A Tadvic volunteer broke his hip in a cycling accident. Another volunteer added a meals tray to a 4 wheel walker so the injured volunteer could move his meal from the bench to the table without assistance. The tray lifts off the walker and can be placed on a table.
Soon after his recovery, a neighbour of a Tadvic volunteer had a hip replaced. The walker / trolley was again put to good use.
Then an elderly relative of a volunteer had a fall and needed a 4 wheel walker. She also wanted to be able to move a meal while using a walker. Again the modified walker has been used.
Our client is able to shower himself but had trouble setting the water temperature. Tadvic was asked to provide a means to help him achieve the same setting on the mixer tap. We provided a simple clamp and pin to limit the maximum hot water mix. The setting can be adjusted if required (e.g. slightly warmer in winter) by rotating the clamp.
Our client can only move her head. She uses an electric wheelchair with head controls and uses a laptop with a mouth stick. In her home, the laptop is mounted vertically on a “hospital” table at the same height as her head when in her wheelchair. She wanted to participate in a Community Education Centre’s computer course, but the Centre only had desk top computers that she could not operate.
Tadvic created a stand for her wheelchair, that was compatible with the bracket used to hold the laptop, mouse and mouth stick on the table at her home. The stand can be easily fitted and removed from the wheelchair.
Tadvic has recently completed two projects to carry young children.
The first project was to modify a 4 wheel mobility scooter for our client who has a traumatic brain injury. She has been nursing her 3 year old toddler on her knee while driving the scooter, but as the child grows that is impractical. Our client was not keen on a rear carrier or trailer where her child was out of her view. A side by side seat would have created a very wide scooter, so Tadvic created a side-on carrier. The carrier fitted under the existing rain cover on the scooter.
Side carrier on mobility scooter
In the second project, the mother has a 3 year old son with cerebral palsy who has a special needs stroller. Another child is on the way and the mother needs a way to move her two children. She already had a baby stroller. Tadvic created a means to attach the baby stroller behind the special needs stroller and to push both.
Tandem carriers
The attached stroller has rear swivel wheels and brakes.
Tadvic was approached by an Occupational Therapist to lower a bed for a client of relatively short stature and suffering from a medical problem that impacted on her mobility and flexibility. The client was no longer able to hoist herself up onto her bed.
The bed had been previously modified and stood on sturdy steel legs with bracing.
Tadvic lowered the legs by 10cm and adjusted the bracing to match. The decorative wooden bed head and foot were also adjusted.
Tadvic was approached by a therapist on behalf of a client with MS. The therapist had obtained a donated Reformer exercise machine for the client. However the machine was low to the floor and the client could not get down to it or up from it.
Within two weeks of being contacted, Tadvic built, delivered and installed a stand to raise the machine to seat height.
Our client had limited use of her right leg. She uses a Dutch Cargo Trike with pedal assist (an eTrike) to transport children and/or musical instruments and also for shopping etc. Her right leg has recently become very sensitive to touch and she can no longer use it to pedal or walk. She now uses a wheelchair. She wanted to continue to use the eTrike and carry a wheelchair. Her husband also uses the eTrike so modifications could not impact his use.
Various changes were discussed and the following were agreed:
Support the right thigh with a detachable support
Remove the right pedal so it was clear of the supported leg
Provide a means to complete a full pedal rotation using only the left foot
A detachable thigh support was made (see photo below) which is adjustable for height, horizontal and vertical angle. It has a pop button to hold it in place and is easily removed when her husband uses the trike.
Thigh Support
The right pedal was removed, but the client said she would get a commercial folding pedal (as often seen on folding bikes) so that the trike can be used by her husband without change.
A pedal toe cage with strap was trialled for the left foot. It enabled the client to do a full rotation and prove she could pedal with one leg. Her husband had clip-on shoes on his bike and these were trialled. The client decided she would buy a matching system for the trike.
In addition we investigated the provision of a motor assisted reverse and motor assist for forward from a standing start (in addition to existing pedal assist which acts after the pedal is rotating). The freewheel function means the existing motors will not drive the trike in reverse. The components for an independent reverse were gathered :
a 12v DC brushed motor from a golf buggy
a switch with centre “off” and able to reverse the polarity (to provide Forward / Off / Reverse)
a brake lever and cable to draw the drive on to the front wheels and release it when not required
This was not completed due to concern that it added about 8kg of additional weight. The client is able to manoeuvre the trike over short distances while standing on one leg, but Tadvic may revisit this later.
A future modification may be to provide a side door in the cargo bay for the client to load her wheelchair without lifting it over the side. She is currently in the process of acquiring a lighter wheelchair.
Our client has visual and hearing problems and cannot drive. He often orders stuff on the internet. He found that if he was not home at delivery, Australia Post left a “Collect at Post Office” notice. Collecting from the Post Office is very difficult for the client.
He asked Tadvic to make a secure drop box about 600mm x 600mmm x 1800mm high that could be fixed near his front door.
Tadvic determined that a used refrigerator was about the right size and provided some insulation.
The fridge was fitted with a push and lock mechanism (that could be opened from the inside if someone climbed into the fridge). Directions are left for the courier to place the item in the drop box and close the door. It is then locked and only the client can open it from the outside.
Tadvic was approached by an Occupational Therapist to produce a low 4 Wheel Walker for a frail aged lady. Commercially available adjustable adult wheeled walkers were too high and paediatric wheeled walkers were too narrow (or didn’t have a seat).
Tadvic modified a commercial walker by: • Shortening the handles and making a new lower setting • Altering the seat so that it sat lower • Modifying the under-seat basket so that it still cleared the wheels when turning
Modified Walker and original configuration on the box
