Re: [VENT-L] Re: Experiences with w/c & vent
DChare6704(AT)aol.com
Sun, 5 Jul 1998 21:06:46 EDT
Nancy,
Thanks for your message. We have found a new vendor who is a little more
innovative when it comes to putting the vent on the back of the chair.
Instead of a LeBac tray, they will build a metal box on the back to
accommodate the vent. This will not only be esthetically more pleasing, but
will also cut down on the length since the vent can sit on its end and the
depth will be less. It will be on some kind of hinge system so that when
Darren uses the tilt feature on the w/c, the vent box won't hit the back of
the chair. The problem is that they tell us we need an Arrow with a long
frame to provide stability with this arrangement and Darren can't get into the
kitchen, bathroom or his bedroom. So we are thinking about getting a chair
with a regular length frame; then they apparently do a tilt-in-space
arrangement, but it won't be as stable. At this point, we don't have any
options as we certainly can't afford to move (nor do we want to). You would
think that vent manufacturers could make these machines more compact. In
Ontario (we live in Toronto), we get our ventilators from a government-run
ventilator pool at no cost. The downside is that you take whatever the pool
has and wants to give you. Right now, we use a LP10 (35 lbs) and I am trying
to get a PLV100 (28 lbs) because the reduced weight would add to the stability
situation. It's unfortunate that a device like a vent, which is intended to
assist people in carrying on with their lives, can in some cases complicate
their ability to get around!
Diane