Chris' Blog

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Well its been a few days since my last note. Been really busy getting ready for the Missouri Assistive Technology Conference and fight relly high blood sugars. Also last Friday the 11th, I celebrated 11 years of marriage with the greatest women in the world and look forward to many many more.

Thinking about my high blood sugars, I started thinking about the number of customers I talk to that have high blood sugar. I have alot of customer who suffer with diabetes as I do. I think about what I go through everyday and what I have already been through with my feet. I have already had to have toe nails removed and my feet and legs hurt when I am up on them alot. I have had a great working relationship with several other companies who sell and fit diabetic shoes. I refer them customer and they refer me customer. Its a good working relationship and it helps the customer get the proper shoes to prevent other issues later on. I am fairly young at age 40 to have the medical issues I have and to add issues with my feet and legs, it sucks. But its the hand I've been dealt and I get up and keep on going.

Build relationships with other vendors that sell the products you don't. Find a dealer that will love your customers thet way you do. The other dealer may never refer you another customer but so what, your doing what is in the best interest of the customer.

I am working on a special project thet is near and dear to my heart. I need your help though, do you have a customer that needs a new chair and doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance? Tell me their story I may be able to help through my project. Send me all the info you would collect to provide a new chair, tell me why this customer is so special to you, tell me their story and tell me your story. This industry needs positive stories and I want to tell your stories. I want to tell stories about good dealers who love what they do, who value their relationships with their customers and tell stories about your customer and how they have impacted your life. So please, send me your stories. Get your customer permission and send them to me. Their are hundreds and hundreds of life changing stories out their that need to be told, someone needs to hear them and we are gonna tell them. You've all read my stories now lets hear yours. I would love for the manufactures to chime in. I know folks from Pride and Invacare read this, speak up. Tell me aboutthat awesome dealer who loves his customers. Dealers, tell me about that awesome ATS or CSR.

Well I'm gonna close and see if the stories start coming in.

Chris

8:02 AM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it | Health and wellness

4/10/2008

Understanding

I had the chance yesterday to spend time with a customer who has MS and one who suufers with a recent spinal cord injury. The customer with MS was diagnosised approximately 17 years ago and started using a power wheelchair 7 years ago. She is currently using a Pride 1113 and has taken excellent care of the chair and has had very little issues with the chair. What I find hard to understand, is know that MS is a progressive disease, why would someone put her in a basic chair that will not meet her needs longer term. She has purchased cushions because the van seat caused her severe pain from day one, the joystick doesn't swingaway, the foot plateform wasn't adjusted right and the armrest do not provide the upper extremity support she requires. Why not put her in a base with a pressure relieving cushion, a positioning back and a base that could be easily modified as her conditions changed?

I am not saying that her base can't be modified but running powered seat functions through the joystick are not an option, putting a tilt on would be a challenge and it get high centered everywhere. She can't go up her back ramp without getting high centered, she is unable to get on her interior wheelchair stair lift without getting high centered so her independence is diminished.

Stop and think about what you are doing and what you would do for yourself. I can promise you that the person that sold them that chair would not have put themselves in that chair if they had MS or any other type of progressive disease. Love your customer just as you love yourself and if you don't love yourself that much, find another line of work.

Our industry needs positive things to come out about it. We hear all the negative stuff but what about the life changes that we assist with in this industry. Tell your stories and tell them loud. We need more positive stories to come out so we can show that there are more good guys and gals in this industry than bad.

Chris

8:41 AM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it | Evaluations

4/2/2008

Listen

When you are performing a mat eval or just measuring a customer while they are sitting in a chair, if you listen to what their posture is telling you, you will learn alot. Some folks just go in pull out their tape measure and note pads, write down a bunch of numbers and walk out of a customers home without ever laying hands on the customer. I use a tape measure and many other tools, but my hands have ears. As I run my hand down a customers back, I understand what is going on with their spinal alignment. While up close and checking their pelvic positioning, i listen to their breathing especially if they have a lung condition, cardiac condition or scoliosis.

As I hold on to their pelvis while checking for proper midline pelvic alignment, I notice their shoulder and trunk position. Can they hold a midline alignment independently, do they lean to one side or the other, are their shoulders rounded, how much of their back os touching the back of the chair and so on. While checking their lower extremity hip and knee flexion and extension, what is the position of their ankles. When sitting do they sit in a severe posterior pelvic tilt,anterior tilt, frog legged, abducted or adducted and what is their head position. As I am doing all this I am making mental notes and my hands are moving them into a midline alignment if possible and my hands are listening for increased heart rate, increased or decreased breathing and stomach rumbling. What are you doing?

I was recently in an eval at a physicians office, the customer had multiple medical conditions that required complaex rehab power wheelchair. This customer had diagnosis of multiple CVA's, MS, seizures, frequent falls with injury, severe weakness in the trunk, inability to maintain midline posture without maximum supports, mild kyphosis scoliosis and weak neck muscles. She had been evaluated by another local provider but physician told customer that she want her evaluated by me. When I arrived at the office, I walked into the exam room and was introduced to customer and her family. I explained to them how I conduct an eval and what I was doing at each step. I made my recommendations and the physician agreed and we then talked with the customer and family as to the what equipment, why the equipment and the process in getting the equipment.

After that conversation the daugther gave me the paperwork from the other provider. They had recommended a basic consumer power base with a captain seat and said that when they came to her home the only measurements they took was seat depth, seat width and door measurements. She said other than the eval that this physician had given her, I had probably performed the most detailed eval that her motherhad had in 2 years.

My advice is this, listen with your hands, your eyes, your ears and your heart. When recommending equipment ask yourself this, is this the equipment I would put my wife, my child, my mother, father or brother in? If you answer no, don't do it. If it's over your head, refer it to someone who is qualified to do it. Remember this, just because the person has achieved the ATS status means that they are an ATS. Be a professional, build relationships with your physicians, therapist, customers and know your limits. Don't do it just because you can.

I went to a home today and visited with a family as to what their daugther needed. She looked so uncomfortable and was hanging on the arm rest. The first thing I did was to move the armrest and ask why they had armrest on her chair? Their response, don't you have to have them on the chair? My response, can she use them with her upper extremity contractures? No, so why have them on their because thay can't be adjusted low enough and she is hanging on them. After removing the armrest, this young lady relaxed, she smile, her lung function increased, she started talking and her shoulders came into a neutral alignment. We are going to make a few more modifications but over all the other provider had done a wonderful job with the chair. The family had nothing but high regards for the other provider and so do I, the other provider had just reached his maximum capabilities. Know yours, ask for help, its not your body you will do long term damage to.

Chris

3/31/2008

A Month To Remember

Well today is the last day of March and new Medicare rules go into affect tomorrow. One of the joys when mentoring up and coming stars in the industry, is helping them get through these times of change. I have couple of gentlemen working under my direction that are learning this business and one that has taken the ATS exam and is sitting on pens and needles waiting to see if he passed. Dealers across the country are scrambling to get equipment in and delivered prior to night tonight. Manufactures have worked overtime to get chairs to the dealers due to the new dead lines. Fun Fun Fun

Tammy and I have been working hard to help others get equipment delivered prior to tomorrow's deadline and can now focus and write a new blog. One of my greatest joys in this industry has been the 8 or so years that I have been able to work side by side with my best friend, my wife. Tammy has been there through the hard times, the good times, the really hard times when I had to take off after a heart attack and open heart. She has ensured that customersrecieved their equipment, repaired equipment, cooked, cleaned and raised the kids when I have been down. I understand the demands of this industry and the toll it takes on your family. The best staff, tech, assistant that a person can have is their wife. Tammy is my biggest fan, she has allowed me the opprotunity to be as successful as I have been in this industry. If it wasn't for her love and understanding, I would most likely be divorced.

I'll never forget the first time Tammy went with me on a delivery to one of my higher end users. He had been in bed with no wheelchair for 6 months. When he got his chair he asked if he could go outside, we of couse told him it was his chair and he could do what ever he wanted. Snow was flying and it was very cold out that day butthat didn't matter. He drove outside and with tears in his eyes, he turned to Tammy and said thank you. Tammy began to cry and looked at me and said this is why we do what we do. She understood all the late night, weekends and extensive travel.

Tammy is all that and a bag of chips. I am not the easiest person to live with, work with or be married to. I make more mistakes than the average bear and for some reason Tammy continues to stand by me. I know this may not be what you expected from this blog but every now and again we should tell those that allow us to be who we are, do what we do, thank you and I love you.

Tammy, I love you and thanks for all the years you have took my crap and stood by me. Sharron Potzmann, Thanks for being the best office manager an ATS could ask for. Rick, thanks for being a great tech and friend. Andy, Thanks for being a great friend and the best boss in the whole world.

Chris

7:03 PM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it | Information

3/26/2008

Overcoming the Odds

The phone rang one day and one of my dear friends who is a peds physical therapist, said need you to come assist with an eval on a little boy with spastic quad CP. I arrived at the home of this little boy and he and his twin brother were there with their mom. As we performed the mat eval it broke my heart that at the being of this little fellows life, tragedy. His mother said shortly after being born he had to have a surgical procedure and they notice that something was wrong but what. Both boys were born within hours of each other but the smaller one had serious medical complications and the out look wasn't the most positive.

After a lengthy hospital both boys came home and the fun began. I can only imagine raising twins and then to have one with serious medical issues, I would be bald. When this little fellow was approximately 3 1/2 years old we discussed a power wheelchair to increase his independence, increase his family activities and allow him to keep up with other kids at school. There were those that said he will not be able to do this, he is going to hurt himself or someone else and I even had one person ask if I had rocks in my head. My response was we will never know what this child can do if we don't give him the opportunity to try.

We got a demo chair that was set up to the right seat size and programmed the chair to slower speeds and took it to the home. The therapist and I asked everyone to back up, be quiet and see how it works. After a brief overview of how things worked with the chair turned off and giving him a chance to overcome his initial fear of the chair, we turned it on. We only allowed one person to give him instructions so he didn't get confused when 5 people started screaming at him. Within minutes he was driving a few feet forward and then stop. He then drove forwarded and turned to the right, then the left then backwards and then, watch........... him take off across the yard and never hit anything.

The tears well up in your eyes as you see the look on his face when he got excited and started to clap. You look at mom and others who have turned away to hide their tears of joy because the realize that he can walk, he can run and he can play and keep up with his brothers. He had his wings.

Don't ever under estimate what someone can or cannot do, if you aren't sure. I have worked with many customer who at first glance you think this is a waste of time. Remember the old saying, "Don't ever judge a book by it's cover." I have had several kids who no use power wheelchairs that when the process started, no one thought they could do it. Look for something that leads you to believe they can. Don't hinder them, don't hold them back and say well if we get them a power wheelchair they will become dependent upon it and not use their arms and such. Can they propel as fast as their siblings can run, can they propel and play the faster paced games at school, are they always at the back of the class with an assistance because they just can't keep up? How is that fair to them? I would rather see them work with a good therapist and focus on ROM exercise to maintain strength. Can you what imagine yourself esteem would be like if you were always bringing up the rear? Having behavior issue in school, look at the chair and how their activities in the chair are effecting them.

Also, Pride thanks for making and awesome peds power base. We have taped it together, clamped it together and it keeps on going 5 1/2 years after the fact.

Chris

9:10 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (1) | Permalink | Blog it

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