GelO News June 2016

Understanding Our Elbow Stops Sometimes I feel like we walk a tightrope here at Gel Ovations. On the one hand, we like to offer as many options/variety as we can to deal with whatever problem confronts you. And we are offering a new type today - (See this month's give away below). On the other, we know that can lead to confusion and confusion is never a helpful addition to your day. So let me see if I can shed some clarity on our Elbow Stops . Why do clients need elbow stops ? When a tilt or recline moves, the client's arm has a natural tendency to slip backwards. For clients with diminished upper body strength, this can lead to uncorrected loss of arm position - leading to a series of other problems. Elbow stops are the best way to prevent this. What are the key concerns that need to be addressed in choosing the right elbow stop for your client? There really are 5 - 1. Will it stop the arm from sliding out of position? 2. Does it position the pad above the elbow so as not to put pressure on the bony prominence? 3. Does it provide an appropriate pad to meet the client's need? 4. Will it stay where it is needed when it is needed? 5. If needed, will it move out of the way for transfer? Why are they are so often overlooked in the original fitting of the chair? I'm not usually at the fitting, so this is conjecture. But it may be because the fitting is done in the upright position and so there is less focus of issues specific to the full backwards (or forward) tilt. It may be because some therapists just aren't that familiar with them and so don't think of the issue as easily addressed. I would be delighted to hear from any of you as to why you think elbow stops are so often an after thought. Back to choices that need to be made to pick a good elbow stop for your client: First step: Where do they anchor? We offer 3 basic choices that come off: the back posts, the back itself (in this case a Permobil back), or the back of the arm pad AND heavy duty off the back of the arm pad . Secondly: Do you need it fixed position, highly adjustable, or 'somewhere in between'? Thirdly: Can the client do with a regular strength model or because of weight or tone do they need a heavy duty [http://www.gelovations.net/catalog/Heavy_Duty_off_Armrest-154-1.html]? FYI: The Heavy Duty is this month's give away. Finally: What pad size and shape in needed? 3" x 4" FLAT GEL pad is standard; 4 sizes of curved dimensional gel are also available off the shelf - 3"x5", 4"x4", 4"x6", and 5"x7". All of these pads can be positioned 'above the elbow' on all of our elbow stop hardware. They 'leave a space where the bony prominence is' so there isn't pressure placed on it - just the way you want it. Off the back post elbow stops are available in 2 highly adjustable varieties (a swing behind version - SRES ; a highly adjustable fixed version - SRPES ; and a straight fixed position bracket - EBLS . Off the back of the arm pad has been available as the UES - Universal Elbow Stop that fit all our 3.5" and 4" wide arm pads. Though made of a thick aluminum, it can be bent to get the angle just the way the client likes it. This 'feature' can cause a problem for high tone and bariatric clients - hence our new Heavy Duty offerings (As mentioned above, it is this month's freebie). And remember all of our StaRite ™ offerings stay right where you put them, so you don't end up wasting both time and money. We could make fewer options, but be honest, would that really help you or your client? As always, if you have any questions call Customer Service at 1.888.435.6828 or free to call me on my cell 302-494-9070 Contact me to arrange a way to bring you up to speed on our revolutionary new rehab products and more.

 

Chris 302-494-9070 chris@gelovations.com

Now That IS State of the Art !

Where on Earth? Lonely Planet has picked their top destinations (including value) for 2016 and since summer is bustin' out all over, we thought we'd share them with you. Keep in mind that lonely plant's focus is NOT shopping on Rodeo Drive. We'll leave that article for our November issue. They are, In order: 1. Botswana 2. Japan 3. USA 4. Palau 5. Latvia 6. Australia 7. Poland 8. Uruguay 9. Greenland, and 10. Fiji There isn't time to tell you a lot about each one, but here are some highlights of the ones that caught our attention. Botswana. If you like wildlife and nature and all that stuff, Botswana may just be your cup of java. It is a unique destination: an unusual combination of desert and delta that is home to an amazing assortment of wildlife. It is wild, pristine and expansive (That's "expansive" and not "expensive". Slow down and read this stuff.) Seventeen percent of the country is dedicated to national parks, many of them spreading into the vast Transfrontier parks of Kavango-Zambezi and Kgalagadi. It's all fairly accessible by plane or car, or if you're feeling adventurous, go my mokoro (native word for canoe). USA. Yes you live here and it's a big country. But specifically we're talking about the national park system. It's truly one of the best in the world. From the grandeur of Sequoia to the quiet majesty of Bryce and Zion, there is a wealth to see and do. Whether you camp it, or just day trip, these are sights and experiences that are not done justice by YouTube, no matter what your tweens tell you. One of the parks with which you may be less familiar unless you are from New England, is Acadia. If you go - be sure to stop for lunch and get the popovers. The words "life-changing" are often used in their description but we cannot confirm that. Palau. If you're a history buff you may know the name as one of the areas fought over bitterly by the Japanese and Americans in 1955 (10,000 Japanese lives and 2,000 American were lost.) But if you're into diving and aquatics Palau may strike you as heaven on earth Palau is a collection of unspoiled limestone and volcanic islands with only 8 of the 200 being inhabited. Mangrove forests provide the backdrop to crystal clear water showering the diver/snorkeler with an abundance of marine wildlife. Temperature and rainfall are fairly constant which makes the time of your visit less critical. Spoiler alert: typhoons are historically more common in the second half of the year. While still a secret in the west, Palau is getting well known in East Asia and since they're looking to limit tourists to preserve the ecology the heady traveler will book more in advance. Latvia. Not so much into safaris and SCUBA tanks. OK. Think about Europe. No, not France...Latvia. Celebrating it's 25th anniversary of independence, the tiny country has muchå to recommend it. To begin with it's not Estonia...sorry Estonians.. bad joke. But really, this energetic little country has been improving its infrastructure while breathing new life into many of its century old traditions. Many of the old castles have found new life as museums and one- of -a - kind inns. And the new influx of Nordic chefs have transformed the cuisine to a point where it can give many of the better known European restaurants a run for their money. Some of the infusion of infrastructure funding has gone into the restoration of the old KGB headquarters in the capital, Riga. For an experience like no others try the pirts - a hot birch sauna. A sauna master lovingly cares for you, in the air fragranced with herbs and wildflowers, periodically bearing on you with branches. And yes, you do pay for this. After a good 15 minutes of sweltering you jump into the closest body of water to cool off and then enjoy smoked fish and beer and swap stories with locals and other visitors. Tradition has it that the Christmas tree originated in Latvia in 1510, so this may be a trip you want to plan for the holiday. Where ever you go, please feel free to send us some of your best pics and a quick hello. We'll be here, wishing we were with you.