Adaptive Equipment for Spinal Cord Injury

Just under 8,000 people in the United States experience severe spinal cord injuries every year that reduce their mobility or leave them completely unable to move below the neck. These injuries do not have to mean a loss of quality of life however, as many companies produce adaptive equipment that help people live normal, fully functional lives.

Function

• Adaptive equipment provides assistance to people with reduced mobility due to spinal cord injuries so that they can successfully complete all of the standard tasks that any person needs to do in the average day. They reduce the need for assisted living and allow victims of spinal cord injuries from accidents or developmental disorders to dress, eat, bathe and move around normally.

Features

• Adaptive equipment is designed to replicate normal foot, leg, arm and hand functionality. It can be used to aid in gripping objects such as toothbrushes or forks, grabbing high objects that can't normally be reached from a wheelchair, or pulling clothes and shoes on easily. Larger adaptive equipment works for mobility issues such as getting in and out of a vehicle through a ramp or motorized chair, accessing second floors of homes through a lift, or holding a person in place so that they can exercise their arms and upper body.

Types

• Equipment for adapting to spinal cord injuries come in a huge variety of sizes, functions and styles. Many of the standard devices come in voice activated variations so that people without finger function can also take advantage of them. Mouth operated equipment is also commonly used to replace things like hand held controllers for video game consoles. Some devices are also meant to stop mobility rather than grant it, such as bathtub placement mats to prevent drowning while bathing or elastic shoelaces that only have to be tied once.

Benefits

• The biggest benefit provided by adaptive equipment is that they help spinal cord injury victims to live independently without having to have someone help them move, bathe, or get dressed. Most states provide special programs funded through tax dollars that offset the cost of big ticket adaptive equipment items or outright pay for them for the disabled.

Considerations

• State programs that help pay for adaptive equipment typically have long waiting lists so you should apply as soon as possible. They also have maximum amounts that they can pay out per person every year that is based on the severity of your injury and the amount of money that you make per year.