Category Archives: information

Wheelchair Accessibility

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Wheelchair accessibility helps people who can no longer get around without support. You can optimize your home and your daily life to make things easier for your loved one if they are not as mobile as they use to be.

Wheelchair Ramps
Ramps make it much easier for people in wheelchairs to exit and enter their homes. The material for the ramps should be standard wood, but you can use protective coatings on the ramp to make sure that the weather doesn’t weaken it. You must check to see if the person using the wheelchair can easily push themselves up the ramp and down the ramp without the wheels getting snagged on anything.

Don’t space the wooden planks too far apart. The gaps in the wood can cause a bumpy ride at the least and a health hazard if you’re not careful. You can even buy portable ramps that you can take with you on road trips. The person in the wheelchair may also need help getting into vehicles and other establishments. Portable ramps can certainly come in handy at the most inconvenient times.

Wider Doors Inside
You must ensure that doors have easy paths of travel. Don’t place boxes or other items close to doors when a person using a wheelchair will have to navigate through the opening. The doors in the home may need to be wider if they are less than 32 inches wide. The wheelchair user must have plenty of space to get through.

Wider doors can also make a people feel more comfortable inside the home. The bare minimum amount of space can make them feel cramped and closed in. They should at least be given some freedom of movement even though they are using a wheelchair.

Wider Hallways
Wider hallways are also essential to the comfort and well-being of someone who gets around in a wheelchair. The wheelchair must be able to move freely through the halls with plenty of space to spare. Make sure there is at least 36 inches of space between the walls in the hallways.

You might also need wider hallways if the wheelchair will need to turn corners to get to different rooms. It can be difficult for a wheelchair to navigate through tight corridors without rounded corners. Leaving plenty of space will ensure a happier and healthier experience.

Bathroom Changes
It’s time to get rid of that bathtub in your bathroom. Showers are much more accessible for wheelchairs than bathtubs. You can also install hand-held shower heads and seats so that people using wheelchairs can have a better chance at bathing themselves. The person will be much more comfortable in the shower since they can just open the door and wheel their way in.

Buckle Up!

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No matter how the wheelchair is secured to the vehicle, a properly used and positioned crashworthy seatbelt, consisting of pelvic and upper-torso belts, is absolutely essential. Seatbelts are by far the most effective occupant restraint system for protecting occupants in crashes and reduce the risk of total injuries by more that 50%. They prevent occupants’ ejection from and minimize injurious contact within the vehicle.

To be most effective, the lap belt must be placed low on the pelvis near the top of the thighs, and the shoulder belt should cross the middle of one shoulder and the breastbone and connect to the lap belt near the occupant’s hip.

While wheelchair securement and occupant restraints are important, a growing body of evidence suggests a large proportion of serious injuries to wheelchair-seated travelers is due to a lack of proper seat belt use and/or improper positioning of the seatbelt. In many cases, wheelchair features such as armrests and wheels can interfere with proper seatbelt routing and placement, and care must be taken to ensure that seatbelts are properly used and positioned. This may require placing the lap belt between the back of the armrest and the seatback post, or threading the lap belt’s end through openings below the armrest before attaching the belt to the vehicle’s anchor points. It is also important to place the seatbelt buckle in direct contact with the occupant and not where it may contact rigid wheelchair components during a crash. Never route seat belts outside the large wheels or over armrests.

Even if you are only driving a short distance under ideal conditions, fasten your seat belt.
You should never drive until everyone has a seat belt properly fastened.

Carry The Fallen – Boston Marathon Route

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 Carry The Fallen

Active Heroes, a 501c3 charity presents the Carry The Fallen Ruck-March event. Carry The Fallen is a team hiking event lasting 3, 6, 12 or 22 hours (depending on the event) that is part of the charity’s Active Challenges program that builds camaraderie, wellness, morale and connects military families with supporters and peer mentors. Participants carry weight to symbolize the emotional weight that many veterans are carrying after war.  22 veterans a day take their own lives and Active Heroes is working towards reducing these numbers with a one of a kind Military Family Retreat Center located in Shepherdsville, KY. Carry the Fallen participants can Fund-Raise towards building the retreat center after registering.

Register for free or register to become an Active Heroes Ambassador for $50 and you will be sent a Carry The Fallen shirt, bumper sticker, refrigerator magnet, flyers (donation Cards), and an Ambassador Booklet containing suicide prevention information and peer mentor campaign information. Shipping is included in the $50 donation.

Earn your Carry The Fallen Patch by fundraising $100 or more and completing a 3, 6, 12 or 22 hour long Carry The Fallen Ruck-March event! Carry The Fallen Team Leaders will distribute patches, only to participants who raise $100, during the closing ceremony of the event.  Participants can even make their own donations towards the patch on their fundraising page, or keep sharing their fundraising page on social media, emails and in other conversations to raise the $100 minimum donation amount.

Carry the Fallen 3, 6, 12, 22

Carry The Fallen – Boston Marathon Route
March 21, 2015
6:00am – 7:00pm

Active Heroes – Team Minuteman (All participants) will be rucking the Boston Marathon route starting at 1 Ash St. Hopkinton MA 01748 and finishing at 659 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116.  There will be on street parking at the starting point.  Transportation back to starting point is up to participants to schedule.  Some people drop cars at the finish line in Boston to help shuttle people back to the beginning.  Please help carpool if you can.  The team will be followed by an RV during the hike to help assist people who drop out during the 26.2 miles. The hike moves as fast as the slowest person.

Carry as much weight that you can carry for the entire march but make sure you don’t over do it for safety. Please wear an Active Heroes or Carry The Fallen shirt to the event to help spread awareness about reducing veteran suicide through Active Heroes. You can find more shirts and gear at: www.ActiveHeroes.org and search for store. Learn more about the Carry The Fallen event at www.CarryTheFallen.org

Safety is very important. Depending on your hiking event the terrain might be on road ways and traffic can be present. Children are allowed to the event but please keep an eye on them for safety. Flashing lights or reflectors belts are encouraged for early morning hiking or night time events. bring plenty of water, sports drinks with no excess sodium, first aide kit and energy snacks. Bathroom breaks are generally planned but keep in mind that Team Leaders are working to keep everyone together to accomplish the long distance event, so stops wont be frequent unless of medical emergencies.

Above all, the Carry the Fallen events are extremely fun and the entire family can join. Your help is needed to build the retreat to help reduce Veteran Suicide. Learn More About the Military Family Retreat here: www.ActiveHeroes.org