I was hospitalized, I found sound machines extremely helpful, I just need to get on Amazon and order one.

By: Norah

Norah — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:46:58 +0000

I totally forgot my autism alert card in the list too.
Now I’m sort of ticked off about why I could forget it: I got it when I was already past the times when I’d actually get out of my house (and to places that aren’t my parents’ or the local grocery store) often enough to ever have had reason to use it.
Mind, I’m not upset that the situation has never been bad enough that I needed to show an autism card, I’m upset that that is most likely because I never (only a mild overstatement) go anywhere, or it’s with my partner, parents, or both.

By: notemily

notemily — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:13:55 +0000

@abbyjean, I too have played Tetris until I could see falling blocks when I closed my eyes! Same with Solitaire and seeing little cards. It’s funny, I never thought of that as an anxiety-relieving thing, but it totally is.