GelO News June 2014

Sibling wisdom For over a year, my older brother Josh has been singing the praises of Falcon Rehab's Raised Toilet Seat that is in use by the Veteran's Administration. I have to admit that I just didn't get it. Raised toilet seats have been around since Dad worked for Lumex. Blow-molded raised toilet seats are everywhere. Why was the Falcon Rehab design so much better ? For people like my Mother who only need it for ease getting off the toilet, it isn't better. About that much I was right. Well - the OTs at ISS in Vancouver set me straight so your clients can now have the StaRite(TM)Raised Toilet - designed by Falcon Rehab.
Hinged, unstable & hard edges There I was demonstrating it. Instantly, almost every OT understood what I had missed. For many high-end wheelchair users, the StaRite(TM) Raised Toilet is vastly superior and much needed. Most high-end wheelchair users have a great need for a raised toilet seat that is: * Very securely attached and stable even when weight is all on one edge * Easily installed & removed when it's not needed * Accessible from either sides or the front for * unhindered insertion of suppositories * digital stimulation * perineal cleaning * Able to accommodate a Gel Ovations(TM) Dimensional GEL toilet seat cover * Able to have arms on either side (or both).Wow. What I had missed was that when users transfer from their wheelchair, they often put Add protective, easy clean GEL cover & arms either or both sides most of their weight on a front edge, so securely attached and stable is critical. Also critical: OT/caregiver access for the "bowel programs" these clients tend to have. With those issues, the time spent on a toilet seat can be considerable. Attention needs to be focused on increased pressure from sitting, with all of the complications that can arise. Padding is important. Hinged, stable & access Now think the Gel Ovations(TM)Dimensional GEL toilet seat cover, an easily removable and washable sleeve that slips over the top of the toilet seat & contains dimensional GEL that distributes pressure, reduces sheer, protects skin, AND also improves patient comfort. So based on what I learned at ISS and how excited the OT's were over this GEL padded and accessible on 3 sides - raised toilet seat (who knew that this was what excites OTs?), it would seem that Josh was right and I was wrong... THIS Time. Now That is State of the Art 2014. Hot Flicks What is... DISABLED? What IS the impact of our choice of words? Conflicting priorities Over the years, I have read numerous columns and blogs about setting priorities and generally found the majority of them without much merit. They remind me of articles about setting strategies which turn out to be about how to organize your "wish" list and typically ignore the fundamentals of strategic planning. In the case of priorities, I find that the authors often confuse priorities with goals. So you get advice like "be realistic about your abilities". Is that important? Yes! Is it part of setting your priorities? Usually not! The purpose of having priorities clearly established is so when you find yourself pulled back and forth between two choices Tug of War was Olympic sport 1900-1920 or when you find yourself frequently making "ineffective" choices, you have some litmus test to help simplify and improve your decision making. So how can you improve these important areas in your life? 1. Banish confusion. Most people confuse "urgency" with "priority". In these cases, urgency wins almost every time. Why? It's easier to deal with the "crisis" of the moment than those areas of your business or clinical practice which are going to make a bigger difference in the long run. It's why the ringing phone or email or text message can so easily distract us from more important tasks. 2. Estimate the cost of failure. Ask yourself, "What is the cost of NOT doing this"? When you actually compare potential value or risk by looking at two things, side-by-side, the priorities can become amazingly clear. And don't do this exercise in your head. Write it down. After about three to five items on a "list", we start forgetting things. When I lived in Florida, I always marveled at the last-minute, fear of impending hurricane, shopping lines. We had hurricanes every year. The government and the Red Cross publish lists of what to keep on hand in your emergency supplies. Keeping yourself and your family as safe as possible is a priority. Running out at the last minute to get milk, which may spoil if you lose power, is an urgency. 3. Link actions to values. If you don't have a clear handle on what's really important to you (in your business or your life), it's really easy to make decisions that don't reflect your values or your priorities. If you're in the business of providing health care and you give inadequate or incomplete attention to a client because you're feeling overwhelmed with work, I don't have to tell you that you've drifted. You know it yourself, because of the way you feel and the "rationalizing" you do afterwards. Years ago, while working in University Hospital (Boston, Mass), we were transporting an open-heart patient back to the SICU, when his heart stopped. The surgical resident jumped onto the gurney, ripped open the suture line and started performing open chest compressions while directing the team to get back to the OR. Later, after the patient was stabilized, one of the OR nurses chastised the physician telling him that by putting an ungloved and unsterilized hand into the chest cavity he had run the risk of infection. The surgeon (a breed not generally known for tact) looked at her and said. "You are absolutely right. I try not to worry about infections when I'm already looking at death." He understood the priority.
Angular & Rotation Hardware & Hand Pad for Track Systems Some of our work is custom. Sometimes, we commercialize the result like the new GEL Arm Trough (GAT) that we designed with Angular and Rotation movement Track Hardware (ATH) and a GEL Hand Pad (THP) . TMS + THP The trough uses our very popular TMS track on the bottom. So we were all pleased, although not surprised, when customers using our other "track" devices (Universal Fit - TMS, Labac Style GEL Track - GT, GEL Waterfall - GWT series and our modular troughs) wanted us to provide the same hardware for use on these products as well. With slight modifications, they are now available to work with all of these. They will even work with our LaBac Compatible Modular Trough series that is made from expanded polyurethane foam. Order the Angular and Rotation movement Hardware (ATH) and a GEL hand pad (THP) with the product and we will assemble them for you if you ask nicely! At Gel Ovations, we put the hand pad together with the wider end at the front (see picture). If you agree with one of our first users who liked it better with the rounded narrower end on the front, you can have it that way as well. ATH We just want to help you "stay on track" with your work. If we can make something easier for you - give us a call 888-435-6828 We'll be happy to see what we can do.