June is Great Outdoors Month

As we celebrate Memorial Day, we also usher in the spirit of summer. While summer officially comes later in the month, we all start imagining the fun and relaxation so associated with this great season. Getting out and about is what we do. There are many, though, whose situations keep them inside, who itch to get out, who might consider going out if they could figure out the best ways to do this. Help someone get mobile this month. Offer a hand, a ride, a wheelchair, a scooter, or a ramp! Let Capabilities help you and those you care about enjoy the summer. We have dozens of affordable ideas.

We also have rental equipment. This helps you and those you care about try things out first, or dip the proverbial big toe in the great outdoors without investing too much. We have a huge fleet of wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, ramps and RollerAids, the terrific knee walker that you can use as an easy alternative to crutches.

Happy Memorial Day!

What are you up to this summer? Share your ideas and suggestions. Post a comment at the end of this blog.

Featured Product: Nuwati Teas Iced

It is warming up rapidly here in the Rocky Mountain State as it is in so many places. I have great memories of Aunt Emily's iced tea, brewed on the back porch in the sun with plenty of lemons. Aunt Emily used the popular black tea in bags so common to many of us Boomers. I have learned a lot about tea since those delightful and carefree summer days of long ago. And, while I still enjoy a tall glass of regular old iced tea now and again, I especially am fond of iced herbal teas. We have written in this blog of the healing effects of tea, of the many types of tea we carry at Capabilities, of the terrific suppliers we have partnered with to ensure a rich and interesting mix of teas on our shelves. But it is nearly summer again and I am drawn to tell you about a few of my favorite Nuwati tea selections that work especially well over ice.

Cloud Walking Tea: Enjoy this yummy brew when you are feeling especially anxious or worried. Sip it before you wind down at night, or on a Sunday afternoon when you don't have to drive anywhere or mow the lawn. Created from eleven herbs and roots, including catnip (!), a glass or two of this iced tea will calm even the jitteriest among us.

Laughing Coyote Tea: This is one of the newer additions to the Nuwati collection, mixed to ensure a mood enhancing experience. Maybe it's the stevia or rooibos or the incredibly unique combination of over 20 herbs, roots and fruits that makes you happy, but make no doubt, Laughing Coyote Tea makes you happy!

The Healer Tea: This is the most popular of the Nuwati collection. You can use this tea in two ways. Shake the bottle and sniff. Wow! Talk about clearing your sinuses. Then you can make some (hot or iced) to sip on. This combination of herbs not only helps the immune system, but you can use it effectively to combat headaches. Some folks even mix it with favorite foods and drinks. Dr. Pepper?!

Learn more about Nuwati teas or make a purchase.

Four Companies Work Together to Give Back to Senior Community

Capabilities, Interim HealthCare Inc., Elder Wellness LLC, & Colorado Seniors Resource Connection have developed a quarterly health educational series that provides a valuable benefit for the communities they serve and is consistent with their common commitment to consumer education. They believe education is a valuable part of their mission to improve people’s lives.

The first of these health educational seminars will be held on Thursday, June 11th at
5:30 p.m. The seminars will be held at Capabilities located at 6805 W 88th Ave. (at Pierce St.) in Westminster. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. The highlight of the seminar will feature a key note guest speaker. Yvonne Baca, President of the Board, Rocky Mountain Stroke Association will talk about education, awareness and living with stroke.

“A stroke is a very serious medical condition that can make life difficult for everyone involved” said Interim HealthCare Inc. program manager Jake Rankin. “Our hope is to get involved in the communities and create awareness for many of the medical conditions that face people today. Thankfully the healthcare community here in the Denver area is the best and most caring group of people I have ever seen”.

For additional information, please contact us. You can call us at 720-214-0339.

Kathryn Arbour Selected as Denver Mobility Products Examiner

Have you seen http://examiner.com/ yet? If you are on the hunt for information on just about any topic, you won't be disappointed on this website. Organized by city, category or topic, the site is fueled by writings from "Examiners," folks who apply as experts in the various fields represented. In my case, I suggested the field of expertise since Examiner had not yet created this category of Mobility Products Examiner. My job is to write about mobility equipment and tools for independent living, areas I know about through our wonderful experiences here at Capabilities. Check out my very first article posted just this week. Please comment and pass around to those who might find the information useful. If there are specific topics you would like to read about or have discovered a "not to miss" product, be sure to contact me. And, if you would like more information about how to become an Examiner yourself, I would be happy to give you the details. Send me a note and some contact information and I'll be in touch.

Risers: A Simple Solution to a Challenging Problem

In the past couple of months we have seen a number of families struggling with conflicting realities. A loved one needs some additional assistance, but the budget is shrinking and money has to go further. We recently worked with two families whose loved ones can no longer get up from a seated position very easily. Once in a chair or on the couch, they usually stay there until it's time to go to bed. This creates all kinds of issues, slightly different for each one, but worrisome nonetheless.

The simplest solution in these cases is a reclining lift chair. In these times, however, it is not always the least expensive approach. Capabilities, however, is offering affordable lift chairs in its newest spring collection. Be sure to stop by if you are in the Denver metro area to check them out. When the lift chair is beyond the budget, however, there is another approach - risers.

Available in different sizes, risers give you the flexibility to raise furniture to different heights, creating the same effect as a lift mechanism in a chair. Often by raising the back of the chair several inches higher than the front, you give the individual in need the height needed to lift more easily and gently from the chair. You can anchor the feet of the furniture to the risers for extra safety and protection. Risers can also be used to lift a bed to a height suitable for caregiving.

There are also portable lifting mechanisms you can purchase to put on a chair or sofa that are sized by weight. These are available in hydraulic or electric versions.

Capabilities offers an array of choices for most situations. Please consider us first as you look for a partner in solving some of life's challenges with you or your loved ones. Tell us about some of your favorite products for caregiving or coping. We love sharing good ideas or letting others know about the ones to avoid.

Lifting Solutions For Caregivers

You already know how many potential pitfalls there are when caring for someone, whether by profession or as a family member. You usually stumble into most of them if you are not a caregiver by profession. Even professionals come upon some surprises.

One of the big issues to confront as a caregiver is lifting, especially if the individual under your watch is not ambulatory. However, some of the more serious injuries occur with individuals who have some ambulation; it is easy to let your guard down as a caregiver when you believe that someone can usually make a transfer from one location to another fairly easily.

Of course, preventing falls to the individual under your care is essential. Your own health and safety are also of primary importance. Keeping those outcomes foremost in our minds, let's look at various options for assisting with a lift or lifting the individual.

For assisting with transfers from one location to another consider these common, but essential tools:

• grab bars and other support poles that can be placed around the home


• transfer boards, benches and disks that allow the individual some control over his/her movements and are typically used for bathing, moving into or out of vehicles, chairs or beds


• gait belts which can be placed around the individual to provide a wide, safe area to grab onto and hold while someone is trying to walk; handles are available to use with the gait belt to make the process even easier for the caregiver; vests and other devices are becoming more common to ensure even more support while assisting an individual to a standing position

For lifting someone who is not ambulatory, it is prudent to use one of the following types of patient lifts:

• "Hoyer" so named for the company that first manufactured the lift that was patented in 1955 by R.R. Stratton as "floor crane with adjustable legs." The patent uses the analogy of an automotive crane used to lift engines. This type of lift uses a sling (often the sling used depends on the physical situation of the individual needing it, for example, an amputee sling, or the reason for the usage, such as a "toileting" sling that has an opening to allow the individual to be lowered onto a commode or toilet.


• Stand-assist lift, which cradles the back with a sling and provides reinforcement and padding at the legs and knees while the caregiver pulls the individual forward into a standing position. The advantage of this lift is for those who cannot bend easily, or who have an adverse reaction to be lifted in a seated position as happens with the "Hoyer."


• Easy-Pivot lift, which we have blogged about previously. Developed by a Coloradoan who became a quadrapeligic as a young man and resisted what he called the indignities and discomfort of the "Hoyer" for both himself and his caregiving wife. This lift works with an individual already in a seated position, requiring a sling beneath the buttocks and around the knees. The individual "drapes" over a padded front piece and is safely lifted and moved to another seated position. It works well for those with little to no leg movements or strength so cannot easily be lifted to a standing position.


• Ceiling lifts have become increasingly more popular as individuals are cared for in the home. The other lifts mentioned above have wide (mostly adjustable) bases that can be altered somewhat to fit around chairs, beds and commodes. However, they are often too wide for use in a home, especially a smaller home, and cannot be used effectively to transfer someone to most bathtubs. Ceiling lifts can be mounted in every room of the house, including some that offer a track to connect through doorways. The patient or caregiver controls the movement of the lift along the track with a remote.


• Freestanding overhead lifts offer a more convenient and often less expensive way to provide some of the same advantages of a ceiling lift. This A-framed mechanism is placed over a bed or between transferring locations. It is most useful for lifting and transferring individuals who are not moved among widely divergent places in the home since the frame has limitations.

Caregiving is hard, and sometimes dangerous, whether you do this work professionally or as a family member or friend. Please remember to honor the two key principles of preventing falls and further injury to the individual you are caring for AND preventing injury to yourself. Be smart about lifting and consider using some of these tools. Let Capabilities help you assess the situation. We do free home assessments to work with you and your family on what solutions might be best. Contact us for more information. Please post your ideas on caregiving and tools you have used using the link provided below or sending us an email.

Managing Incontinence

You are not alone if you experience urinary or fecal incontinence. Research suggests that nearly 20 million people in the U.S. alone experience chronic or acute forms of incontinence. Incontinence is not a disease; it is a symptom. Tracking down what causes your incontinence is a journey worth taking as some of the causes can be serious. Some causes may not be treatable in a way that will eliminate this symptom.

So, today I write about living with incontinence while you are on the road to figuring out just how permanent the condition may be for you. There is no doubt that most adults cringe at the very topic. Regardless of the reason, most adults will feel some kind of embarrassment or shame at the idea of anyone learning that they are incontinent. Folks go to great lengths to hide it, ignore it, worry about it. We know many who will not go out because they fear exposure either through leakage, odor or the annoying crinkling sound that many adult briefs make beneath their clothes.
A few key strategies will help you face incontinence and manage it, regardless of how long the symptoms last.

1. Workwith a physician or other health care professional first and foremost. Getting at the root of the problem is essential. Find a specialist if you know or believe that your incontinence is related to a specific condition. Follow the doctor's advice and take recommended prescriptions, even if you continue on your search for answers in other arenas.


2. Do some research. There are dozens of products on the market. Of course, try the least expensive brands of adult briefs and pads first. If your situation can be managed this way, why not be as economical as you can. Be prepared, however, to spend a little more. There are some extremely great products available - some at premier prices - that match your specific needs. Work with someone in the business of handling incontinence and related products for advice on which product might work for your situation. Ask for samples. Most manufacturers offer free samples and most dealers of such products will have samples on hand for you to try out. Be very honest about issues like absorbency. If you underestimate your need, you are certain to be disappointed.


3. Find a support group or someone you can trust to talk about your concerns.


4. Stay active and involved. Secluding yourself will only create other problems, often much bigger ones. Isolation is one of the main causes of depression, which can lead to a host of other physical ailments.

At Capabilities we have expert staff trained in the use of so many products, including incontinence. We offer a selection of specialized brand options, products designed by manufacturers whose whole focus is incontinence, such as Tena and Dignity. Stay tuned for a special seminar in the works later this year on the topic of incontinence where we will feature specialists and an array of products with plenty of samples for you to try.