GelO News July 2014

The Elbow STOPS Here !
The 4th of July has come and gone and so my thoughts have waxed both philosophical and patriotic. President Harry S. Truman [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQCAaVQ-qDM] was famous for the sign on his desk saying "The buck stops here". In our case, the emphasis is on the elbow - making sure it stops where and how you want it to when you are weight shifting patients. The Sta-Rite(TM) Swing Away Elbow Stop does exactly that AND they swing behind the chair back to allow easy side transfers with flip back arm rests. Clients also love the ability to get the pad in different sizes since, as it turns out, elbows also come in different sizes. We offer them up to 5" x 7" off the shelf - or larger if you really need it. Being a Sta-Rite(TM), the stop STAYS were you set it thanks to its unique design. To paraphrase another famous / infamous US president, "Let me make this perfectly clear". Until now, you couldn't set that elbow stop more than 1 inch from the back posts. This was fine for most of you. But not all of you. For some ~ whether they are forward thinkers... forward leaners... or people with custom configurations in the backs or back posts, it is clear that there is a need for more forward movement. So in addition to 1", we now offer three new versions with 2", 3" or 4" of maximum forward positioning available. I say "maximum" because each one gives you about 1 inch or more of travel to fine tune the position you want. You now have 12 Choices in Sta-Rite(TM)Swing Away /Removable Arm Elbow Stops - actually 24 choices because you can buy a single or a pair. As you would expect, they are available to fit 7/8 inch back canes, 1 inch back canes, and track / multi mount systems. The Swingaway are the most popular. All told, though, we offer 49 Elbow Stops BEFORE you swap the 3"x 4" flat pad on the Sta-Rites for Larger &/or Better GEL Pads [http://www.gelovations.net/catalog/Bigger_Better_Pad_Upgrades-123-1.html]. All Elbow Stops are HERE starting with OFF the Tray and OFF the Armrest. For OFF Cane Back - pick Fixed, Adjustable Non-Swingaway or Adjustable Swingaway & Removable with stem 1" 2" 3" 4" Don't you love it - when great becomes even better ? Dr. Chris Barnum PS: I hope you had a safe and joyous holiday. Now That IS State of the Art 2014
HOT Flicks Can you farm with no arms or legs? This Chris can ! What ME Worry ? Humorist Art Buchwald took inspiration from the 1973 designated hitter rule in baseball and said that his family had "designated worriers". Since everyone knew that they only had to worry about one thing (somebody else was worrying about all the other things,) life was just a lot simpler. People worry about the future, their social life, the direction of the country, violence, their children, their health, finance, and on and on and on. Worrying can be of value. If it helps you to focus on issues and solve problems, or improve focus or exercise more or eat better. But often that's not what happens. The worry seems to take on a life of its own. It leads to increased anxiety as you find yourself dwelling on the object of your worry. This can increase your stress and decrease your ability to function. So... How do you worry less? The list below is by no means exhaustive, but maybe one of two of these ideas will help. 1. Try to get a different point of view. Sometimes the source of your worry can, in your mind, expand until it fills your personal universe. Try to step back and look at the larger picture. With that perspective, sometimes you can get the worry back into an appropriate and proportional size. 2. Does your worry have a shelf life? Years ago, I was worried about how much time I was going to have to spend going back to school to get an advanced degree. Until a colleague asked me, 'If you don't go back to school, isn't the two years going to pass anyway?' She was of course, absolutely correct. So I stopped worrying and started studying. Looking into the future can also help put worry into perspective. 3. Look in the mirror. Often, we don't get to the thing we really worry about. We might say it's about losing a job, but beyond that, since there are other jobs in the world, it may be about being on your own, or losing the respect of family, or being homeless. Whatever it is, you can't deal with it if you don't know what it is. 4. Open the tiger's cage. You have to face what you fear. You have to be able to say, OK, if what I'm worrying about were to actually happen, could I get through it? Do I need help from someone else? What resources are available to me that I haven't utilized? Good questions can help you move from being stuck to taking control. 5. Get a journal. Just writing down what you're thinking and what you're feeling can be very cathartic. It can help you get valuable insights into exactly what is the "real" fear underlying the worry. It can also help you to start working on practical solutions. 6. Remember who's in charge. When those worrying thoughts crowd your mind, remind yourself that you're the one in charge of the remote. Push the STOPbutton and just tell yourself, that if you can't deal with them right now, you're not going to spend time thinking about them right now. AND ~ remember the words of Charles Schultz (creator of Peanuts) who said: "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia." Gel Ovations makes Splash Across the Pond Cardiff UK JULY 7-9 Gel Ovations Europe participated in the premier clinical rehab meeting for the UK: The Annual National Training Event. The Company was introducing its Sta-Rite(TM) Multi-Axis Hip Guides and Sta-Rite(TM) Stump Supports- both long term favourites in the United States. But the unexpected Sta-Rite(TM) Raised Toilet Seat SRRT "STAR" of the show turned out to be the new Sta-Rite(TM) Raised Toilet Seat To a generation of therapists "raised" on blow molded plastic, the stability and design of toilet seat was a real eye-opener. "We were not surprised, but delighted, at the buzz that this new design created at the event", said James Payne, VP of marketing for Gel Ovations Europe. In the world of spinal cord injuries, the seat's stability (during transfer) and accessibility (for peri-anal care) got rave reviews. "Especially the spinal cord injury professionals were impressed." James Payne
Sta-Rite(TM) Lateral Thigh Support How do you make The Best even better? When it comes to adjustable, removable, strong, easy to position, and comfortable Lateral Thigh Support (or hip guides as we old folks say) the Sta-Rite(TM) Lateral Thigh Support couldn't be beat. With adjustability in 6 Directions, great strength so it won't bend or break, easy adjustment or removal, and your choice of gel pads - it was a product that was "best in class". Even our competition told us so. But good doesn't mean perfect and you told us that you weren't crazy with the limited adjustability (6 degree increment) of the in and out and pad angle. Some of you weren't in love with it's angular, industrial look. The new and Improved Sta-Rite(TM) Lateral Thigh Support changes all of that. It now has infinite in and out and pad angle adjustment. And we've done away with many of the "hard edges" giving it an overall smoother and more contemporary look. But I promise you, we didn't mess with any of the things you loved. Have a thigh guide problem? Try our newest Sta-Rite(TM) Lateral Hip Thigh Support: Sta-Rite(TM) Multi Axis Adjustable Thigh Support - 3.5" x 10" GEL Pad SRMHG10 Sta-Rite(TM) Multi Axis Adjustable Thigh Support - 3.5" x 12" GEL Pad SRMHG12 Sta-Rite(TM) Multi Axis Adjustable Thigh Support - 3.5" x 14" GEL Pad SRMHG14 Sta-Rite(TM) Multi Axis Adjustable Thigh Support - 3.5" x 16" GEL Pad SRMHG16
If we can make something easier for you - give us a call. We'll be happy to see what we can do.