Simple Design Improvements Make A Huge Difference

OK. There we go, do it that way. No, that's it is. I know

That's OK. Let me try press. I'm gonna have to pro prop just because my arms don't, so

Yeah. OK. Right, I, let me just see, hopefully we can turn you round

I think OK. um, can you turn your phone round, will it? Do you like 10? Yes, that's it. That's perfect

That's brilliant, lovely, lovely. And I'll move my arms so they don't, uh, yeah. Dominate

OK, so severe arthritis in my right hip. So, which increasingly immobilised me last year, um, and I used a, um, I didn't use hospital equipment, uh, to help me get around. I, I used a, a sort of foldable walking stick, um, which was, uh, which kept me reasonably mobile

I also have, uh, something called myasthenia gravis, which means I have weak. Muscles, so that made the whole situation more difficult. And then I had a hip replacement

Um, just before Christmas, uh, which has worked very well. Um, and I'm using sticks, hospital sticks to get around. And they are, they've been adjusted to my height, which was great

So that's helped enormously, um, and, um, and on the whole, they do the job. Right. And I probably need them for longer than normal because of the muscle weakness which is coming to play, um, and it's affecting the kind of my recovery, but

Sure, sure. OK, so would you say that the um. How, so, so basically this is temporary at the moment for you

Um, the equipment, just to sort of clarify, so the equipment that you've been offered is working quite well. It's OK, they're OK. They are, um, it certainly gives me stability and help to help me get around

Um, and they are, um, they're just, their design is a bit basic, I guess, as you'd expect from a hospital stick. So they are not, um, helpful. If I'm sitting, if I get, so I go into a meeting and I need to put my stick somewhere and because they have flat handles, Uh, they, they don't hook

Yeah. So I, I therefore carefully balanced them on the wall and suddenly knocks them. So I spent my entire life, um, with my sticks, um, falling to the ground and somebody needing to pick them up because I still can't bend down

So that, that is a major design fault, I think, in. Um, in the, in the sticks, and my daughter has this, had had had cancer and has cancer, and she needed a stick for balance after her chemo, and it was in America and it's a nice curved handle. Right

So, so much easier because you can hook them everywhere. They stay stable and, um, there's an assumption with the sticks, I think that you You only use them, that that that is your life using those sticks, and, and while you're doing that, they're fine. Um, but if you, if you try and do anything else, I mean, shopping, if there's a case in point, so push a shopping trolley, I therefore don't need a stick

But I need a stick to go and get the shopping trolley and take it back again. And, uh, and they don't hook onto the trolley. Yeah

Yeah. So, they are, that's my only complaint is, is the, is the design of the handle. So the stick itself solid, does the job fine, doesn't fold up, but that's all right

Um, And I very rarely use the folding function of me this stick I'd had before I had the operation, um, but it's uh. They are, they're just cumbersome, that they, they, I spent my life dropping them and people having to pick them up and they're very good about it, but uh still. Well, you've sort of answered the questions I was gonna ask you next, which is great because, I mean, you've you've described the challenges

I was gonna ask you about challenges using the equipment. And you've described the challenges is, um, you know, Of what you do with them when you're sitting down or you know, you need something, how do they? And you've also answered the other question, which was I was going to ask, which was about how could they be improved upon because it's a nice curved handle. Yeah

Yeah. Um, It's obvious that they haven't really thought about. You, no one's actually probably used them in the design, have they, to a certain extent they use them just in um

In a in a design room, you know, where someone's hob, you know, pretending to hobble around. You know, but it's not about, you know, the life going shopping, getting in and out of the car, all of those things is, yeah. So, um

If there's anything you'd like to say, add further about any challenges that you've found using the equipment, that would be good. If there's anything else. I don't, I don't think so

I mean, they've really done the job. They've, they've helped me get around the house. They've helped me get in and get out, um, and they give me confidence as well

Um, I'm moving from two sticks to one stick, and that's very exciting. Uh, although there's always a challenge with one stick because it it twist your spine slightly. And, and I have, um, I have

Just because of the myocena, I've got poor, poor mus muscular tension. So, um, but, um. Uh, and hopefully I will be with sticks reasonably soon, but, um, they are, they have been, I mean, I'm, you know, I'm grateful to them, um, and, and all that

But yes, you're right. Somebody has not, uh, thought about, um, how you, what you do, what you do with them, uh, when you're not, when you're not hobbling around. So, um

Yeah. When you're actually living your life, when you're getting on with life. And in terms of improvements, um, like I say, you've said about how you think it could be approved

Is there anything else where you feel it could be they could be improved? Oh, not really. I mean, they're nice and solid, and actually, that's quite important. Um, you know, they're chunky, which gives you some sense, some sense of safety

They are adjustable, so they were adjusted to my height by the physio. And, uh, which means I've walk, I walk straight rather than bent over, which is a good thing. Um, and it's just literally, it's the, it's the handle design, which would be so much better if it's, uh, if you were able to walk

Yeah. That's great. OK, um, I'm just gonna have a quick look at the, make sure that I've covered everything

I think I have. Um. Did you have any um challenging challenges accessing the equipment? Um, no, no, they sent me out with them

I mean, I had challenges accessing other, uh, actually talking of equipment. I needed raised loose seats, um, and those were not provided by the hospital. We had to buy them

Um, so. Uh, I know. I thought they would, but because the hip, hip replacement was considered

Elective Uh, my hospital wouldn't provide the loose seats. I don't understand that. I have to say, but that that was the That was the deal

Right. That's quite. Interesting, isn't it? It is expensive

Was it expensive? No, I mean, not huge, about 10 pounds loose heat and we bought 21 for upstairs, one for downstairs, and they Perfectly beautifully adapted to their role, so they've been great. um, but the, no, I was surprised. I it was all to do with the fact it was elective and whether you consider it elective to, you know, you either live with it in in enormous pain and with limited mobility with a severely degraded right hip, or you have a hip replacement

Um, so whether you consider that elective, I, I would question, but, um, no, I, they didn't provide them, but they did send me off with the sticks, so I had no problem with that. Yeah, yeah. It's just strange though, isn't it? Because obviously, getting up and down to go to the toilet, you know, it's, it's potentially when you could fall

It is, it is, and it also, you're supposed to be, you're not supposed to, um, with a, with a hip replacement, you're not supposed to, you're supposed to have a, um, a 90 degree angle and not less. Well, on a low loose seat, you're less than 90 degrees. Yes, yes

So it was silly, um, I thought, but, you know. We were, we went off to the local. Mobility store and bought some blue seats, so, uh, yeah, and have kept them on the basis that we're gonna get crumble so we might as well have them in stock in case we need them again, so

Good idea. Mm. Thank you so much, Shan

It's a pleasure. It's always a pleasure. Is there anything else you'd like to add to about equipment and using it? No, no, I mean, I think, I think it's been pretty straightforward

It was just, as you say, somebody. Who uses sticks was not involved in the design. Um, and therefore wasn't thinking about, you know, what do I do when I go into a meeting and I need to neatly loop my stick somewhere rather than either laying it flat over three chairs or, um, having it knocked over every, every 2 minutes

So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah

OK. That's lovely. Thank you so much, Shaun

Uh, Sean, I will stop and record..