The Post-Polio Clinic of Stanley Yarnell, MD at Saint Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco surveyed polio survivors who had been evaluated at their facility. One of the questions was what things polio survivors thought helped them to feel better. Stanley K. Yamell, MD, Saint Mary’s Medical Center, San Francisco, California Stanley K. Yarnell, MD, has been involved with the …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
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News about people who have made significant contributions to the disability community.
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Donating Shoes
People with different-sized feet frequently ask if there is a place where they can donate or exchange the extra shoes. PHI welcomes updates to the following at any time: National Odd Shoe Exchange (NOSE) PO Box 1120, Chandler, AZ 85225 480-892-3484, www.oddshoe.org The One Shoe Crew PO Box 285, Rio Linda, CA 95673 480-892-3484, sally_tavarez@hotmail.com The Minus One Club OddShoeFinder.com …
Retailers providing single/mismatched shoe services
Nordstrom’s Birkenstock Express Online 301 SW Madison Ave, Corvallis OR 97333, 800-451-1459 Therapeutic Footwear: National Shoe Retailers Association maintains a database to allow one to search by zip code or area for shoes in special sizes and/or widths. Aetrex Worldwide – Therapeutic shoes. Markell Shoe Company – Orthopedic footwear, appliances and orthotic devices. One day when I went to pick …
For great help with all your special shoes, braces and/or orthopedics
I recommend International Limb and Brace, 3727 Montana Ave, El Paso, TX 79924, 915-564-3025. Mary H., Texas
Preparing for possibilities
After eight stitches to close a cut above my right eyebrow following a nasty fall, I visited my optician. I ordered a pair of prescription glasses with frames and lenses identical to those worn by people who participate in contact sports, e.g., racketball. The cost was about two-thirds of what I paid for my previous pair of glasses. (The looks …
Sip and Puff Technique video
View a video that demonstrates how sip and puff works. It was taken for a Korean TV science and technology program and is not the best quality and the language is Korean, but is great for showing this technique used for operating a wheelchair and other devices. www.makoa.org/jim
Use a manual chair? Need an assist?
For individuals who cannot easily manage a power chair, or for those who find pushing their manual chairs difficult, here is a new option. Outfitted with e.motion® power-assist wheels (www.frankmobility.com), my manual wheelchair can be propelled with very little effort. The power assist wheels slip on and off just like the standard wheels do. Power can be set for 50 …
Hiking and ice skating with positive results
I had polio in my right leg in 1956, aged 6. Despite the fact that there is almost no muscle below the knee, I have always had a slight build, which has (I think) made it much easier for me to rely on the other leg. Walking, cycling and hiking are fairly easy, but I do to use hiking boots …
Shoulder problems for wheelchair user
I had bilateral lower extremity polio in 1953. Although given long leg braces I chose to use my manual wheelchair (I didn’t fall down and have to look strange wearing clothing over my braces). In my 50’s I began to have pain in my arms and shoulders and subsequent weakness. I was told I had tendinitis, carpal tunnel, and residual …
Knee Surgery at 80
I am an 80-year-old woman who had a mild case of paralytic polio in July of 1932 when I was 3-1/2 years old, while living in a small town in the Boston suburbs in Massachusetts. I had a slight fever and my Dad found me creeping upstairs on my hands and knees. I had been walking since I was 10 …